Pick a Day

John Denver is born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. in Roswell, New Mexico.

John Denver's first hit, "Take Me Home Country Roads," peaks at #2 on the Hot 100, held back by the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" Denver's song, which endures as a singalong favorite, is about West Virgina, but he had never been there - the lyric was inspired by postcards his co-writer Bill Danoff received from a friend who lived in that state.

John Denver's "Sunshine On My Shoulders" hits #1 in the US. The song first appeared on his 1971 album Poems, Prayers & Promises; it came to prominence after featuring in the made-for-TV movie Sunshine in 1973.

John Denver's album Back Home Again hits #1 in America.

John Denver's "I'm Sorry" hits #1, giving him his second chart-topper of the year, following "Thank God I'm A Country Boy."

John Denver's album Windsong hits #1 in America.

The John Denver TV special Thank God, I'm A Country Boy airs on ABC.

ABC airs the John Denver And The Ladies special, featuring Tina Turner, Valerie Harper, Cheryl Tiegs, Erma Bombeck and Cheryl Ladd.

RCA releases John Denver from his contract, possibly over his new single, "What Are We Making Weapons For?," which he recorded with the Russian singer Alexandre Gradsky. RCA had recently been acquired by General Electric, which was a top military contractor.

John Denver crashes his 1963 Porsche into a tree near his home in Aspen, Colorado, exactly one year after a previous arrest for driving while impaired.

At Camden Yards in Baltimore, John Denver dances on the dugout as his song "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" plays during the seventh inning stretch, a tradition at Orioles games since 1975. He dies in a plane crash just three weeks later.

John Denver, an avid amateur pilot who loves flying experimental aircraft, dies at 53 when the plane he is flying crashes into the Pacific Ocean.More

John Denver's last recording, The Unplugged Collection, is released.

John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads," already a staple at Oktoberfests and other gatherings in Germany, becomes a sporting event singalong when the crowd of nearly 70,000 at Allianz Arena in Munich belts it out during the first NFL came in the country.