============================================= *** 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 M A Y 2 0 0 3 Editor: Emily M. Parris ============================================= http://www.rockymtnhigh.org * emily@sky.net ============================================= Table of Contents May 2003 * Issue #109 John Denver Events.............................2 "Sunshine On My Shoulder" by Connie S. Reeder........................4 Event Reviews: Earth Day Report from Judith Gabriel.........5 John Denver Notes..............................5 Poetry Corner: "Heaven" by Carol Sullivan...................6 John Denver Haiku by Cathy W................7 "Memories So Sweet" by Emily M. Parris.......7 A List of John Denver Articles.................8 CD Reviews: "A Perfect Morning" - Dennis Warner Reviewed by Sky Warnke..................8 John Denver Want Ads/For Sale..................9 Happy music floats To the sky on eagle wings, John's music is here... Emily Parris ======================================= J O H N D E N V E R E V E N T S ======================================= May 2-4, 2003 PA Friends of JD Retreat / Lebanon, PA Gretna Glen Camp, 87 Old Mine Road $50 payment to Patricia Liddic / 533 Lexington Road / Lancaster, PA 17603 by March 5, 2003. May 3-4, 2003 * Claremont, CA * Claremont Spring Folk Festival May 3 - 1:00pm Jim Curry and Timberline / 3:00pm John Denver Sing-Along Tickets $10 pre sale or $12 at the door. http://www.claremontfolkfest.org doug.thomson2@gte.net May 3, 2003 * near Waukesha, WI / "Wisconsin Friends of JD" Spring Highway Cleanup / helpers needed! meet 10:30am / Kettle Moraine Golf Club - 4299 Highway 67 (Dousman, WI) Group "Field Trip" afterward to Nature Center. Carolyn Churchill 847-356-0074 May 10, 2003 * Doylestown, PA / Charlie Zahm, Tad Marks and Christopher Westfall 7:30 $10 includes refreshments / Salem United Church of Christ / Info: pahough@aol.com http://www.geocities.com/aneagleflight/doylestown.html May 17, 2003 * Moose, WY - ECO-Fair - Presbyterian Church Noon-5:30 Music, booths, workshops, food & fun Info: The Murie Ranch (307) 739-2246 www.muriecenter.org May 18, 2003 9:00pm VISN - Hallmark-Odyssey (Eastern Time Zone) "Foxfire" - MOVIE (1987) - starring John Denver, Jessica Tandy, and Hume Cronyn. A man's return to his Appalachian birthplace spurs memories as he tries to convince his mother to sell her land. www.tv-now.com May 23, 2003 * CANADA / Port Colborne, Ontario - Dan Monroe Triple Header Tribute Show - Roy Orbison, John Denver, and Elvis - Roselawn Centre $15.00 7:00pm (905) 834-7572 May 23, 2003 * Pakenham, in Victoria - Australia * "A Tribute To John Denver" - Alan Cherry singing John Denver songs and tribute songs of his own. Cultural Centre / $38.00 per person includes 3 course dinner. Christine Egli May 28, 2003 "Foxfire" (1987) starring John Denver. 9:00pm VISN - Hallmark-Odyssey (Eastern Time Zone) http://www.tv-now.com May 30-June 1, 2003 * Phoenix, AZ / "Awakening Seminar" / First Light Huger Foundation 602-728-0710 http://www.firstlightonline.org/ firstlight@uswest.net June 6, 2003 * Doylestown, PA / Frank DeLaMarre & Chris Nole in concert / Salem United Church of Christ 8:00pm $10 includes refreshments. info@frankdelamarre.com http://www.frankdelamarre.com/schedule/ June 7, 2003 Colorado Friends of JD Highway Cleanup. Please contact Evelyn Pinney at evepin@colorado.net for more info June 8, 2003 * Annapolis, MD - Mack Bailey's CD Release Party for "Why I'm Here" will be held at the Ram's Head Tavern 5:00pm 410-268-4545 * http://www.mackbailey.com Ram's Head Tavern: http://www.ramsheadtavern.com June 28, 2003 * CMT "Inside Fame" Series - Segment on John Denver. August 20-28, 2003 * Fairbanks, Alaska - Artic National Wildlife Refuge Adventure The Murie Center; Moose, WY (307) 739-2246 info@muriecenter.org * http://www.muriecenter.org August 20-Sept 1, 2003 * Anchorage, Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia - Arctic Dance Conservation Cruise / 12 day excursion / Offer #10215 * The Murie Center / Moose, WY (307) 739-2246 or http://www.cruisewest.com Sept 29-Oct 4, 2003 * Lyons, CO / "Journey to Center" program with Tom Crum (585) 924-7302 http://www.aikiworks.com October 2 - November 22, 2003 * Denver, Colorado / Ricketson Theatre - "Almost Heaven: Songs and Stories of John Denver" http://www.denvercenter.org October 3-5, 2003 PA Friends of JD Fall Retreat / Cassville, PA / Bitter Goose Lodge $45 for the weekend. Payment to Pat Liddic / 533 Lexington Road / Lancaster, PA 17603 / Pat Liddic October 4-5, 2003 * Salida, Colorado / Fifth Annual John Denver