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No flashy outfits. Just a man and his guitar. Today we're going to tell his story.
Here's Greg Hengler. On October 12, 1997, at Monterey Airport, just 100 miles south of San Francisco, one of the world's best known and best loved singers took off to test his new plane. The son of a famous Air Force pilot, John Denver had thousands of hours of flying experience. It was a simple flight on a cloudless day. He was 500 feet above the Pacific Ocean and 150 feet from the Monterey Bay shoreline when eyewitnesses heard a popping sound.
A second or two later, they watched in horror as the plane plummeted into the sea. He was killed instantly. Aged only 53. John Denver was born in 1943 in Roswell, New Mexico, at the Air Force base where his father was stationed. It was a far ways away from Denver, but then again, so was his name. Here's John. My real name is Henry John Dutchendorf Jr. and my father was in the Air Force and we moved around a great deal. Here's John's brother, Ron. It was always hard because you're going into a new school, new people.
John was a little bit more shy and so it was harder for him. And I said, I like music, I play guitar, blah, blah, blah. And so they asked me to bring my guitar to class one day, which I did. And all of a sudden, all of a sudden people were saying hello to me in the halls. All of a sudden people knew me as more than just another one of the Air Force brats that was coming through every year through Maxwell Air Force Base. John's father, Dutch Dutchendorf, joined the Air Force in the Second World War and soon became a top pilot.
Here again is John's brother, Ron. He flew a number of planes. He actually gave Lindbergh a test ride and I think it was a B-25 when he was flying those bombers. And then he went on to fly the plane that carried all the electronics when they dropped the first atomic bomb to test it. Dutch achieved fame flying a new bomber, the B-58 Hustler. In 1961, he broke six world airspeed records in one day. Six records set by Major Dutchendorf and crew.
Four of them previously held by the Soviets. He was the sensitive son of a Cold War warrior. Something had to give. At age 16, he took the family car and ran away out west to Los Angeles with a dream of becoming a folk singer.
But it didn't work out. His dad jumped into a friend's jet to retrieve his wayward son. Dad flew out there. And they went to Disneyland and SeaWorld and did all these things and then came back and to me their relationship was like golden. Four years later, John tried again, dropping out of college and hitting LA just as the folk boom was at its height.
He got a singing gig and in no time the music execs could see where John's star was headed. But they foresaw complications with his name. One day there was this big heavy meeting and they sat down and they said, listen kid, Dutchendorf has got to go. Has got to go. Randy says that they asked him to change his name and John said, no, I will not give up my father's name.
I'm proud to be a Dutchendorf. And Randy said, it won't fit on the marquee. You have to change it. They had a minor hit at the time called Denver written about this city and the sheet music was on the wall behind the desk. And they said, you're John Denver. Now with his new name, John Denver set out to make it as a folk singer. The opening came when one of the big names on the folk circuit, the Chad Mitchell Trio, lost their lead singer. Hundreds of young vocalists auditioned for the spot, but John was the obvious choice.
Here's Mike Koblick, one of the trio's singers. John was a fine musician, an excellent musician, a very fine 12 string guitar player. There was an innocence, I think, in a way that was believable and true. The Mitchell Trio's trademark was political satire.
John's innocence was on full display. He says, well, I don't know anything about politics. And we looked at him and said, John, it's politics. He said, that's what I said.
I don't know anything about that. The Mitchell Trio's main audience were university students. In the spring of 1966, they were at Gustavus Adolphus, a Lutheran college in St. Peter, Minnesota.
In the audience was a sophomore student, Annie Martell. I was 20 and John was 23. Very young, but I thought he was very glamorous, very worldly.
He was not at all, but I thought so. The two were married in June 1967. John began writing songs and recorded some of them at his own expense, sending the album out as a Christmas present. Track three of the album was called, Babe, I Hate to Go. Mitchell Trio producer Milt Oaken liked the tune, but not the title. I said, John, that's a terrible name for a very beautiful song. He said, what would you call it? I said, Leaving on a Jet Plane. He said, but that's the third line of the chorus. He never heard a song named after the third line of a chorus. I said, it's a good name, let's go with it.
And he went with it. Here's that original John Denver recording. All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go, I'm standing here outside your door.
