============================================= *** 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 January 2007 Editor: Emily M. Parris ================================================ http://www.rockymtnhigh.org * emily@parris.net ================================================ Table of Contents January 2007 * Issue #153 John Denver Events..............................2 Traveling Around the World With the John Denver Peace Cloth - Judy Lunn................3 Wisconsin Windstar Connection Group.............4 "Folks are Carrying On About 'John Denver: A Holiday Concert'"...........................5 CD Reviews: Steve Brook's cd "In The Fall" reviewed by Judy Therrien...........................6 "The Littlest Cowboy's Christmas" by Michael Chandler........................7 John Denver Notes...............................8 Poetry Corner "December 31, 1943" by Emily M. Parris........9 John Denver Want Ads/For Sale..................10 ======================================= J O H N D E N V E R E V E N T S ======================================= January 5, 2007 Netherlands - John Adams and Guido Bos will perform. Information - Lia: w-helmink@hetnet.nl January 10, 2007 - UK - "Country Roads - A Celebration of JD" - Wayne Denton at Warners, Bembridge on the Isle-of-Wight * http://www.waynedenton.com January 19, 2007 * Park City , Utah * Utah "Friends With You Concert" featuring Chris Collins, Mark Cormican, Paul Swanton, Dave Howard and others / Creekside Christian Fellowship Church / 1400 Bitner Road 7:00pm Tickets $10 Dave (435) 659-9654 * The Sundance Film Festival will also be going on from January 18 - 28, 2007. February 9, 2007 * Voorhees, NJ - "Moving Forward: A Concert of Hope" by Christopher Westfall at the Hope United Methodist Church / 700 Cooper Road / Tickets $12 in advance or $15 at the door. (856) 753-7355 March 3, 2007 New York City - Carnegie Hall "Three Artists, Three Instruments, One Evening at Carnegie Hall" - Pete Huttlinger, Chris Nole and Mollie Weaver http://www.petehuttlinger.com March 3, 2007 - UK - Concert by Neil & Gill Sharman "10 Years On - Remembering John Denver" at Ossett Town Hall, Wakefield, West Yorkshire 7:30pm http://www.timberwolf-studios.com March 4, 2007 * Palm Desert, CA * Judy Lunn sings a Tribute to John Denver 2:00pm / 73-300 Fred Waring Drive / Admission is free but seating is limited. Call the Palm Desert Library 760-346-6552 x253 to reserve your seat. http://www.judylunn.com April 28, 2007 * UK * In Concert: "Nickels & Dimes" from Holland at Walton Village Hall, Walton on the Hill, Stafford 7:30pm Tickets: L10 (including light refreshments) For tickets please send a sae and a cheque made payable to R. Gwilt to 29 Oldcroft Road, Walton on the Hill, Stafford ST17 OLS * < info@nickels-and-dimes.com > http://www.nickels-and-dimes.com May 4-5, 2007 * UK * Pete Huttlinger, Mack Bailey & Chris Nole in a 2-night special John Denver Tribute / Tickets: Check or cash to Jackie Freeman, Feet First, 53 High St., Stokesley, North Yorks, TS9 5AD include SAE Venue is Kirkby Church Hall, Kirkby in Cleveland, North Yorkshire (Near Stokesley) Info: 01642 713575 or 714061 August 18, 2007 * Estes Park, CO * Fourth Annual Estes Park John Denver Tribute Concert / Estes Park Fair Grounds / Fiddlin' Foresters 5:30pm / Brad and Kathy Fitch and the TropiCowboy Band 7:00pm $15 in advance $20 at the door Children 10 and under free http://www.cowboybrad.com September 1, 2007 * Fort Collins, CO / Brad and Kathy Fitch and the TropiCowboy Band 7:00pm Fort Collins Senior Center, 1200 Raintree Drive near the intersection of Drake and Shields. $15 (970) 221-6645 http://www.cowboybrad.com September 22, 2007 - UK - Concert by Neil & Gill Sharman plus Special Guest "10 Years On - Remembering John Denver" at the Wheatsheaf Co-Operative Theatre, Wyken, Coventry http://www.timnberwolf-studios.com October 11, 2007 * Aspen, CO * John Willcox will present his 1970's John Denver video "Alaska: America's Child" and share photos taken during the filming at a fund-raising luncheon Pine Creek Cookhouse www.pinecreekcookhouse.com / More info - Jennifer: windwalker@samsco.org <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> Traveling Around The World With the John Denver Peace Cloth - October 14, 2006 by Judy Lunn I am writing this journal entry from the MV Explorer as we are about to enter the port of Chennai, India. This ship is literally a "floating university" and the program is called Semester At Sea. I boarded the ship August 27 in San Diego and we picked up 580 students, plus 100 faculty and staff in Ensanada, Mexico. We've been to Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Myanmar in the first half of this 3 1/2 month voyage. After India we will head to Egypt, Turkey, Croatia and Spain, ending our adventure in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on December 7, 2006. When I found out I had the wonderful opportunity of going on this voyage, I wanted to participate in an active way and I felt the Peace Cloth was a worthwhile project to adopt on my "Voyage of Discovery." Debra Chilton was kind enough to loan me