THE WILDLIFE CONCERT "THE WILDLIFE CONCERT" OVERVIEW In his career spanning more than two decades, John Denver has become one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. Along the way, he's earned international acclaim as a songwriter, performer, actor and humanitarian. Now John charges back into the hearts and ears of America with this brand new live concert event. "The Wildlife Concert" is being aired as a 2-hour special on A&E Television Networks, and is available through Sony/Legacy on a 2-CD/2-Cassette audio release including 29 songs, and through Sony Music Video as a 113-minute home video including additional exclusive-to-video footage. "The Wildlife Concert" portrays John in a variety of musical backdrops including solo, full band and string quartet accompaniment. The setting is live and intimate, and captures the essence of the artists as he is adored by his millions of fans across the world. Included in this riveting performance are John's best-known hits, several brand-new songs and some very special surprise selections, many of which are captured here live for the first time ever. Featured artists include the guitar virtuoso James Burton (Rick Nelson, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Elvis Costello) and legendary saxophonist Jim Horn (The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and John Lennon). A longtime conservation enthusiast, John Denver performs this concert in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Wildlife Conservation Society. The WCS, headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, is one of the largest conservation organizations in the world, and John serves on its Board of Directors. JOHN'S THOUGHTS "We wanted to call this the Wildlife Concert, most specifically out of our relationship with The Wildlife Conservation Society and their support of this project. And, to really underline more than I think the body of music does, to raise people's consciousness and awareness of wildlife, of wilderness, and how much it has to do with our lives; how much a part of our lives it is." "Although I've been aware of the Wildlife Conservation Society for a long, long time, I'm not sure that a lot of other people are so aware. I think they're doing more hands-on work then anybody else in the whole environmental or conservation movement." "We invited our fan clubs from all over the world. We had people from Europe, from Germany, from Holland, from Texas. They were all outside singing "Country Roads" I heard at one point, but it was very, very cold out there, and they were waiting to come in, and started singing this song. I can't tell you what that means to me to know that people all over the world know my songs." "My greatest inspiration has always been the out of doors. The out of doors was my first and truest best friend. It was the desert in Arizona when I was in grade school, And, later on it was the woods around Montgomery, Alabama. Later on it was the plains or the wheat fields when I worked on wheat harvest. It was the forest and the lumber camp that I worked in when I was in college. Nature has always been my best friend. And, my songs are full of images from nature." "It's a real diverse collection of music. It doesn't all fit the theme, but hopefully it opens the door, or the ear, in a way that people will connect with that we're here about. It's not so much what we we're saying in each of these songs, it's what we're here for. And, hopefully that comes through in all of the music." "I'm really grateful to all of the people who've been a part of making this happen. It's an opportunity that's come forward in a very strong way that I haven't had for a large number of years. And, it's been great frustration in my life, and I really am greateful and glad that I had the opportunity to do a show like this. And, I hope that it gives me the opportunity to do a lot more music for people. To keep singing, to keep doing the work that I have the opportunity to be a part of for the environment, for the Wildlife Conservation Society, and other environmental organizations. And, it feels like a wonderful new beginning, and I'm very, very excited about that.