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye. Milt Oaken passed the song on to another one of his acts, Peter, Paul and Mary, and it became their first number one hit. With the Vietnam War at its height, the song struck a deep nerve and became a favorite amongst the troops. And you've been listening to the story of John Denver, how he got his name, who his father was, where he was born, what happens next in John Denver's life. Stay with us here on Our American Stories. Lee Habib here, the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country.
Stories from our big cities and small towns. But we truly can't do the show without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love what you hear, go to OurAmericanStories.com and click the donate button.
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Individual results may vary. Addi, or flibanserin, is for premenopausal women with acquired generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder, HSDD, who have not had problems with low sexual desire in the past, who have had low sexual desire no matter the type of sexual activity, the situation, or the sexual partner. This low sexual desire is troubling to them and is not due to a medical or mental health problem, problems in the relationship, or medicine, or other drug use. Addi is not for use in children, men, or to enhance sexual performance. Your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is increased if you drink one to two standard alcoholic drinks close in time to your Addi dose. Wait at least two hours after drinking before taking Addi at bedtime. This risk increases if you take certain prescriptions, OTC, or herbal medications, or have liver problems, and can happen when you take Addi without alcohol or other medicines. Do not take if you are allergic to any of Addi's ingredients. Allergic reaction may include hives, itching, or trouble breathing. Sometimes serious sleepiness can occur.
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NYX, for your leaks, for your life. And we return to our American stories and the story of John Denver. Let's pick up. Where we last left off, here again, is our own Greg Hengler. In 1968, John decided to pursue a solo career, but his producer Milt Oaken struggled to get the record companies interested. I struck out with John Hammond at Columbia, Wexler at Atlantic, and half a dozen others. And someone at RCA, Harry Jenkins, liked it. John Denver signed with RCA in 1969.
His first records were in the classic singer-songwriter vein, but his early records refused to sell. A young talent agent by the name of Jerry Weintraub, who would become a top Hollywood producer, became John's manager. We all got on a rocket ship together, and it was big.
It was really big. The song that launched the rocket ship was the classic sing-along song, now known all over the world, Take Me Home Country Roads. It was co-written by two of John's friends from the folk scene, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nyvert. Bill and Taffy planned on finishing the song and then selling it to Johnny Cash.
Then one evening, John Denver showed up to share songs with his two friends. Here's Taffy. I said, let's show him Country Roads.
Bill says it's not finished. I says, well, I know, but, you know, let's just show him what we got. And he absolutely loved it. And in the singing of it, John took the lead. Bill and I fell in with a harmony, and it just sounded so good like that. Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River. Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, growing like a breeze. Country Roads, take me home to the place I belong. West Virginia, Mountain Mama, take me home, Country Roads. Take Me Home, Country Roads was a huge hit in the summer of 71, peaking at number two on the charts and selling more than three million copies.
Then on March 3, 1977, Johnny Cash would get to sing it with John Denver on John's ABC television special, Thank God I'm a Country Boy. I hear her voice in the morning hour she calls me, the radio reminds me of my home far away. Driving down the road I get a feeling that I should have been home yesterday, yesterday. Country Roads, take me home to the place I belong. West Virginia, Mountain Mama, take me home, Country Roads. Take me home, Country Roads. Take me home, Country Roads. After the success of Country Roads, John and Annie moved permanently up to the Rocky Mountains and built their dream home in the old mining town turned ski resort of Aspen, Colorado. The year that I moved here, 1970, I was 27 years old and coming to Colorado was like coming home for me.
I don't know how to explain that except I just felt that this was my home. And in that first summer here I started really getting into camping again and one of them was to a lake across the valley during a time in August when there's what is called the Perseid meteor shower. And this is in my mind the most fantastic meteor shower of the year. You don't only see the little flashes of the light, oh there was one, did you see that?
And sometimes people do and sometimes they don't. On this occasion there were balls of fire that would go all the way across the sky smoking. You would swear that you could hear them. In any case, I was camping with some friends at this lake and told them what to expect. And I think everybody was pretty nonchalant about the evening. Everybody I've seen shooting stars, big deal. And so as the evening grew on we all went to our separate camping areas to kind of quiet down and lie there and look at the stars. I was pretty sure everybody had gone to sleep until all of a sudden one of those came smoking across the sky and everybody, oh wow, did you see that?
