John Denver

[MattSkibaIsGOD]

any John Denver fans here? IMO, one of the finest singers and musicians ever. He is my #1 musical influence and my hero.

 

here is a sweet video of him and some other awesome artists.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CF2QmY_sxk

[Fstpicker]

Thanks for the link! I sure miss him.

 

Jeff

[slodge]

When I was about 9 or 10, my parents put an 8 track player(!) in the family station wagon. John Denver and the Kingston Trio were in heavy rotation, and were sort of my introduction to folk music. Still love 'em both.

 

At gatherings of friends my age (40s) I'll trot out a Denver song and watch people start singing along, albeit a bit red-faced. Seems there were a lot of us singing along to the Greatest hits album in the back of station wagons back in the day!

 

At family get togethers, it's a different story. We all just belt them out!

[mixinstrings]

Gotta love JC's doo in that clip

[bsman]

A bit of an opposing viewpoint - John Deutschendorf always got on my nerves, and I know I'm not alone. Something about his voice was like nails on a blackboard to me. I think listening to JD in the car on long trips (my mom was a fan) probably drove me to the Ramones, so it wasn't all bad...

[Berkleo]

When I was a kid I'd constantly steal my older sisters Rocky Mt High album, but only when she wasn't home to catch me touching her stuff. The sound of JD's 12-string was like a drug to me. Funny, I'd forgotten all about that until I read this thread....

[slodge]

 

A bit of an opposing viewpoint - John Deutschendorf always got on my nerves, and I know I'm not alone. Something about his voice was like nails on a blackboard to me. I think listening to JD in the car on long trips (my mom was a fan) probably drove me to the Ramones, so it wasn't all bad...

 

 

Somehow I had the same experience as you, was driven to the Ramones, and yet I still have a fondness for JD.

[DenverDave]

I really liked JD back in his heyday. He had some great tunes and had a great sound. I went to college with two of his cousins and he had a great family behind him. Too bad he made a mess of his life and then tragically died before he could completely get straightened out. Sad ending to a talented man..

[Cripes]

 

A bit of an opposing viewpoint - John Deutschendorf always got on my nerves, and I know I'm not alone. Something about his voice was like nails on a blackboard to me. I think listening to JD in the car on long trips (my mom was a fan) probably drove me to the Ramones, so it wasn't all bad...

 

 

The Ramones? The Ramones??!!! Joey couldn't carry a tune in a paper sack and DeeDee did men on street corners for dummy-dust. And they're the "good" thing about your exposure to John Denver?

[Michael Martin]

 

...Joey couldn't carry a tune in a paper sack and DeeDee did men on street corners for dummy-dust...

 

Now that's some inspired prose. I'm not being sarcastic. I may steal that and put it in a song.

 

But back to JD: He's one of those performers of that era whom I admired quite a bit early on, and then his sweetness and light-weight-ness caused me to lose interest in favor of performers and bands with an edge, or something that I can't define. Same thing with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffet, Simon and Garfunkel, and many others. Nothing takes away from their incredible songs and talents, but the music just didn't hold up for me over time in a way that can still zap me deeply. I admire that stuff now but disinterestedly, while other old stuff (The Who, Creedence, Beatles) is just as potent as ever. As for The Ramones, I never quite got that one. Seemed like a novelty act--but maybe that was the point.

[babablowfish]

 

Now that's some inspired prose. I'm not being sarcastic. I may steal that and put it in a song. But back to JD: He's one of those performers of that era whom I admired quite a bit early on, and then his sweetness and light-weight-ness caused me to lose interest in favor of performers and bands with an edge, or something that I can't define. Same thing with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffet, Simon and Garfunkel, and many others. Nothing takes away from their incredible songs and talents, but the music just didn't hold up for me over time in a way that can still zap me deeply. I admire that stuff now but disinterestedly, while other old stuff (The Who, Creedence, Beatles) is just as potent as ever. As for The Ramones, I never quite got that one. Seemed like a novelty act--but maybe that was the point.

 

 

First of all, John Denver was a monster talent who was a part of his time. His time may have passed but that doesn't diminish his great song-writing, singing and playing. Kind of like Phil Ochs.

 

Secondly, The Carpenters were totally the opposite. IMHO their music is great and easily survives the passage of time. Richard Carpenter was an amazing arranger and Karen Carpenter had one of the greatest voices I have ever heard. I listen to them a lot. Any of you out there who wrote them off as too commercial should really go back and have another listen.

[MattSkibaIsGOD]

+1 about JD and Phil Ochs. for those of you that say JD was great in his earlier career, have you not heard his later stuff? From about 1982 till when he died, his voice was the stuff of legend. He developed an incredible range that made his music that much better.

[Hudman]

 

I really liked JD back in his heyday. He had some great tunes and had a great sound. I went to college with two of his cousins and he had a great family behind him. Too bad he made a mess of his life and then tragically died before he could completely get straightened out. Sad ending to a talented man..

 

 

I remember he got caught drunk driving a couple times, but in all fairness, the man did a lot of good work with his celebrity status. I always respected his efforts to make a positive difference in his world.

[Terry Allan Hall]

First of all, John Denver was a monster talent who was a part of his time. His time may have passed but that doesn't diminish his great song-writing, singing and playing. Kind of like Phil Ochs. Secondly, The Carpenters were totally the opposite. IMHO their music is great and easily survives the passage of time. Richard Carpenter was an amazing arranger and Karen Carpenter had one of the greatest voices I have ever heard. I listen to them a lot. Any of you out there who wrote them off as too commercial should really go back and have another listen.

 

Absolute agreement!

[KATMAN]

 

I really liked JD back in his heyday. He had some great tunes and had a great sound. I went to college with two of his cousins and he had a great family behind him. Too bad he made a mess of his life and then tragically died before he could completely get straightened out. Sad ending to a talented man..

 

 

+1:thu: To me he was the kind of guitar player I wanted to sound like,even though I listened to much heavier stuff,like Black Sabbath,Deep Purple. Acoustic guitar takes real talent to play.Even though I love listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn,if it wasn't for my first love of acoustic guitar,I might have never took it up it wasn't for the real guitar hero's.

[bigby]

RIP JD... good man; great tunes...

[T.B.]

 

First of all, John Denver was a monster talent who was a part of his time. His time may have passed but that doesn't diminish his great song-writing, singing and playing. Kind of like Phil Ochs. Secondly, The Carpenters were totally the opposite. IMHO their music is great and easily survives the passage of time. Richard Carpenter was an amazing arranger and Karen Carpenter had one of the greatest voices I have ever heard. I listen to them a lot. Any of you out there who wrote them off as too commercial should really go back and have another listen.

 

 

Oh, I agree. Some equate "A Song for You" with the late Donny Hathaway, but it was the Carpenters who made Leon Russell's song an instant classic. Like Michael I never got the Ramones nor do I care for Jimmy Buffet, but different strokes for .............

 

Trina