John Denver has sold over 60 million albums worldwide making him one of the best selling artists of all time. This year marks the 35th anniversary of Denver's first RCA album Rhymes And Reasons and is the 30th anniversary of his recording "Annie's Song." In his amazing career, Denver has sold over 60 million records worldwide and is one of the best selling artists in history with 21 Gold, 14 Platinum and seven Multi- Platinum certified albums. His numerous awards and honors include: the Grammy Hall of Fame Award (1997), induction into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (1996), the People's Choice Award (1977), the Albert Schweitzer Music Award (1993), multiple American Music and Country Music Association Awards (including Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year), and the Academy of Country Music Award. Universally loved and successful, he wrote and recorded some of the most recognizable and covered songs of our time. BMG Strategic Marketing Group assembles here, the definitive single disc collection of Denver favorites, along with a bonus disc of special and previously unreleased songs that every fan will want to have. Pulled from the original master tapes and remastered to perfection, this is the purest sounding John Denver ever.
Massive and impressively comprehensive, the Country Roads Box Collection is classic John Denver. Spanning four discs, the collection not only draws upon the obvious highlights of Denver's career, but also includes fan favorites that might not have received the same airplay as their more popular counterparts. Listening to Country Roads, the finesse with which Denver balanced his folk rock tendencies with his country leanings emerges as testament to his talent. As a box set, the collection would be remiss if it didn't include "Leaving on a Jet Plane," "Annie's Song," "Thank God I'm a Country Boy," or "Rocky Mountain High"--and, of course, the box set's namesake is here. Later hits like "Calypso," with its sea-shanty yodeling, portray Denver's ability to ease himself into the role of balladeer, regardless of the genre. Novelty duets with Placido Domingo and Emmylou Harris were intended to rekindle what seemed to be lagging popularity, but Country Roads establishes John Denver's contributions as timeless, nonetheless. --Steve Gdula
