He dropped out of the School of Engineering (Architecture) at Texas Tech University in Lubbock in 1964, and moved to Los Angeles, California. He adopted the surname 'Denver', for the capital of his favorite state, after he was told that 'Deutschendorf' wouldn't fit comfortably on a marquee. In his memoirs, Denver cited that as a child he had some troubles at home, mostly with his father.īy far Denver's most folk album, Rhymes and Reasons would open up his life long solo career.At the age of 12, he received a 1910 Gibson f-hole acoustic jazz guitar from his grandmother, and polished his skills enough to be able to perform at local clubs by the time he was in college. He also felt he had a connection with the indigenous people of North America. As a typical military brat his family moved around the American Southwest and South while Denver was growing up.ĭenver was a Christian in his early life, reared Presbyterian, and converted to Lutheranism, but he often said he shared many beliefs with Zen Buddhists. Denver has been referred to as "The Poet For the Planet", "Mother Nature's Son" (based on The Beatles song he covered) and "A Song's Best Friend".ĭenver was born in Roswell, New Mexico to Erma Louise Swope and Henry John Deutschendorf, Sr., an Air Force officer and flight instructor. Songs such as "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "Calypso", "Annie's Song", "Thank God I'm A Country Boy", and "Rocky Mountain High" are popular worldwide. He recorded and released some 300 songs, about half of which he had composed, and was named Poet Laureate of Colorado in 1977.ĭenver's songs were suffused with a deep and abiding kinship with the natural world. John Denver (Decem– October 12, 1997), born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., was an American folk singer-songwriter and folk rock musician who was one of the most popular artists of the 1970s.
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