Celebrating John Denver’s 81st Birthday on Whidbey Island 12/31/24
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (aka John Denver) was born on December 31,1943 in Roswell, New Mexico. He died at the age of 53 on October 12, 1997 when the experimental plane he was flying crashed into Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California.
For many of us, John’s spirit and impact is as alive and strong today as it ever was. Having recently moved to Whidbey Island, I decided NYE 2024 would be a great time to introduce myself to the community and see how many local kindred spirits I can find to celebrate John’s life and legacy.
This is going to be an informal gathering, similar to the song circles I enjoyed at the John Denver event held annually in Aspen, Colorado. I’ll present a short slidehow, sing a few songs from my “Songs That Speak To Me” tribute album, and invite my new friends to share stories about how John impacted their lives, and request their favorite JD song be sung.
I’ll be sharing some of my John Denver memorabilia, many of which can still be found on Amazon:
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.)
Songbook - John Denver’s Greatest Hits (1977)
Book - John Denver - The Complete Lyrics
Book - John Denver - Take Me Home (Autobiography)
Book - A Mountain In the Wind - Christine Smith
DVD - John Denver, The Wildlife Concert
DVD - Learn to Play the Songs of John Denver - Complete 4 Volume Set - SKU DLHUTJD30 - Pete Huttlinger was John’s guitarist from 1994 - 1997. If you want to learn how to play John Denver’s music, Pete will show step-by-step. This collection was produced by Homespun Music Instruction - one of the best places on the internet to find high quality lessons (mainly for stringed instruments).
Besides John, Pete Huttlinger was one of my biggest musical influences. I’ll have to write a separate journal entry about this incredible artist.
I look forward to hearing how you celebrated John’s birthday wherever you are in the world. Feel free to reach out to me in the Contact page!