============================================= *** R O C K Y M O U N T A I N H I G H *** ============================================= The John Denver Internet Fan Club Monthly Newsletter F E B R U A R Y 2010 Editor: Emily M. Parris ================================================ http://www.rockymtnhigh.org * emily@parris.net ================================================ Table of Contents February - Issue #190 John Denver Events..............................1 From the Windstar Foundation Page...............3 "I am the Eagle..." by Carole Romanowski..................4 Erma Deutschendorf's Funeral....................5 Collector's Choics..............................6 John Denver Notes...............................8 John Denver Want Ads............................8 ======================================= J O H N D E N V E R E V E N T S ======================================= February 21, 2010 - Apache Junction, AZ - Brad Fitch and the Arizona Opry - A Tribute to John Denver - Dinner and Show $29 / Arizona Opry 2275 Old West Highway / Apache Junction, AZ 85119 (480) 982-7991 Dinner 6:30 pm / Showtime 7:30 pm http://www.azopry.com * http://www.cowboybrad.com February 21, 2010 - Largo, Florida - Ron Rich, The Rocky Mountain Memories, a John Denver Tribute show will be held at the Largo Cultural Center / 105 Central Park Drive / Largo, FL 7:00 pm 2:00 pm show sold out Tickets are VIP $25, advance $22, day of show $25, Group $18 (10+), and Senior (60+) Box office 727-587-6793 Info: lvscoy@aol.com March 7, 2010 - Apache Junction, AZ - Brad Fitch and the Arizona Opry - A Tribute to John Denver - Dinner and Show $29 / Arizona Opry 2275 Old West Highway / Apache Junction, AZ 85119 (480) 982-7991 Dinner 6:30 pm / Showtime 7:30 pm http://www.azopry.com * http://www.cowboybrad.com March 15-23, 2010 * IRELAND CRUISE * Bill Danoff, Mack Bailey and Rachel Levy - Traveling Troubadour Cruises and Tours / P.O. Box 3189 / Staunton, VA 24402 (540) 887-8491 or 800-584-6724 They will be re-visiting one of their favorite places, Galway, where they will join in the celebration of St. Patrick's Day! The tour will end in Dublin. lynette@travelingtroubadour.com www.travelingtroubadour.com/Bailey-Levy,_Danoff_Ireland_2010.htm March 21, 2010 - Apache Junction, AZ - Brad Fitch and the Arizona Opry - A Tribute to John Denver - Dinner and Show $29 / Arizona Opry 2275 Old West Highway / Apache Junction, AZ 85119 (480) 982-7991 Dinner 6:30 pm / Showtime 7:30 pm http://www.azopry.com * http://www.cowboybrad.com April 17, 2010 - Santa Rosa, CA - Jim Curry with the Santa Rosa Symphony "A Tribute to John Denver" 8:00 pm http://www.santarosasymphony.com http://www.jimcurrymusic.com April 18, 2010 - Santa Rosa, CA - Jim Curry with the Santa Rosa Symphony "A Tribute to John Denver" 3:00pm http://www.santarosasymphony.com http://www.jimcurrymusic.com May 8, 2010 - Frederick, MD - Friends With You Band 7:30 pm Weinberg Center for the Arts http://www.friendswithyouband.com May 14, 2010 - Vevay, IN - Friends With You Band at the historic Hoosier Theater 7:00pm http://www.friendswithyouband.com May 15, 2010 - Covington, KY - Friends With You Band 7:00 pm Carnegie Visual and Performing ARts Center http://www.friendswithyouband.com May 22, 2010 - Toledo, Ohio - Jim Curry with the Toledo Symphony - "A Tribute to John Denver" 8:00 pm Stranahan Theater / 2245 Monroe St. / Toledo, OH (419) 246-8000 http://www.toledosymphony.com http://www.jimcurrymusic.com May 25, 2010 - Elmsford, NY - Jim Curry's "John Denver Tribute Show" - Westchester Broadway Theater / 1 Broadway Plaza / Elmsford, New York 10523 Tickets $75 plus tax includes dinner June 4-5, 2010 - Phoenix, AZ - Jim Curry with the Phoenix Symphony - "Rocky Mountain High - A Tribute to John Denver" Lee Holdridge conducting 8:00 pm http://www.phoenixsymphony.org * http://www.jimcurrymusic.com October 7, 2010 - Aspen, Colorado "Chill The Drills", an eye-opening program by the National Headquarters of the Sierra Club. Find out what's really going on in Alaska -- the new drilling pads on the North Slope, the problems of the aging pipeline that is leaking and causing major environmental damage, the relentless push to get into ANWR, and the impending strip mining for coal in the Alaskan interior. Doors open 1:30 p.m. at the Aspen/Pitkin County Library, across Mill Street from the Hotel Jerome. This event