Celebration / http://www.johndenverlegacy.com Christine Smith 1-719-942-9620 Seating limited to first 200 reservations. October 11, 2003 * Aspen, CO / Special Music from the Mountains - Mack Bailey with Chris Nole and other surprise guests. Mountain Chalet Ballroom / 1:00 - 2:30pm Tickets $20 include light refreshments / Make check/m.o. payable to Mack Bailey (SASE) Mack Bailey Concert / c/o Karen Tupek / 6300 Wynkoop Blvd / Bethesda, MD 20817 Karen , Mary October 11-12, 2003 * Pacific Grove, CA / John Denver Memorial Tribute and Beach Cleanup * Debra Saturday Evening - Musical Event; Beach Cleanup on Sunday at Noon; Tribute at John Denver Beach on Sunday 5:00pm <+> <+> <+> <+> <+> <+> <+> Sunshine On My Shoulder by Connie S. Reeder Nichols While driving south to Miami after dropping my 19-year-old daughter off at a retreat in upstate New York, I found myself somewhere on I-95 on a dank, cold September morning. About half-way through the Carolinas I'd played out all the cd's brought along for the trip and let the radio scan through the local stations, spitting out music between white noise. My thoughts swirled around five seconds of a country song, then a top ten hit and on to a preacher making his point about hell, but always back to my daughter and our private nightmare. A few months earlier a voice in the middle of the night called to say my daughter, struggling with addiction and missing for several days, had overdosed and was dead. This proved to be false, but several hours passed before I knew she was alive and by then my heart had nearly pounded through my chest. For now she was safe, but the fear of losing her was ever present. This retreat I'd driven her to was a favorite of mine and my friend John Denver, who I sang and traveled with for over twenty years. John and his music was not on my radar growing up and before meeting him in the flesh his image conjured up a dorky guy with simpleton songs for a simpleton audience. At first I reluctantly told my friends about my gig with John, especially jazz musicians, but John, tall, good-looking and not dorky, soon won me over, not necessarily for his music, but for his truth, his sincerity and a genuine affection for people and nature. Before the Denver tour the largest audience I'd performed in front of topped maybe five thousand. Millions filled John Denver concerts for decades. Sometimes from the stage I'd look out over a sea of people. His 'simple' songs struck a chord for millions of fans, who still cherish him years after his death. They were way ahead of me. Losing John a month after my mom's passing tested me in ways known only to people who experience a tremendous loss, which more than likely includes anyone breathing and walking around on planet Earth, but three years later another test, my beautiful daughter, my baby's life hung by a thread. Being at the retreat had reminded me of John and the love for all things seen and unseen that we shared. Maybe that's why while driving on a lone stretch of highway on a dreary fall morning and lost in thoughts of despair, I stopped the scanning radio when I heard John's familiar, clear, tenor voice, 'Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy. Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry.' Through streaming tears I started singing lyrics I'd sung hundreds of times at hundreds of venues in front of millions of people with this now disembodied voice on the radio. 'Sunshine on the water looks so lovely.' And then it happened. As if on cue a narrow beam of light pierced through the clouds and hit my shoulder through the window of my car. On that lonely road in the middle of nowhere and somewhere in the midst of a life crisis, my sorrow, my angst, my broken dreams were all dissolved by that beam of light burning into my left shoulder. In the space of three chords I learned volumes about myself, about music, about life, about the simplicity of love and John, who knew his audience well. I sang at the top of my lungs to this audience of one, me. "Sunshine almost always makes me high", lifting my spirit to an undisclosed height where it remains to this day. Copyright 2002 by C.S. Reeder Nichols http://www.csreeder.com ============================================================== * * * ================================ Earth Day 2003 Report Reading, PA - April 27, 2003 ================================ by Judith Gabriel Earth Day 2003 in City Park, Reading, Pa, found a magnificent, sunny day, a large crowd, and a non-stop stream of people to the John Denver Memorial Foundation table. Ruth Williams, from