I still miss him.

               

                                        John Denver

                December 12, 1943 - October 12, 1997

Music evokes such a strong emotion and many of us find there are singers who touch our hearts in a special way.  Look at the millions of devotees of Elvis ... of John Lennon ... and others who left their imprints on our hearts.  Such is my connection to John Denver.  He was in his prime when I was first experiencing the deep emotions a young girl feels as she falls in love.  Each of his songs from the mid-70s brings back a specific memory for me. 

"Poems, Prayers and Promises" reminds me of Benny and the banquet we attended at the Red Apple Inn.

"Lady" is dear to my heart remembering when Beau sang it to me as he played his guitar.  (Is it just me, or did it seem like every guy in the 70s owned a guitar?)

"Annie's Song" was "our" song when I fell in love with the man I would marry.

Never before or since has a singer had such an impact on me.  I did get to meet John, years later, after he and Annie had split and he was dating someone I knew.  I saw the human side of him then and, while I was disappointed, I willingly overlooked his personal frailties.  He still represented the grand ideals of someone who truly cares about the world around us and of taking care of nature and the earth.  I treasure the album cover he personally signed for me. 

John graduated from high school here in Dallas and on Saturday, October 9, 1997 he did a "homecoming" concert of sorts.  He introduced the audience to people in attendance who were part of his childhood.  I remember him presenting his favorite high school teacher to the crowd.  She was so pleased. 

Our seats were excellent and in that small venue, it felt very much like a personal exchange.  John sat simply in the middle of the stage with a half circle of guitars as his backdrop.  Throughout the evening he would change guitars and exchange a few words with the audience.  He encouraged us to join him singing the words of the songs that we all knew so well.  He probably could not have stopped us from singing!  He moved us.  There were a couple of times he jokingly asked us to let him do the verses and join him in the chorus. The second time he said that he laughed and said, "Oh, go ahead and sing.  You know the words as well as I know the words."

John performed in one more concert in Houston, Texas and then, on the next Tuesday, October 12, 1997, he left us. 

To me, John Denver never grew older than he was in the 1970s.  And, because of his untimely death, he will stay forever young.  I still miss him.