John Denver: Grandma's Feather Bed
      
 "And now for something completely different"  Monty Python

       Today I am turning my attention to John Denver, a member of the Song Writers Hall of Fame, a 2 time Grammy winner, an Emmy winner, and a former Colorado Poet Laureate. His records were awarded Platinum status 31 times and Gold 27 times.  Even after having campaigned against him President Reagan recognized Denver's political contributions by awarding him The Presidential World Without Hunger Award in 1985 recognizing the important work he was doing in Africa to help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and famine.        
        Denver is one of the most popular artists of the 70's and 80's but never quite fit comfortably into any particular music genre.  He wrote a song that was recorded by the folk group Peter, Paul, & Mary, I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane, which peaked at number one.  He had 7 top 10 singles, including three that became #1 on the Country Music Charts. Of course he had two number ones and a number two on the US Charts that never scored higher than 50 on the Country Charts.  Then there are the fifteen top ten Adult Contemporary Charts songs which includes nine #1's.  Eight of those #1's happened within a ten song stretch and the other two were also in the top ten. 

Peter, Paul, & Mary circa:1968

       Not all of these songs overlapped on the charts. For example Sunshine On My Shoulders hit #1 on Adult Contemporary and the US Chart but peaked at #42 on the Country Chart. In fact Denver only had one song that reached #1 on all three charts simultaneously and it is one of his lesser know songs called I'm Sorry.  To give you an idea of the incongruity of Denver's music you only need to peak at the charts during the time when I'm Sorry dominated. On the Adult Contemporary Chart I'm Sorry was preceded by the Osmonds and followed by Helen Reddy.  On the Country Charts Denver was preceded by Don William and followed by a song penned by Waylon Jennings.  On the US Chart Denver displaced David Bowie's song Fame which came back to reclaim the number one spot after one week.  Think about that for a minute, Denver's music was being listened to by the same people that listened to the Osmonds, Waylon Jennings, and David Bowie.  It's sort of like a mutt winning best In show at Westminster. Conservative white Mormons, redneck outlaw whiskey drinkers, and psychedelic dope smokers all appreciated John Denver's music.  Not many pop music artists can make that claim.

John Denver
A Colorado country boy at heart

       The song featured today is Jim Connor's banjo bluegrass hit Grandma's Feather Bed.  Denver recorded the song and included it on his 1974 Back Home Again album and to the best of my knowledge he never released it as a single.  However he did make an appearance on the Muppet show and preformed the song linked here.
       Denver was never really considered "cool" whatever that means, but he connected with a wider variety of audiences around the world than almost any other contemporary artist.  He sold more than 52 million albums which means a lot of people really liked him and his music.  He raised money to fight hunger and disease all over the world, Fought for more funding for NASA, and his political activism included fighting for more sustainable resource usage for the planet.  He also fought and won the fight to expand of The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  He took a stand against the "corrupting influence of money" by the NRA and testified before Congress fighting censorship during the Parents Music Resource Center hearings.  In the wake of Chernobyl he performed benefit concerts all over the Ukraine, Asia, and Europe.  

Performing Feather Bed with The Muppets

      Love his music or hate it, agree or disagree with his politics if you must, but there is no denying that John Denver with his bowl cut long blond hair and granny glasses was one of the most important and successful artists of his time.  He seems like an unlikely guy to have conquered the music world, the political world, then star on tv shows and movies.  He died young when the plane he was piloting crashed into the ocean near Monterrey, California.  His signature anthem Thank God I'm a Country Boy pretty much topped all the charts and to this day is still one of the most popular songs played during professional sporting events perhaps second only to Take Me Out To The Ballgame.  Denver had a full life and the guts for a good fight.  Fortunately he left us with a library of songs that has been appreciated by one of the most diverse audiences ever assembled by an artist...