Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was saddened to discover that the so-called biographer of one of this century's most beloved artists, entertainers, conservationists, and humanists couldn't marshall a more formidable effort on behalf of John Denver. Why undertake a project like this with such misgivings and such a lack of appreciation for who Denver was, how much he personally contributed, or how deeply he affected millions of fans and admirers. While the author may personally find aspects of John's musical style superficial or slick, no one delving deeper into John Denver's story can fail to appreciate his sheer talent, energy, sincerity, and humanity, nor to be impressed by the energy, talent, or persistence in the plethora of important projects John threw himself into. Any number of his songs are quite widely covered, even today, yet no one has ever been more successful presenting what was basically an extremely popular and easy-to-listen to (the word beautiful seems descriptively inadequate) country music cross over into the popular realm than was John Denver. He was indeed a phenomenon. At a time when singer/songwriters like James Taylor, Van Morrison, and Elton John were tearing up the charts, Denver effectively outsold, outwrote, and outperformed them in terms of his public appeal. This is not intended as a put-down of any of these incredible artists, all of whom have continued to create and contribute today . It is rather to emphasize how amazing his continuing success and effective domination of the popular music charts in the 1970s was. John Denver was THE singular popular musical superstar of thee 1970s, and the fact that he was deserves to be recognized for the phenomenal success it was. His deeply personal musical voice spoke simply yet eloquently through the vehicle of a unique perspective on the world, and combined an intensely personal way of describing himself and his relationships with a seductively romantic view of the world. Of course, he quickly became identified with his soaring paens in praise of the beauty of the natural world, and almost as quickly became a driving force popularizing the environmental movement, often testifying to Congress with great style and verve, often very influential in the drafting of certain aspects of the clean water and clean air acts. As the years went by became Denver became less and less concerned about his own career and more and more involved in various environmental and humanist causes. He was friend and confidant to luminaries, world leaders and philosophers like Jacques Cousteau and Buckminister "Bucky" Fuller, and spent time working, covorting and relaxing with a list of notables that sounds like a who's who list of 20th century luminaries. His personal life was as complex and as full of sadness as often true of most exceptional people, and no one denies that he had bouts of depression and tough times over the years. Haven't we all? And isn't that the price one pays for being a human being in this, the last half of the 20th century? Why dwell on his frailties and vulnerabilities when they pale in comparison with his accomplishments and contributions? As his brother commented on suggestions that John's tragic death in a plane crash was a suicide, anyone knowing how much John loved living and life itself who could say that he committed sucide must have his head up his ass. Still, with all of this taken into account, nothing can still bring such a fond smile to millions of babyboomer faces or such a twinkle to many of our eyes as can the mere mention of John Denver's name. Those of us who have witnessed the incredible panorama of music in the last thirty years or so still hold a special place in the valhalla of artistic fame for the bespectacled kid with a shock of bushy blond hair who walked the frozen streams and mountain passes of the American Rockies, and sang so simply, so beautifully, and so eloquently to all of us from his heart. These kids running around the Rockies in their high-tech clothing and glacier boots haven't got a clue, viewing the wilderness as another Disneyland, just another setting for their self-absorbed personal adventures, something to demonstrate their prowess and flatter their egos. Yet Denver helped a whole generation discover how much of a world onto itself the wilderness is, and how much of a gift from Providence such natural wonder is. For Denver the wilderness presented us with a chance to be fuller, kinder, and better people, people who cared about all of God's creation and would act as caretakers for everything in this garden. What we need is a better biography to help these kids understand. In essence, Denver wasn't just an incredibly talented and popular and successful singer/songwriter/entertainer; he was a very special human being who reached higher, stronger, and farther than most normal human beings, someone who opened his heart, head, and spirit to share and guide us with. He deserves a better biography that appreciates the full story of his gifts, contributions, and legacy.