Fleetwood, PA, made a beautiful double tri-fold display of text and pictures, informing the public not only of the foundation's purposes but also those of Windstar as well. It was a wonderful ethnic, racial, gender-bending, and age-indifferent blend of folks with their dogs and ferrets and kids, enjoying the sun, music, and the information. Come join us next year. I'm going to suggest strongly they be playing some John Denver music, especially "Earth Day." Although we only made about $48 on the memorabilia and items of last year's concert, we collected over a solid page of names of people who are interested in participating. Even when people didn't sign up to participate, the ooh's and ahh's about John and how much they loved his music were non-stop. Many stopped to bend down and read the texts and many wanted to know more about the Windstar Foundation. ======================================= J O H N D E N V E R N O T E S ======================================= Rebecca CMT has announced a new John Denver segment on their INSIDE FAME series. It will air June 28th. This series is similar to a "Behind the Music" on VH1. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Emily John on CMT. I wasn't able to verify the June 28th date for this program on the CMT Website. However, maybe they won't list the program until we get closer to the air date. http://www.cmt.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mary Ledford Mack Bailey just returned from Nashville having recorded a wonderful CD of a mix of spiritual/folk ballads (including John's beautiful "Wandering Soul") and featuring Nashville's best: Chris Nole, Pete Huttlinger, and Jim Horn. www.mackbailey.com Note: ** CD Release party on June 8th - see Events ** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Susan Leaver * Re: IJDMF site product requests. Susan would like to apologize to those who contacted her but have not had a response - her email queue had a breakdown and as a result she lost those emails and more. Please email SusanLeaver@yahoo.com http://www.IJDMF.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Murie Center has 2 Ranch Intern positions open for the summer of 2004. It's an opportunity to spend several weeks living on the Murie ranch in Moose, WY. (307) 739-2246 info@muriecenter.org * www.muriecenter.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Emily Format of the RMH Newsletter: I create the newsletter in DOS in a program called QA. Since every letter is the same size in DOS it comes out perfectly. Email programs and Microsoft Word seem to put everything in the table of contents out of alignment, but if you would like to make it look right, bring it up in NOTEPAD and the table of contents will line up right. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pete Huttlinger is going on tour with Pippino D'Agostino and Tommy Emmanuel. Some of the cities he'll be visiting are Chicago, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Louisville, and St. Louis. Complete Tour Info: www.petehuttlinger.com/calendar.html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - John Denver has been included in the list of inductees for the Red Rocks Hall of Fame. To be eligible, the artist or group must have played at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado at least 10 times. You can vote for John at... www.redrocksonline.com/vote/vote.tml - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ========================= P O E T R Y C O R N E R ========================= HEAVEN by Carol Sullivan You cannot mourn the dead at Aspen's Maroon Bell mountains, Glimpsing the grandeur of heaven while pondering the great beauty of the earth. Perhaps it is a place to remember, to celebrate, but mostly, to believe. Even the trees point to heaven. ___________________________________ Copyright 3-15-03 by Carol Sullivan > > > > > MORE JOHN DENVER HAIKU < < < < < The Eagle flies high A sense of Peace in the Air Feel the love of John Rainbows hug the sky Mountains are peaceful in view Thoughts of John run by by Cathy W. < < < < < * > > > > > Memories So Sweet by Emily M. Parris Memories so sweet Eagles flying in the air John is always there Music playing now Brings the memories back here John is in the air Songs of home and love Brings sweet music from above His music is deep Songs to fill your soul; Make you feel complete and whole; Music that you keep Copyright 2003 by Emily M. Parris * * * * A list of John Denver ARTICLES - by Year National Geographic Magazine December 1973 has 20 pages on Aspen, CO with a picture of John Denver sitting in front of a fireplace. Saturday Evening Post - February 1974 "Mr. Clean with Hair and Guitar." Newsweek - December 1976 Illustration of John on the cover with the title "John Denver - The Sunshine Boy" Playboy Magazine - December 1977 has a long interview with John Denver. Veronica Magazine - from Holland 8-26-78 John Denver is pictured on the cover. 