a portion of the John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth so that I can take it around the world with me as I share John's music and message of Peace with the citizens of the world I am meeting along the way. The Peace Cloth is one way to get people to STOP and think, focus, meditate, pray, formulate an opinion, articulate a thought and get it in a tangible form so that it can be shared with complete strangers from around the world to MAKE A CONNECTION. My goal is to collect 50 pieces for the Peace Cloth from my new international friends as well as the students here on the ship. I am really sorry to be missing all of the JD events in Aspen this year -- but opportunities like this don't come along very often! I'm already planning to be in Aspen next October and hope to present a large new section to the Peace Cloth to Debra next year. http://www.judylunn.com - - - - - WISCONSIN WINDSTAR CONNECTION January 1, 2007 It is with great excitement and anticipation that we announce the organization of the Wisconsin Windstar Connection. Our charter was approved by the Windstar Foundation in late August of 2006. Since this group was started by a small grassroots group of people, we have spent some time fine-tuning our mission statement and goals. With this new year we are ready to move into the action phase by welcoming new members who will come with fresh ideas and optimistic energy. The Windstar Foundation was founded in 1976 by John Denver and Thomas Crum as a global approach to addressing environmental and related global issues. The emphasis has always been on individual action and responsibility. As John Denver said, "It's not the choice between you or me that will create a healthy future. It's learning to choose ways of living that make it possible for you and me to live together on a peaceful planet." The connection program was created as an action-oriented global network of Windstar members who have accepted responsibility for improving the sustainability of the planet at a local level. The Wisconsin Windstar Connection's mission statement reflects those core beliefs. "The Wisconsin Windstar Connection is a family-friendly organization with a mission to inspire people of all ages to act locally, make responsible choices and take direct personal actions to achieve a peaceful and environmentally sustainable future. Through local environmentally-based projects and partnerships, the WWC creates opportunities for individuals and families to learn from each other, while raising environmental awareness." We invite you, your family and friends to join the Wisconsin Windstar Connection. Membership is open to any Windstar Foundation member living in Wisconsin or the surrounding area. To become a Windstar Foundation member visit http://www.wstar.org. Some goals we have identified include partnering with state-based organizations to help spread environmental education; planning activity-based, educational meetings; either sponsoring or partnering for an annual Earth Day event; hosting an EARTHcamp for area children; and creating a presence in Wisconsin to promote the Windstar Foundation. As John Denver said, "Together we can make a world of difference." Wishes for a wonderful, peace-filled new year! The Wisconsin Windstar Connection Renee Wahlen 4directions@sbcglobal.net http://www.wisconsinwindstar.org <+> <+> <+> <+> <+> <+> <+> ========================================================== "Folks Are Carrying On About 'John Denver: A Holiday Concert'" at the Rubicon Theatre ========================================================== "True holiday spirit...the Rubicon should be on your yuletide celebration list." Ted Mills, Santa Barbara News Press " John Denver will fill your evening with holiday cheer...irresistible warmth and joy" - Rita Moran, Ventura County Star "With Back Home Again, it is the spirit of Denver that takes center stage. We all might just be able to go home and discover we are a country boy, or girl, at heart" - Broadway World.com - - - - - - - "John Denver Territory, Christmas Style" Theater Review Los Angeles Times December 6, 2006 by David C. Nichols, Special to the Times A revue fashioned after the entertainer's TV specials takes audiences to a much-loved place. Musing on his career, the late John Denver said, "My purpose in performing is to communicate the joy I experience in living." That viewpoint adorns "Back Home Again: A John Denver Holiday Concert" at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura. This entrancing revue by Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman could not be more sincerely entertaining, thanks to dulcet singers Jim Newman and Gail Bliss and a festive band. Fashioned after Denver's annual Christmas specials, "Back Home Again" plies its wares with fetching simplicity. Western-clad musicians enter and casually tune up, and Newman launches the show with Steve Weisberg's loping "Christmas for Cowboys," backed by panoramic shots of range riders (many of the photos projected throughout were taken by Denver himself). Bliss croons Denver's "Aspenglow" with open-throated