When we're kids, we have so many different dreams. We feel like we can do anything- our imagination is limitless and our fire burning bright. There's so many different avenues we could go down in our lives. All we need is a push in the right direction and we're smooth sailing. This is especially true of an artist like John Denver, who argues that he probably wouldn't have made it this far otherwise. Particularly, he credits two gifts that really gave him the inspiration to move forward with music.
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In a 1976 interview with Melody Maker, John opened up about his wildly momentous life and his time around the world. He essentially says that he would always be sing, even if it didn't bring Denver the fame and fortune that comes after making "Take Me Home, Country Roads." It's ingrained in his DNA, something that's eternally been apart of him. However, he does note a couple gifts that made him pursue it more seriously.
John Denver Reveals The Gifts That Sparked His Iconic Music Career
"Well, sir, I can't remember a period of my life when I didn't sing. When I was very young my grandmother gave me a guitar, an old Gibson jazz guitar," John says. "The same old guitar that I wrote the song about. ('This Old Guitar' on the Back Home Again and Live albums). This was in Tucson, Arizona, where my father was stationed at the time, and I took some lessons to learn how to play."
Now, he's got the guitar. Now what? Well school eventually takes a backseat to his passion, so he drops out of college. Denver has his band but obviously, he's going to struggle with no job and education. In very dramatic fashion, friends and family didn't cosign of John's big ambitions. Still, a little help goes a long way and that's what he received. Moreover, his parents said that if ever he fell on his face, he could get help to start all over again. Thankfully, he didn't need it.
"The only acknowledgement that I got, and this was from my mother and father, was a gift of 200 dollars to help me. They said they didn't think it was the right thing but they appreciated it was something I had to do. They said that if this was what I wanted to do, they would support me," Denver recalls. "And when I'd got it out of my system, they'd let me come back and help me get back into college."