2 page b&w article and a 1-page ad. Saturday Evening Post - December 1980 - John Denver is pictured on the cover with the Muppets. People Magazine - October 27, 1997 "The Life & Death of a Country Boy - John Denver 1943-1997" John on the cover. ========== CD REVIEWS ========== "A PERFECT MORNING" cd - Dennis Warner Equinaut Magazine Review by Sky Warnke "A Perfect Morning" gave me exactly that. Dennis Warner's smooth, rich voice and the super fine guitar style on this CD started my day off perfectly. You can tell when you listen to this CD that a great deal of time was taken in the mix. Finding just the right harmonies, and peppering a few songs with just the right amount of mandolin music, is to me, an example of someone's passion to create beautiful music. With a touch of folk, a touch of country, and a touch of pure inspiration, Dennis pours his love into this music. His love of life, his love of this planet, and his love of the people in his life is laid out for all to see. I felt like a voyeur as I sat listening to his CD. His lyrics aren't fancy, just heart-tuggingly honest. A few very minor engineering hiccups don't detract from this cd in any way, and it is beautifully mixed. If you enjoy folk and/or country, "A Perfect Morning" is well worth your time, and, even if you're like me, and this isn't your favorite genre, I can still honestly recommend this cd. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Editor's note: The cd contains the song "Garden Song". It's a duet with Prudence Johnson. www.warnersongs.com ================================================= JOHN DENVER W A N T A D S / F O R S A L E ================================================= Dianne Barnes I'm looking for a T-shirt that was issued at John Denver concerts about 1995. It is black, long sleeve with the logo "Home Grown Tomatoes", size medium or large. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mary Ann DiEdwardo We are selling the book "Trees" by Mary Ann DiEdwardo, Patricia Pasda and J.D. Pasda with an Introduction by Michael Thau to earn money for Plant-It 2020. www.maryannwriting.com/trees.html * The Url for Plant-It 2020 is http://plantit2020.org * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Barker-Ewing Scenic Tours, Inc. has Scenic Float trips in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. (307) 739-1800 You can request a brochure by calling (800) 365-1800 RiverTrips@BarkerEwingScenic.com / www.barkerewingscenic.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Judith Gabriel I need a recording secretary for the John Denver Memorial Foundation. If anyone in Pennsylvania wants this position, please contact me with a resume and letter of intent. Anyone who wants to participate on committees also please write. www.judithgabriel.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mary I need 5 volunteers to help sell CDs and other merchandise at the Mack Bailey concert at the Mtn Chalet Ballroom on Oct 11, 2003 in Aspen, CO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Debra Chilton We are forming a Pacific Northwest group and will have our first planning meeting in Portland, Oregon. Please contact me for more info. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - EBAY - http://www.ebay.com * The 1973 LP of the songs in the TV movie "Sunshine" is listed on Ebay. It is Item #2528806110 $2.99 ends May 11 Also same item - #2528887251 for $9.99 ends May 11 * 1981 Japan Tour Book #2529203758 $9.00 ends May 10 * 1978 JD Tour Book - Titled "John Denver Souvenir Book" #2528546435 $9.99 Ends May 10 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Plant-It 2020 www.plantit2020.org John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth www.johndenverpeacecloth.com Windsong Studios - NL http://home.wanadoo.nl/windsong-studio/ Dennis Warner http://www.warnersongs.com North Carolina Friends of John Denver www.ncfriendsofjd.com You Are So Beautiful To Me - JD Page www.angelfire.com/oh3/ettel/jdyouare.html ************************************************************* Rocky Mountain High: The John Denver Internet Fan Club emily@sky.net http://www.rockymtnhigh.org May 2003 * Issue #109 * Editor: Emily M. Parris *************************************************************