expertise, followed by the rousing title song, and a Colorado Christmas cantata ensues. It blends sacred and secular music with unassuming patter and enormous audience regard, sort of a "Rocky Mountain Home Companion," minus Keillorisms and commercials. "Silent Night" and "Away in the Manger" jockey with Jim Connor's "Grandma's Feather Bed" and Bill and Taffy Danoff's "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk for Christmas)," here done as a purposeful singalong that stops the show. After longtime Denver collaborator Wheetman introduces "Matthew" as his favorite Denver song (mine too), Act 1 closes on a buoyant rendition of "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." Exactly, and director Myler aims to celebrate Denver without canonizing him, while musical director Wheetman knows just how much gloss is required. He and colleagues Douglas Clegg and David P. Jackson play multiple instruments with entitled panache and winking humor, and both soloists are superb. Newman initially seems a shade more Broadway than homespun. Yet the purity of his chops and easy charm are utterly apt, and he opens up by the number, with a stunning "First Noel" and impish "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The rich-voiced Bliss, incapable of a false note, blends thrillingly with Newman in the duets and tosses off repertory as varied as "What Child Is This?" and "Sweet Surrender." The show ends with Denver's heartfelt "I Want to Live," and a more valid philosophy for our troubled times is impossible to conceive. Here, as everywhere, "Back Home Again" finds the essential humanity within concept and material, producing the lingering glow of an instant seasonal classic. "Back Home Again" Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura, California Ended: Dec. 24, 2006 * * * * * * CD REVIEW: Steve Brook's "In The Fall" Reviewed by Judy Therrien Steve Brook has recently released his new cd titled "In The Fall". There are 10 very fine songs on it, but my favorite song is (and my favorite place to be is Aspen IN THE FALL.) The cover of the album shows Steve with his guitar at Maroon Lake at the Bells, the morning after that 2005 Aspen-In-October snowstorm on Monday when the Bells looked awesome! Anyone who has been to Aspen in October, will relish this cd with this song. The first verse begins: "We flew into Denver on a dark and rainy night; red-eyed and weary from a long distance flight. We set out for the mountains on a highway heading west." What happens next, you will love! Do you have loved ones who enjoy Aspen? If so, this is the perfect holiday surprise. Steve and Lali live in Cadiz Spain, and they have a great view of the Rock of Gibraltar from their home. He just recently hosted Judy Lunn who also sang in Aspen in 2005 in the "New Friends to Find" concert at the Mountain Chalet. The cd was recorded in England, where Steve is a favorite among the John Denver fans. Judy Therrien... Monterey, CA The cuts on the album "IN THE FALL" are Seachanheaba The Old Dublin Aspen Colorado (in the fall) A Friend To Me This Waltz With You Greydust Memories Joshua a Prayer From Me to You Nothing I Wouldn't Do Late One Night http://www.stevebrook.com <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> THE LITTLEST COWBOY'S CHRISTMAS By Michael Chandler Illustrated by Terry Jacobsen WITH A MUSIC CD BY JOHN DENVER A never-before-told story about superstar John Denver! Author Michael Chandler and his young son, Preston, spent many winter afternoons working a snowplow through the drifts of Colorado snow near their Little Woody Creek horse ranch. Sometimes they made paths for cars, for people, or for cattle, and sometimes they just made paths for fun. One day they decided to clear a road that led to a snowbound home. The owner, a rugged cowboy named Joe Henry, asked if someone had hired them. When they said no, the cowboy smiled, and they all became fast friends. A few weeks later, Joe Henry--a one-time miner, hockey player, and sailor who now wrote cowboy poetry--invited them to his Christmas Eve celebration. The party was held in Joe's barn in honor of his horse, Lefty, who was to enjoy his annual Christmas carrot and oats pie. Another man and his son had also been invited. What occurred that magical evening was to be the most memorable Christmas Eve in Michael Chandler's life . . . an evening of live acoustic music in the Rocky Mountains with John Denver! The three men, two boys, and one horse enjoyed each other's company with stories, song, food, laughter, and peaceful silence. John Denver, known to the author's son only as a "guitar playing fella," completed the evening with a peaceful rendition of "Silent Night." His version of the song is included as a CD in The Littlest Cowboy's Christmas. This heartwarming true story evokes the special spirit of Christmas and is a celebration of the simple pleasures of good music and good friends. John Denver fans will especially appreciate this glimpse at his life "offstage," when he was simply a "guitar fella." About the Author and Illustrator: Michael Chandler resides