Recalling John Denver's Final Public Performance Before His Plane Went Down

Aug 07, 2019 by apost team

John Denver was one of the most important artists in country music. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who has never heard of songs such as “Take Me Home Country Roads,” “Sunshine On My Shoulders,” or any of his other countless hits.

Tragically, Denver died on October 12, 1997 when his plane nosedived into the ocean near Monterey Bay, California. Denver still has an army of fans today and they will never forget his last concert at Selena Auditorium of American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas just one week before the singer’s tragic end.

A video of Denver’s final performance has been watched hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube, delighting fans old and new. In the emotional seven-minute video, Denver starts off with “Boy from the Country,” giving an emotional rendition of 1980 classic as guitar players slowly strum along in the melodic rift. The video ends on a more optimistic note with a medley from “The Healing Song (Let the River Run.)”

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From an early age, Denver seemed destined to pack stadiums and wow audiences with his soothing voice. Biography.com states Denver was born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. on New Year's Eve, 1943. Originally from New Mexico, Denver’s father served in the Air Force. As a child, Denver was extremely close with his grandmother, who kindly gifted him his first guitar, a 1910 Gibson acoustic, when he was just 11-years-old. Denver quickly found that he was a talented musician.

Denver left Texas Technological College, which is now known as Texas Tech University before he could complete his studies. Leaving college in 1965, Denver traveled to Los Angeles, where he was inspired to adopt his stage name of “John Denver” from the capital of Colorado.

After several jobs, Denver joined a group that came to call itself Denver, Boise, and Johnson according to his website. Leaving the band in 1969, Denver pursued a solo career, releasing his most famous album, "Poems, Prayers, and Promises" in 1971. After his music career skyrocketed, Denver became known for his innocent country boy persona as well as an avid humanitarian and activist.

Denver became an aviation enthusiast in the years leading up to his death. The legendary singer set out on an experimental aircraft on October 12, 1997, despite having a suspended pilot’s license. As Denver flew the Long-EZ plane, he didn’t realize that one of the aircraft’s fuel tanks was empty. Those who witnessed the crash say that they heard the engine pop as the plane fell into the ocean, according to AVweb.

In all, Denver will be remembered in the hearts and minds of his fans and everyone he touched with his amazing gifts.

Be sure to watch the amazing video below:

What do you think of John Denver’s last performance? Do you have any favorite John Denver songs? Let us know in the comments and don't forget to spread the love by showing this video to your friends and family.