is free, and open to everyone. More details to follow. Contact Jennifer at: windwalker@samsco.org for more information. October 9, 2010 - Aspen, CO Pine Creek Cookhouse IV -- 10:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Ashcroft, CO. Join us for another wonderful luncheon event at the Pine Creek Cookhouse. Music provided by the Friends With You Band, a great lunch, and special guests. Full details to follow. Please contact Jennifer at: windwalker@samsco.org for more information. Branson, MO - Monday through Saturday 10:00am "A Tribute to John Denver & Country Music Legends" James Garrett sings John Denver's best-loved hits. IMAX Little Opry Theatre / 3562 Shepherd of the Hills Expressway / Branson, MO 65616 (800) 419-4832 http://www.bransonimax.com <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> The Windstar Foundation family and friends are mourning the loss of our founder's mother, Erma Louise Deutschendorf Davis. She passed away Sunday, January 17, 2010 after several months of illness. Born in 1922 in Beggs, Oklahoma, Erma was 87 years old when she passed away Sunday around 7pm. As recent as this past Fall's annual events in Aspen, Colorado to remember her late son John Denver, Erma celebrated his life with friends, family and fans. John's brother, Erma's son and Windstar Foundation president Ron Deutschendorf and other family members were with Erma much of the time these last few months. The family has expressed appreciation for everyone's thoughts and prayers. On Sunday, January 24, friends and family attended a service at the Faith Presbyterian Church with Pastor Les Felker in Aurora, Colorado. Windstar president and Erma's son Ron Deutschendorf spoke eloquently of his mother and what she meant to so many friends and her family. John Denver's daughter Anna Kate also added her memories of Erma and her enthusiastic energy for life. Hal Bidlack read a letter than John sent Erma in 1996 on her birthday. The family thanked everyone who came to remember Erma and met with those who attended at a reception afterwards. The family requests donations in Erma's memory be made to The Windstar Foundation at www.wstar.org. Donations may be mailed to: Windstar Foundation c/o 4955 Ramblewood Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80920 <*> <*> <*> <*> “I am the Eagle…” (by Carole Romanowski – whispjesse@aol.com) My daily newspaper, The Journal News, reports an eagle sighting in Nyack, NY, near a Shoprite food store, about half an hour further north from where I live . Very unusual since there is a lot of parking lot activity that might scare the eagles off! The shoppers saw an estimated seven to nine American bald eagles that are apparently wintering in the woods and wetlands behind the store. The eagles are likely from Canada and are wintering there because it provides access to fresh, unfrozen water containing a food source, said Alan Wells, a biologist and Rockland Audubon Society member. Jim Previdi, vice president and field trip chairman for the Rockland society, said the open water may be providing fish, ducks and even geese, all of which eagles have been known to eat. Both Wells and Previdi said there was likely a roosting area, or nest, nearby that the eagles return to each night. The birds are becoming a more common sight near the lower Hudson River. Nationwide, the eagle population had dwindled to just 417 breeding pairs in the lower 48 states by 1963, mainly due to the use of the pesticide DDT, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Hunting and habitat loss contributed to the eagle’s troubles, but DDT was the primary culprit in the near demise of the species, causing the eggs to crack. Once DDT was banned, the eagle began a comeback. In 2007, the species was removed from the federal Endangered Species List and the Fish and Wildlife Service began a mandated five-year monitoring program. There are now more than 7,000 breeding pairs of eagles in the lower 48 states. The state Dept. of Environmental Conservation continues to list the eagle as a “threatened species.” The term refers to fish and wildlife that are likely to become an endangered species soon. The DEC is in the midst of conducting the state’s 2010 mid-winter bald eagle survey, but it will be several months before the results are completely tallied. The state’s numbers will be added to a national database