in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, with his wife. Terry Jacobsen was born and raised in Minnesota and now lives in Arizona. THE LITTLEST COWBOY'S CHRISTMAS By Michael Chandler Illustrated by Terry Jacobsen 31 color illustrated, Music CD Ages 5-8 ISBN: 1-58980-381-7 $17.95 ======================================= J O H N D E N V E R N O T E S ======================================= Stonewall Studios JD Tribute Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dnIxbi7TwQ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There's a video clip on YouTube of "Denver, Boise & Johnson" doing "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-RozWqJQjY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Christine Moon * www.fojd.org.uk * 12-10-06 Some of us had a great afternoon yesterday at Neil & Gil Sharman's charity Christmas concert in Chapeltown, Sheffield. The show featured plenty of John's music as well as Christmas songs recorded by John and others. They even included "The heart of Man's a Palace (The Magi)" from the "Merry Christmas Aspen" cd which is one of my favourite JD Christmas songs. I've posted some photos of the concert on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/gp/25505015@N00/17M1ow - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Part four of the CMT special "Inside Fame" is now available on my website. Michiel http://home.wanadoo.nl/mtenbrug/denver/denver_1.htm - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Christine Moon: Stein has found another source for the George Burns dvds - one that will ship anywhere in the world. http://tinyurl.com/yecrb3 The specials included on the dvds are listed with their guest stars. John guests in two of the shows. http://www.fojd.org.uk - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Carole Romanowski < whispjesse@aol.com > John Denver US Postage Stamp Great news! I received a letter today from the Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee stating that John Denver is definitely under consideration by the committee for future stamp issuance. Since the committee decides on new stamp recommendations far in advance of the issue date, the 2007-8 stamp programs have been chosen and completed, but stamp subjects for 2009 and following years are being currently selected. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To send a letter to the Stamp Advisory Committee: USPS Stamp Development Attn: Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee 1735 N. Lynn St. - Suite 5013 Arlington, VA 22209-6432 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ======================================= J O H N D E N V E R P O E T R Y ======================================= December 31, 1943 by Emily M. Parris Beautiful baby born this day Come to bring your special cheer A rocky mountain legacy That we would shortly hear You would be a voice of comfort Singing of nature in a song Making a place of home and hearth Where we could all belong Writing beautiful long songs That we could all take to heart You brought us all back home again So we were no longer apart Beautiful baby, we love you You became such a wonderful man Your songs live on forever in The heart of each John Denver fan _____________________________________ Copyright 12-31-06 by Emily M. Parris ================================================= JOHN DENVER W A N T A D S / F O R S A L E ================================================= Judy in Monterey, is taking orders for JD sweatshirts. Quote says "Still rides in the mountains, Still sings in the canyon, Still lives in my heart" with mountains and a lake in the background. $50 - $60 depending upon the style. Email for more details. Please put "JD sweatshirt" in the subject line. Judy < jht@spamarrest.com > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Songs That Speak To Me" - Judy Lunn Sings A Tribute to John Denver. Recorded in Nashville, TN with Chris Nole, Pete Huttlinger, Jim Horn and Tom Roady. (760) 250-7917 $20 http://www.judylunn.com * judysings@dc.rr.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mary Ledford has some John Denver cassette tapes for sales at $5 each including s/h. The proceeds will go toward the fund to enable Bevan to come again from New Zealand to the celebrations in 2007. Email her for a list of the cassettes that are available. < eagleshorses@yahoo.com > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A dvd of the John Denver Tribute Concert in Puigcerda is available from http://www.johndenverclub.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Neil & Gill Sharman have released a new cd called "Frost Covered Memories" http://www.timberwolf-studios.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The group "Nickels & Dimes" has a new cd out http://www.nickels-and-dimes.com = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = John's Shrine on Ajax Mountain in Aspen www.statesman.com/travel/content/life/travel/10/29/29ASPEN.htm l 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 Jan 2007 * Issue #153 * Editor: Emily M. Parris *************************************************************