John Denver tribute: John Hickenlooper, Bill Vidal politely don't say his songs suck (PHOTOS)

I'm a Colorado native, so I feel I have the right to say this: John Denver's music sucks. It blows. It sucks and blows at the same time, which should be impossible but somehow isn't. Even covers of his music suck, unless it's Toots and the Maytals' version of "Take...

By Michael Roberts

April 22, 2011

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I'm a Colorado native, so I feel I have the right to say this: John Denver's music sucks. It blows. It sucks and blows at the same time, which should be impossible but somehow isn't. Even covers of his music suck, unless it's Toots and the Maytals' version of "Take Me Home, Country Roads." But that says more about the Maytals than it does about the late Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.

Given my teensy bias, it's a good thing Dave Herrera covered last night's John Denver Tribute Concert and Colorado Hall of Fame induction at 1STBANK Center instead of moi. There, Governor John Hickenlooper, Mayor Bill Vidal, Representative Jared Polis and celebs ranging from Olivia Newton-John and Lee Ann Womack to John Oates and Michael Martin Murphey sang JD's praises.

For the complete review, click the link above. Below, check out a photo gallery by Jim J. Narcy featuring the aforementioned noteworthies plus Denver's first and second wives, his three surviving children and assorted displays of memorabilia, the sight of which caused the melody of "Rocky Mountain High" to start bouncing around the inside of my brain pan. And not in a pleasant way.

More from our News archive: "John Denver, Bernie Madoff & Me rules New York."

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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