to help determine the overall number of eagles in the US during the Dec. 30, 2009 – Jan. 13, 2010 survey period. Some Bald Eagle facts: * One of the largest birds of prey found in North America * Stands about 30 inches tall, with a wingspan of 72-84 inches * Weighs between 8 and 14 pounds * Primarily eats fish * Can live in the wild for more than 30 years * Mates for life * Lives in large nest, typically in a tall, live white pine tree near water * Nests are reused and can grow to more than 8 feet deep and 6 feet across and weigh hundreds of pounds I’ve seen perched eagles at the Greenburgh Nature Center here in the lower Hudson Valley in NY state and also at the Teatown’s Hudson River EagleFest. at Croton Point Park on the Hudson, NY. {However, I’m a “poor (woman)” since I’ve “never seen an eagle fly!” The Teatown EagleFest (www.teatown.org/eaglefest.htm) will be held Feb. 6th of this year with bus tours for eagle exploration, free eaglet presentations in a tent, free bird walks and eagle viewing along the Hudson River. If you live nearby, please come to enjoy! I will be going and hopefully will finally see an eagle fly! < * > < * > < * > < * > < * > < * ======================================================= Karen Larson’s account of Erma Deutschendorf’s funeral ======================================================= January 17th, 2010 was a sad day for us. That is when Erma Deutschendorf-Davis left us to go be with Dutch, Ralph, and of course John. What a beautiful reunion it was for those beautiful souls. I just know John played a new song he had written just for her. A friend of mine- Betty Conley- joined me and we went to the viewing on January 23rd. Erma looked so beautiful in a lavender colored jacket and blouse. A really pretty lavender flowered scarf was tied around her neck. There was a pretty little pin on the right side of her jacket. A thin delicate handkerchief was placed over her hands. She looked so peaceful. While I was there Erma's sister "Bubbles" came to pay her respects. I gave her a big hug as she is so sad about losing her sister. Her son and Grandson were there with her. A slide show of pictures was shown. After visiting with a few people we headed home. The service for Erma was the next day January 24th at 2:00pm. It was held at the same church where the memorial service was held for John. Before the service started they had the casket open so people could pay their final respects and had it closed during the service. All 3 of John's children were there- Zach, Anna Kate and Jessie Belle. Zach's wife (of 6 years) and Anna Kate's husband were also there. They played 2 recordings of John singing "On the Wings of a Dream" and "The Wings that Fly us Home". Both songs were perfect choices to play. But they did bring tears to my eyes. The first person to speak about Erma was Dave Deutschendorf. He spoke of how Erma loved to play Bingo. The next to speak was Anna Kate. She said she felt very lucky to have her (Erma) in her life. I can say that thought goes for all of us. How lucky we were to have gotten to know her. A retired Airforce Colonel spoke next. Ron asked him to read a letter that John had written to Erma for her Birthday. The next and last to speak was Ron. He spoke of how she loved to drive real fast. Everyone who spoke shared stories and things about Erma that made us laugh. Pastor Les Felker who did John's service also did Erma's. He did a beautiful job. After the service was over they opened up the casket one more time and had everyone pass by so we could say our final goodbyes. They held the reception in a room across from the Sanctuary. A few other people I knew who were there were John Sommers, Denny Brooks, Cassandra Delaney, and John Adams. As we filed into the room we all spoke to Edna Bingham (Bubbles- Erma's sister) and Ron. I would estimate that there was around 50 to 100 people who attended the service. Just a little reflection of my own. The first time I met Erma was at a Photo Exhibition John had in Denver of his photos in October 1983. Erma showed me which of John's photos was her favorite. I took a picture of her standing next to it and got to deliver that photo to her personally. What a joy that was. I consider myself very lucky to have gotten to meet and know Erma. She was indeed a very special lady. <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> COOECTORS' CHOICE