may not adequately summarize its contents. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (January 2011) John Denver John Denver Background information Birth name Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. Born December 31, 1943(1943-12-31) Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. Died October 12, 1997(1997-10-12) (aged 53) Pacific Grove, California, U.S. Genres Country, folk, pop Occupations Singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, record producer, actor, writer, poet, activist Instruments Vocals, guitar, keyboards, fiddle Years active 1962–1997 Labels Mercury, RCA, BMG, Windstar, Sony Wonder Associated acts The John Denver Band, The Back Porch Majority, The New Christy Minstrels, Chad Mitchell Trio, The Muppets, Olivia Newton-John, Plácido Domingo, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash Website http://www.johndenver.com/ John Denver (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., was an American singer-songwriter, actor, activist, poet, photographer and avid pilot. One of the most popular acoustic artists of the 1970s, Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed. He was named Poet Laureate of Colorado in 1977. Songs such as "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Rocky Mountain High", "Sunshine on My Shoulders", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", "Annie's Song" and "Calypso" attained worldwide popularity..