So we were up all night watching the most glorious display that I've ever seen in these mountains of meteorites. And with that camping trip and with the feeling of coming home here to Colorado to a place I'd never been before, I ended up riding Rocky Mountain High. Here's the hymn John wrote to the Rocky Mountains and his new life there. The song went on to become an anthem to the state of Colorado. He was born in the summer of his 27th year Coming home to a place he'd never been before He left yesterday behind him You might say he was born again You might say he found the key for every door When he first came to the mountains His life was far away On the road hanging by a song All you had to do was be in Colorado somewhere when he would start singing Rocky Mountain High and I swear you could feel the whole state rocking. That song is more than just a pop song, it's now a folklore.
It's part of our American heritage. It's the Colorado Rocky Mountain High I've seen it raining fire in the sky A shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullaby Rocky Mountain High Country roads in Rocky Mountain High were big hits, but John's next move cemented his stardom. Folk music in that day had been serious and earnest, but John's warmth and outgoing personality made him a natural for the small screen.
Well life on the farm is kind of laid back Ain't much an old country bollock me can't hack It's early to rise, early in the sack I thank God I'm a country boy In 1973, Jerry launched the John Denver Show. The series established John's catchphrase, Far Out. Far out, you guys have been so great. I thought that was far out, man. Made my whole day.
Far out! Well I got me a fine wife I got me old fiddle When the sun's coming up I got kicks on the griddle Life ain't nothing but a fuddy fuddy riddle Thank God I'm a country boy He's fast becoming one of the biggest stars in American music, and his greatest hits album of 1973 sold over 10 million copies in the first six months alone. Well I got me a fine wife I got me old fiddle When the sun's coming up I got kicks on the griddle Life ain't nothing but a fuddy fuddy riddle Thank God I'm a country boy Well I got me a fine wife I got me old fiddle When the sun's coming up I got kicks on the griddle Life ain't nothing but a fuddy fuddy riddle Thank God I'm a country boy And you've been listening to our own Greg Hengler tell the story of John Denver. And my goodness, when they started shopping him to major record labels, the great John Hammond turned him down. And my goodness, he didn't turn down what turned out to be great stars. He was the man known for discovering them. Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Sarah Vaughan.
He missed it. Jerry Wexler from Atlantic Records didn't hear it either. And I think part of it was in the times, this music was just too happy. John Denver had a different voice. And the song that launched him was that song Country Roads originally written for Johnny Cash. And we heard the two of them come together to sing it the way Cash would have done it.
Fine though it was, it would have never become the hit that we'd come to know. And then of course came that hymn to the Rockies. And his own life story, born to the home he never lived before. Many of us feel that way. I feel that way about Fort Worth where I live now. A tribute not only to the Rockies but God's magnificent design in that space. And Denver always was celebrating that. When we come back, more of this remarkable life story, the story of John Denver.
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Individual results may vary. Addie, or flibanserin, is for premenopausal women with acquired generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder, HSDD, who have not had problems with low sexual desire in the past, who have had low sexual desire no matter the type of sexual activity, the situation, or the sexual partner. This low sexual desire is troubling to them and is not due to a medical or mental health problem, problems in the relationship, or medicine, or other drug use. Addie is not for use in children, men, or to enhance sexual performance. Your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is increased if you drink one to two standard alcoholic drinks close in time to your Addie dose. Wait at least two hours after drinking before taking Addie at bedtime. This risk increases if you take certain prescriptions, OTC, or herbal medications, or have liver problems, and can happen when you take Addie without alcohol or other medicines. Do not take if you are allergic to any of Addie's ingredients. Allergic reaction may include hives, itching, or trouble breathing. Sometimes serious sleepiness can occur.
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Try Greenlight risk-free today at greenlight.com slash iHeart. And we continue with our American stories and the story of John Denver. Let's return to our own Greg Hengler with more of the story. The Rocky Mountains were John's retreat. While at home in Aspen in 1974, he wrote his most famous song, a love letter to his wife Annie. You fill up my senses like a night in a forest Like the mountains in springtime Like a walk in the rain John and I were in our kitchen, and we had had an argument. And we had had an argument, and then we had sorted it out. And he left to go skiing. Come fill me again There was nobody on the mountain when I started out that day. I skied down this very tough run, all out of breath. I skied right onto the lift. I was riding up again, sitting there, catching my breath, looking down at where I'd just been a few moments ago, all this physical stuff going on, when suddenly I was hypersensitive to how beautiful everything was.