MUSIC Collectors' Choice Music Bows CCM Live Label with Johnny Winter, Poco, Hut Tuna, John Denver CD series launches with Johnny Winter, Hot Tuna, Poco and John Denver LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Collectors' Choice Music, the label that's come to be known for compelling and often unexpected CD reissues, has announced the launch of Collectors' Choice Music Live, a new label devoted to releasing great live performances, most of which have never previously been commercially available. The series will launch April 20 with the release of four CDs: Johnny Winter And's Live at the Fillmore East 10/3/70; Poco's Live at Columbia Studios, Hollywood 9/30/71; Hot Tuna's Live at the New Orleans House, Berkeley, CA September 1969; and John Denver's Live at Cedar Rapids, 12/10/87. According to Collectors' Choice Music GM Gordon Anderson, “After some 15 years of reissuing albums and compiling artists, we're convinced that some of the biggest remaining veins of gold in the vaults are the live shows that a lot of labels recorded of their artists in their prime, particularly those who made their reputation with improvisational prowess and/or ever-changing set lists. These first four releases on our new Collectors' Choice Music Live label certainly fit that description." -- Johnny Winter And -- Live at the Fillmore East 10/3/70: To commemorate the release of his Johnny Winter And album, Texas blues guitarist/singer Johnny Winter played some shows at New York's Fillmore East, some of which were compiled on 1971's Live Johnny Winter And, a classic live album of the era to which this release makes a nice bookend. He had just formed a new band consisting of former member of the McCoys ("Hang on Sloopy") including Rick Derringer on guitar, bassist Randy Jo Hobbs, and drummer Randy Zehringer. Although the McCoys were none too familiar with Winter's work, they proved quick studies and entered the studio to make the album Johnny Winter And within three weeks. The New York Times reviewed the Fillmore show, citing “a considerable improvement over Winter's previous band. Winter and [Derringer] played solos back at each other, simultaneously and in alternation." The live album contains the Winter hit “Rock and Roll Hoochie Coo" and his take on Bob Dylan's “Highway 61" alongside blues classics “Rollin' and Tumblin'," “It's My Own Fault" and “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl." -- Poco --Live at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, 9/30/71: In the fall of '71, Poco was arguably the most popular of the first generation country-rock bands. By then, their album Deliverin' had cracked the Top 30 and Poco thanked its label, Epic Records, with a private showcase at the CBS Records' Hollywood studio. “We just set up as we would have for a small club," recalls frontman Richie Furay, whose bandmates included guitarist/singer Paul Cotton (from the Illinois Speed Press), bassist Tim Schmidt (later of the Eagles), pedal steel player Rusty Young and drummer/vocalist George Grantham. By this time, Poco was evolving from country-rock towards an edgier rock sound. Says Furay, “Though we were innovators of the L.A. 'country-rock' sound, we weren't going top be pigeonholed into being a one-sound band." The 14 songs they performed for label employees that day were a solid cross-section of tunes that had appeared on its first four albums including the medley “Hard Luck Child/Child's Claim to Fame/Pickin' Up the Pieces," plus “I Guess You Made It," “A Man Like Me," “Ol' Forgiver," “Heart That Music," “Hurry Up," “You Are the One" and more -- an hour of music in all. -- Hot Tuna: Live at the New Orleans House, Berkeley, CA September 1969: Hot Tuna was, of course, the blues band-within-a-band side project of Jefferson Airplane's Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady that outlasted the parent band and continues to this day. Interestingly, the duo's first commercial album, which made it to #30 on the Billboard pop album chart, was recorded live at Berkeley's New Orleans House, but a lot more material was taped than was released. Much of it is issued for the first time on this 68-minute CD, which consists entirely of previously unreleased recordings. Explaining why they recorded their debut album was recorded live, Kaukoken says, “We tend to go places . . . and