John Henry, One of John Denver's Greatest Collaborators

Joe Henry, One of John's Greatest Collaborators

John Denver was often asked where his songs come from.  He would answer, "I don't know. Sometimes they come all at once." He wrote "Annie's Song" as he sat on a ski lift in Aspen.  He states that he wrote "Shanghai Breezes" while sitting "on a napkin" (the grammar is wrong, but it always makes me laugh)  in a restaurant in Hong Kong Harbor. It was written on the back of a napkin.  However his songs were written, John proclaimed song writing as "something magical". "Sometimes you sweat blood trying to come up with a song and other times it just comes." john denver

MAGICAL, If you listen to his songs, you cannot help but experience that MAGICAL.  A moment when his song, words, thoughts touch you and you find yourself saying, "Exactly, I have felt that way!" Magical that one person's thoughts can touch your thoughts, your mind and your heart through word and music, song.

Joe Henry was a good friend of John Denver's.  He was a simple man, living a simple farming life. John would go to visit him, now and then and sometimes propose a subject or topic of music he was working on.  Joe and John would sometimes collaborate, and sometimes Joe Henry, would go to bed, come up with ideas, write them out and leave them for John to find in the morning.  Windsong was one such song and John admits much of the lyrics are Joe Henry's words.  John also admitted that sometimes Henry's writing such beautiful words, after Denver had tried to come up with images himself, he admitted it would "piss" him off big time.

Joe Henry

My thanks to Aspen Public Radio for the use of their link

and photography of Joe Henry

If you know of other stories 

behind John Denver's Songs,

feel free to contact me or leave 

a message/link in the comments.

Thank you.~~~~Marie

Joe Henry is a lyricist from Woody Creek, known for his collaborations with John Denver. In 1975, Henry and Denver collaborated with Frank Sinatra on a Christmas song called “A Baby Just Like You.” Henry has the backstory behind it.

If you want to hear the actual interview with Joe Henry, go to ASPEN PUBLIC RADIO.

My thanks to Joe Henry for his his lyrics, poems, words, sensitivity, generosity and collaboration with John Denver. I feel I know you, through John.