The sky was a blue you only see from mountaintops. Then I became aware of the other people skiing, the colors of their clothes, the birds singing, the sound of the lift, the sibilant sound of the skiers going down the mountain. All of these things filled up my senses. And when I said this to myself, unbidden images came one after the other. The night in the forest, a walk in the rain, the mountains in springtime.
All of the pictures merged, and then what I was left with was Annie. In the ten minutes it took to reach the top of the mountain, the song was there. Ooh, let me give my life to you It's been wonderful for me because I've heard it in elevators. I've heard it in St. Mark's Square with violinists. My daughter had it played at her wedding.
But people still carry that with them, and it's a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful gift. John Denver's rise to stardom coincided with a bleak time in American life. With the Watergate scandal, gasoline shortages, and the end of the Vietnam War, his simple songs of love and nature struck a chord across war-weary America.
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy John's songs offered a refreshing affirmation of kindness in contrast to the steady stream of opposition and protest music that was emptying out of America's radios and turntables. But not everyone liked John Denver. In the rock music press, he was widely loathed.
Here's G. Brown from the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. The last interview I conducted with John was in the early 90s, and we got around to the topic of his detractors. He was called the Mickey Mouse of rock, the Ronald Reagan of pop. What he was angry about was what it meant regarding his fans, the people that had seen a birth of a child to his music or had gotten married to one of his songs, that they were being disparaged. That angered him. That's what got under his skin. John would sing to 18,000 people, and the music critics would just talk about how pap his music was and everything.
And the last tagline was, but the 18,000 people seemed to enjoy it. There was also those who had a love-hate relationship with John's music. Here's a story from John's friend, Ron Lemire. We're in Lake Powell. We have this houseboat, and we found this beautiful little circular bay with about 80-foot cliffs all the way around it, like a real natural amphitheater. Right when the sun went down, another boat came in and just parked like about 20 yards away from us.
They didn't know who we were. So that night, John wanted to take his guitar and go in the middle of this little bay and sing. Here his voices reflect back with the rock. And so he's in the middle of his songs, and he's singing.
He's got like three echoes feeding back, and he's just having this great time just working with his vocals and some of the songs that he's working on. And then all of a sudden, the other people in the boat turn the radio up real high just to drown us out a little. And we just started laughing.
There was nothing else you could do. It's like here we are at a concert tour. Thousands of people pay good money to see them, and here he is at a free concert, and they numb him out, right? So we go back and bunk in for the night, and then the next morning as we're getting out there, John's in the stern pulling things as I'm driving the boat out. And those people are out on the deck, and they see John and go, it's John Denver!
John just, it just like goes off into the sunset. John Denver was a hugely popular entertainer. His concerts often had the reverence of a religious gathering.
He put together a stellar band, many of whom played for Elvis, including guitar legend James Burton. He could put the people in the palm of his hand. It was just like a one-on-one, you know.
The people were right there with him. Now, you hear that? That's not Rocky Mountain High. Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, my friend, Mr. Frank Sinatra! I've got you under my skin I remember the first time they worked together, we did Harrah's in Lake Tahoe.
And when we put the show on sale, the phone lines in the western United States went down from the reservations. That's how big it was. You know, Frank, I was just thinking, about the time that song was first heard, so was I. Sometime during his tenure with the trio, I remember him saying that it was one of his ambitions in life to become as much of a household name as Frank Sinatra. The payoff came years later, when I found myself in Los Angeles, driving up Sunset Boulevard, and looking up and seeing a humongous poster of the two of them with their arms crossed, standing back-to-back with each other. And I thought to myself, my golly, he made it.
But I get a kick You give me a boot I get a kick Out of you Out of you John was now a superstar. He had his own Lear jet and got his dad to fly it for him. I hope you folks recognize me, but I'm not sure you recognize the gentleman on my right. He's my father, Dutch Dutchendorf. He's been a pilot all his life. He taught me how to fly. And back home in Aspen, John's own family started to grow, and he and Annie adopted two small children.
Here's Annie. Zach was the first, and he was this little brown, beautiful little boy. And then Anna Kate was the second. And John was just thrilled and over the moon that this was happening too, because we'd have a boy and a girl. And you've been listening to our own Greg Hengler tell the story of John Denver, and my goodness, the story of that beautiful love song to his wife, born out of a fight with her, and soon thereafter a trip down the slopes in Aspen, where, as he put it, he was hypersensitive to how beautiful everything around him was. And as he started to go down that list, all, all of it led back to his wife, and as she called it, a beautiful, beautiful gift. And then the ultimate payoff for Denver, being paired up with the great Frank Sinatra, transcending his time, transcending the moment of the time which music at its best can do, and creating something magical for anybody who saw it.
