John Denver: Country Boy

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Summary

Documentary exploring the private life and public legacy of singer-songwriter John Denver, America's original 'country boy', who died in 1997. The programme features the accounts of those closest to him, revealing the man behind the music

Review

Emma Sturgess

This measured but affectionate film is a simple life story that is generous with the acoustic moments. It follows John Denver’s career from the moment he dropped out of college and into the LA folk scene, joining the leftwing Mitchell Trio without even knowing how to pronounce “politics”. In the mid-1970s he was the most successful solo singer in the US but was rarely taken seriously by the music press – and, watching him cavorting with Pan’s People on his TV shows, you can see why.

A large cast of friends and family (including his first wife, the subject of Annie’s Song) offer their recollections of a man whose fascination with aeroplanes, inherited from his flier father, caused his death at 53.

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rolenameProducerSteve FreerDirectorSteve FreerExecutive producerSiobhan Logue

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Colour