you lose a bit of that when you work in the studio. And it was cheaper too!" Of the 13 songs on this CD, six -- “Death Don't Have No Mercy," “Winin' Boy Blues," “Uncle Sam Blues," “I Know You Rider," “Don't You Leave Me Here" and “How Long Blues" -- were included on the first Hot Tuna album, though the versions here are selected from different performances than the ones used on that LP. Other songs include Blind Boy Fuller's “Keep On Truckin'," Rev. Gary Davis' “Keep Our Lamps Trimmed and Burning" and “Candy Man," and Blind Blake's “That'll Never Happen No More." -- John Denver: Live at Cedar Rapids, December 10, 1987: What is the sound of an audience eating out of the palm of a performer's hand? Utter silence. And that's what was heard during the two-hour-plus Iowa concert that comprises this two-CD set. By 1987, Denver's days as a Top 40 hitmaker were a decade in the past, but he remained a solid concert draw as a beloved, thoroughly American artist with a permanent place in the history of pop. It says much about Denver's songwriting that, with the exception of half a dozen songs on which he's accompanied by string quartet, he delivers two hours of solo music just his voice and 12-string guitar. The hits are here but so are new songs, some early-repertoire nuggets and a well-chosen cover or two. Included are “Farewell Andromeda (Welcome to My Morning," “Take Me Home Country Roads," “Rocky Mountain High," “Annie's Song," “Love Is the Master," “Mother Nature's Son," “Blow Up Your TV (Spanish Pipe Dream)," “Shanghai Breezes," “Ohio" and more. <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> ============================================ J O H N D E N V E R N O T E S ============================================ Poems, Prayers and Promises: The Art and Soul of John Denver By Cherry Lane Music› Overview The latest release in Cherry Lane's popular Art and Soul series, this songbook/CD pack is a must for John Denver fans, who will not want to miss the large color section featuring his never-before-published nature and travel photography, concert memorabilia and new interviews about his songwriting craft with the people who knew and worked with him. The 23 Denver classics include: Annie's Song * Leaving on a Jet Plane * Rocky Mountain High * Sunshine on My Shoulders * and more. The bonus CD contains previously unreleased tracks of "Calypso," "Mother Nature's Son" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads," from a live acoustic show in 1987. 2004 - 104 pages - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The North Carolina Friends of John Denver have a new website: http://ncfriendsofjd.webs.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - < * > < * > < * > ============================================ J O H N D E N V E R W A N T A D S ============================================ Poems, Prayers and Promises: The Art and Soul of John Denver By Cherry Lane Music› Overview The latest release in Cherry Lane's popular Art and Soul series, this songbook/CD pack is a must for John Denver fans, who will not want to miss the large color section featuring his never-before-published nature and travel photography, concert memorabilia and new interviews about his songwriting craft with the people who knew and worked with him. The 23 Denver classics include: Annie's Song * Leaving on a Jet Plane * Rocky Mountain High * Sunshine on My Shoulders * and more. The bonus CD contains previously unreleased tracks of "Calypso," "Mother Nature's Son" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads," from a live acoustic show in 1987. 2004 - 104 pages - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I love John Denver with a passion ! I have been looking for dvds to buy of John Denvers 1975 T.V. special "The Eagle And The Hawk," also the 1975 "An Evening With John Denver," as well as his earlier T.V.specials. Please call me Laura Nelson at 801-425-3445 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - ; To subscribe: rockymountainhigh-subscribe@emissives.com To unsubscribe: rockymountainhigh-unsubscribe@emissives.com ************************************************************* Rocky Mountain High: The John Denver Internet Fan Club emily@parris.net http://www.rockymtnhigh.org February 2010 * Issue #190 * Editor: Emily M. Parris *************************************************************