John Denver released this 45 rpm record in 1974 and this single went up the charts to number one on Billboards Hot 100 List. Denver was born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. in 1943. This very talented singer songwriter, record producer, actor, activist and humanitarian enjoyed his greatest commercial success as a solo artist. Denver began his music career with folk music groups during the late 1960s.
Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed, with total sales of over 33 million records worldwide. Denver's music appeared on a variety of charts, including country music, the Billboard Hot 100 and adult contmporary earning him twelve gold and four paltinum albums with his signature songs: Annie's Song, Take Me Home Country Roads, Rocky Mountain High, Thank God I'm A Country Boy and Sunshine On My Shoulders.
In 1969, Denver started to pursue a solo career and released his first album for RCA Records called Rhymes & Reasons. Two years prior, Denver had made a self-produced demo recording of some of the songs he played at his concerts. He included in the demo a song he had written called Babe I Hate to Go, later renamed Leaving On A Jet Plane. Denver made several copies and gave them out as presents for Christmas only to have Producer Milt Okun, Okun brought the unreleased "Jet Plane" song to Peter, Paul and Mary. Leaving On A Jet Plane was the only single to hit number one for Peter, Paul and Mary.
Although RCA did not actively promote Rhymes & Reasons with a tour, Denver himself embarked on an impromptu supporting tour throughout the Midwest, stopping at towns and cities as the fashion took him, offering to play free concerts at local venues. When he was successful in persuading a school, college, American Legion hall, or local coffee-house to let him play, he would spend a day or so distributing posters in the town and could usually be counted upon to show up at the local radio station, guitar in hand, offering himself for an interview. With his foot in the door as author of Leaving On A Jet Plane, he gained valuable airtime, he would play a song or two and visit with the DJ's. Some venues would let him play for the door while some restricted him to selling copies of his album during intermission and after the show. After months of this fan building grass roots type of tour, Denver persuaded RCA to take a chance and extend his recording contract.
This RCA 45 rpm record is in very good condition.