When we come back, the story of John Denver continues here on Our American Stories. Made with performance fabric. Experience cloud-like comfort with high-resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing.
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That's washablesophas.com. Offers are subject to change, and certain restrictions may apply. Hi, it's Jenny Garth. We all know the importance of taking care of our physical and mental health. But what about our sexual health? I've been there, feeling totally stuck when it comes to my libido. That's why I started taking Addi.
And let me tell you, I have seen firsthand what a difference it can make in how you feel. Addi is the only FDA-approved pill clinically proven to help certain premenopausal women have more interest in sex, have more satisfying sex, and lower the stress from low libido. Addi has helped hundreds of thousands of women get their drive back, including me. Talk to your doctor or visit addyi.com to learn more about Addi, the little pink pill.
Individual results may vary. Addi, or flibanserin, is for premenopausal women with acquired generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder, HSDD, who have not had problems with low sexual desire in the past, who have had low sexual desire no matter the type of sexual activity, the situation, or the sexual partner. This low sexual desire is troubling to them and is not due to a medical or mental health problem, problems in the relationship, or medicine, or other drug use. Addi is not for use in children, men, or to enhance sexual performance. Your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is increased if you drink one to two standard alcoholic drinks close in time to your Addi dose. Before taking Addi at bedtime, this risk increases if you take certain prescriptions, OTC, or herbal medications, or have liver problems, and can happen when you take Addi without alcohol or other medicines. Do not take if you are allergic to any of Addi's ingredients. Allergic reaction may include hives, itching, or trouble breathing. Sometimes serious sleepiness can occur.
Common side effects include dizziness, nausea, tiredness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and dry mouth. See full PI and medication guide, including boxed warning, at addi.com slash PI. Addi.
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Let's pick up where we last left off. John also utilized his talents in Hollywood. His first feature film was O God. John played Jerry Landers, an assistant manager in a supermarket who receives a visit from God, played by George Burns. Reluctant to believe the old man is really God, Jerry needs proof.
Here's the automobile scene with John Denver and George Burns. Now, see, you know a lot of things, and you've been making a lot of things happen, but none of it seems... God-like? Yeah, God-like.
And what do you would be God-like? Change the weather. Ah, special effects, huh? What would you like, a little, a little earthquake? A small hurricane?
No, no, I wouldn't want anybody hurt. I was just thinking maybe, what about a little rain? A little rain? Yeah, a small shower.
One small shower, you got it. Hey, hey, it's raining. You made it rain. You didn't even bat an eye. You didn't have to lift a finger. Rain's not that hot.
It's unbelievable. Would you like it to rain a lot? No, no, this is fine. How about bigger drops? No, this is fine, fine. Would you care for a little snow? This is fantastic. Thank you. It's just like Noah's Arch.
Same thing, without the smell. The film was well received by critics and was regarded by many as one of the best films of 1977, including Gene Siskel, who placed it on his top ten list for the year. Roger Ebert praised the casting of Burns in Denver and noted that Oh God struck the right tone by avoiding both pious religious platitudes and cheap shots about faith. Despite his huge success, John Denver had always been prone to insecurity and self-doubt. From the early 70s he had been involved in New Age therapies including the controversial self-awareness program EST.
Here again is John's manager, Jerry Weintraub. I think he had a difficult time with success because I don't think he knew how good he was. Many, many artists don't realize how good they are.
That's when the darkness comes out. I don't think he ever accepted the fact that he was as good as he was because the critics always were a problem for him. John was one of the first celebrities to use his fame to promote conservation. He formed a firm friendship with legendary French naval officer and underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau. And I met Captain Cousteau and all of the members of the Calypso down in Belize in Central America. And I had these words in my head.
I, Calypso, the places you've been to, the things that you've shown us, the stories you tell. Anyway, the chorus to the song was there in almost the time it takes to say it. During the remaining time that I spent aboard the Calypso, I tried to finish this song to be able to sing it for Captain Cousteau and his crew. And for some reason I was unable to get anywhere close to what I was hoping to say behind that wonderful chorus. And I couldn't finish this song.
