Died On This Date (October 12, 1997) John Denver / Popular ’70s Singer-Songwriter
themusicsover John Denver (Born Henry Deutschendorf)
December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997
John Denver was an American folk rock singer-songwriter who released several pop hits during the ’70s. His 300-strong catalog of popular songs included “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Take Me Home Country Roads,” “Rocky Mountain High,” “Annie’s Song,” and “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” and “Sunshine on My Shoulder.” Denver also had a strong presence on television and film during the height of his career. He was featured in a handful of Muppet specials, hosted the Grammy’s five times, and sat in for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show several times. In 1977, he starred alongside George Burns in the popular comedy, Oh God!. In later years, Denver devoted most of his time to various humanitarian causes. He was also a licensed pilot and flying enthusiast. On October 12, 1997, John Denver died when the experimental aircraft he was piloting crashed shortly after take off from a Central California coast airport. Witnesses say the plane made a sudden dive into the ocean, leading experts to conclude that he likely accidentally pushed the right rudder pedal while maneuvering in the seat. Denver was 53 when he died.
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Woody Guthrie was arguably America’s most important folk singer and songwriter. Over a career that spanned a quarter century, Guthrie penned 100s of songs, many lending a voice to the common man. He also wrote many children’s songs. He wrote about the plight of the migrant worker, stories he learned first-hand as he traveled among them throughout the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Many such songs are archived in the Library of Congress, and one in particular, “This Land Is Your Land,” is sung in elementary schools across the US. In the late ’40s, Guthrie’s health began to deteriorate while his mental state seemed to come into question. At the time, some thought it might be due to schizophrenia and alcoholism. As it turned out, he was diagnosed in 1952 with a neurological disorder called Huntington’s disease. He spent several of his final years in psychiatric hospitals. With his health and mind failing during the folk revival of he early ’60s, he eld court with some of the day’s up-and-coming troubadors who admired him, most famously, Bob Dylan, 
Nick Reynolds was a founding member of the Kingston Trio, one of the premier groups of the ’60s folk revival. Formed in northern California in the late ’50s, the group were a direct descendant of the Weavers, but thanks in part to their youthfulness, they were able to bring folk music further into the mainstream. Their harmonies would, in turn, heavily influence such groups as the Beach Boys in years to come. The Kingston Trio won two Grammy’s during the early part of their career. The group broke up in 1967 as harder rock music started becoming more popular with American kids, so Reynolds took some time off from music to enjoy his other love, auto racing. He made a name for himself driving formula B and C cars along the Northwest circuit. He reunited with the Kingston Trio in the early ’80s and played with them on and off until his retirement in 1998. Nick Reynolds was 75 when he died of respiratory disease on October 1, 2008.
Mary Travers is best remembered as one-third of the iconic folk trio, Peter, Paul and Mary. Formed in 1961, the trio gained world-wide acclaim during the ’60s folk revival with such hits as “If I Had A Hammer,” “Puff The Magic Dragon,” and their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind.” They were one of the premier folk groups for many years to come. The trio disbanded in 1970 after which Travers recorded five solo albums throughout the ’70s. Peter, Paul and Mary regrouped in 1978 and stayed active, both touring and recording, until recent years. Mary Travers died of leukemia at the age of 72.