I just could not find it. One day I gave up after spending sleepless nights and literally at least it felt like sweating blood trying to finish this song. And I went skiing across the valley at Snowmass, made a couple of runs and all of a sudden there was this incredible tension to get back home and to work on the song. And so I skied down to my car.
It takes about 20, 25 minutes to drive from Snowmass back here to the house. And in that time the whole rest of the song was there for me. It just came almost out of nowhere. I came to the house, I walked upstairs in the studio, picked up my guitar and I had the song. One of the best songs I think that I've ever written, one that I still use to close my concerts today, Calypso. I Calypso, the places you've been to, the things that you show us, the stories you tell. I Calypso, I sing to your spirit, the men who have served me so long and so well.
Here's Jacques' son, Jean Michael Cousteau. Typical of John and his generosity ultimately gave the revenue of that particular song to the not-for-profit company of my father. And I remember collecting big checks. By the early 1980s, John's status as a pop star was fading. Although his albums were still popular, he hadn't had a single hit since Calypso in 1975.
His personal life was also in turmoil. His father died in March 1982, and only three months later, on their 15th wedding anniversary, Annie asked him for a divorce. By the mid-1980s, John's star had fallen.
When the charity record We Are The World was produced in 1985, John wasn't even invited to participate. He also broke up with his long-term manager, Jerry Weintraub. In 1986, Denver was dropped by RCA, the company for whom he recorded 14 gold and 8 platinum albums in the U.S. alone and sold over 100 million records. In the 1990s, his appearances in the media were more for drunk driving offenses than for his music. But John Denver had a loyal fan base, and he still played sell-out shows all over the world.
In 1996, John was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, but there was to be no comeback for John Denver. Since learning to fly with his father, he had become a keen pilot, owning a number of high-performance acrobatic planes and flying Air Force F-15 combat jets. On October 12, 1997, he had taken delivery of an experimental kit plane and test fluid at a low level over Monterey Bay in Northern California, when the plane crashed into the sea. The accident report concluded that the plane had run out of fuel.
John was killed instantly. I've been lately thinking about my lifetime. All the things I've done and how it's been. And I can't help believing in my own mind.
I know I'm gonna hate to see it end. He represented America at its best and healthiest. He's a wonderful artist and a wonderful writer. And I think his songs will be sung for hundreds of years.
They're that good. I have to say it now. It's been a good life all in all.
It's really fine to have a chance to hang around. Here's a story from John's longtime friend, Tom Crum. I'll tell you a little story that has always meant a lot to me. And this happened with his son, Zach, when he was eight or nine years old. He's on the same little squirt hockey team that my son was on.
And they went all the way to the state championships. So there we are in this arena, if you will, this big arena in Colorado Springs. And there's only 65 people in the place. It's just parents. But the parents are so pumped.
The game's about to start. He stands up, impromptu, turns his face to the audience and sings the national anthem. You know, no music accompanied, nothing, just did it for those 60 people. We all stood up, saluted the flag, put our hands on our heart. It was incredibly moving. We won that game. Went to a pizza restaurant that night. He bought everybody, the parents, all the kids dinner. He was so excited.
Again, always wanting to contribute, however. And then he bought everybody else in the restaurant dinner. Here again is John's producer, Milt Oken. The arc of his career was like that of an eagle taking flight. People have said that what Sinatra was to the 1940s, Elvis to the 1950s, the Beatles to the 60s, John Denver was to the 1970s. His music was powerful and his message was so positive and compassionate.
It's refreshing to hear it again today. And a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler and what a story he told. By 1977, Denver's on the top of the world, just having finished a highly acclaimed and very successful movie with George Burns, Oh God. And despite all of that success, he was prone to insecurity. He didn't realize how good he was. Those critics, those cruel critics.
They were a problem for John. That story about Calypso, just magnificent. Where the song came from, how it materialized his generosity with the proceeds to Jacques Cousteau's nonprofit. By the 1980s, his star had faded.
He died in an experimental kit plane in 1997. The story of John Denver. His music will be remembered, no doubt, for hundreds of years to come.
His songs were that good. His story here on Our American Stories. New out of nowhere obstacles. New all or nothing moments.
New less than likely triumphs. Season two of The Unshakable's podcast has it all. Hi, I'm Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and host of the show. We're excited to bring you more inspiring stories from small business owners who share the what are we gonna do moments that ended up changing everything.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Chase mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. JPMorgan Chase Bank and a member FDIC.
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