Editing John Denver (section)

===Career peak===
[[File:Doris Day John Denver 1975.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|left|Denver with [[Doris Day]]]]
Denver's next album, ''[[Poems, Prayers & Promises]]'' (1971), was a breakthrough for him in the United States, thanks in part to the single "[[Take Me Home, Country Roads]]", which went to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' charts despite the first pressings of the track being distorted. Its success was due in part to the efforts of his new manager, future Hollywood producer [[Jerry Weintraub]], who signed Denver in 1970. Weintraub insisted on a reissue of the track and began a radio airplay campaign that started in Denver, Colorado. Denver's career flourished thereafter, and he had a series of hits over the next four years. In 1972, Denver had his first Top Ten album with ''[[Rocky Mountain High (album)|Rocky Mountain High]]'', with its title track reaching the Top Ten in 1973.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/1973-02-17/hot-100 |title=Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |date=September 12, 2008 |access-date=August 17, 2010}}</ref> In 1974 and 1975, Denver had a string of four No. 1 songs ("[[Sunshine on My Shoulders]]", "[[Annie's Song]]", "[[Thank God I'm a Country Boy]]", and "[[I'm Sorry (John Denver song)|I'm Sorry]]") and three No. 1 albums (''[[John Denver's Greatest Hits]]'', ''[[Back Home Again (John Denver album)|Back Home Again]]'', and ''[[Windsong]]'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.countrypolitan.com/bio-john-denver.php |title=Artist Biography – John Denver |publisher=Countrypolitan.com |date=October 12, 1997 |access-date=May 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010221215317/http://www.countrypolitan.com/bio-john-denver.php |archive-date=February 21, 2001}}</ref>

In the 1970s, Denver's onstage appearance included long blond hair and wire-rimmed "granny" glasses. His embroidered shirts with images commonly associated with the American West were created by the designer and appliqué artist Anna Zapp. Weintraub insisted on a significant number of television appearances, including a series of half-hour shows in the United Kingdom, despite Denver's protests at the time, "I've had no success in Britain&nbsp;... I mean ''none''".<ref>''John Denver: Rocky Mountain Wonderboy,'' James M. Martin, Pinnacle Books 1977</ref> In December 1976, Weintraub told Maureen Orth of ''Newsweek'': "I knew the critics would never go for John. I had to get him to the people."
[[File:John Denver 1973.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Denver in 1973]]
After appearing as a guest on many shows, Denver hosted his own variety and music specials, including several concerts from [[Red Rocks Amphitheatre]]. His seasonal special ''Rocky Mountain Christmas'' was watched by more than 60 million people and was the highest-rated show for the ABC network at that time. In 1973, Denver starred in his own [[BBC Two|BBC]] television series, ''The John Denver Show'', a weekly music and variety show directed and produced by [[Stanley Dorfman]].

Denver's live concert special ''An Evening with John Denver'' won the 1974–1975 [[Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Special, Comedy-Variety or Music.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0151551.html |title=1974–75 Emmy Awards |publisher=Infoplease.com |access-date=August 17, 2010}}</ref> When Denver ended his business relationship in 1982 because of Weintraub's focus on other projects,<ref>{{cite news |title=Producer Jerry Weintraub reflects on his career |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jerryweintraub/producer-jerry-weintraub-reflects-on-his-career-idUSTRE7A078O20111101 |work=Reuters |access-date=July 8, 2019 |date=November 1, 2011}}</ref> Weintraub threw Denver out of his office and accused him of [[Nazism]]. Denver later told Arthur Tobier when the latter edited his autobiography,<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=John |first1=Denver |last2=Arthur |first2=Tobier |title=Take Me Home: An Autobiography |date=October 11, 1994 |publisher=Rocky Mountain Merchandise, LLC |isbn=0517595370 |edition=Second |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/rivalswilliamgwi00quin}}</ref> "I'd bend my principles to support something he wanted of me. And of course, every time you bend your principles&nbsp;— whether because you don't want to worry about it, or because you're afraid to stand up for fear of what you might lose&nbsp;— you sell your soul to the devil".<ref>''Take Me Home: An Autobiography'', John Denver and Arthur Tobier, Harmony Books, 1994.</ref>

Denver was also a guest star on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', the beginning of the lifelong friendship between Denver and [[Jim Henson]] that spawned two television specials with [[the Muppets]], ''A Christmas Together'' and ''Rocky Mountain Holiday''. He also tried acting, appearing in "The Camerons are a Special Clan" episode of the ''[[Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law]]'' television series in October 1973 and "The Colorado Cattle Caper" episode of the ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]'' television series in February 1974. In 1977, Denver starred in the hit comedy film ''[[Oh, God! (film)|Oh, God!]]'' opposite [[George Burns]]. He also hosted the [[Grammy Awards]] five times in the 1970s and 1980s and guest-hosted ''The Tonight Show'' on several occasions.

[[File:John Denver 1975.JPG|thumb|upright=1.1|Denver's live concert television special ''An Evening With John Denver'' (1975)]]
In 1975, Denver was awarded the [[Country Music Association]]'s Entertainer of the Year award. At the ceremony, outgoing Entertainer of the Year [[Charlie Rich]] presented the award to his successor after he set fire to the slip of paper containing the official notification of the award.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf3t3unp-Gg |title=Charlie Rich Sets Fire to John Denver's CMA Slip 1975 |website=youtube.com |date=December 27, 2019 |access-date=September 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/greatest_series/76893/episode_featured_copy.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320051946/http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/greatest_series/76893/episode_featured_copy.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 20, 2012 |title=The Greatest : Features |publisher=Country Music Television |date=April 3, 1992 |access-date=August 10, 2018}}</ref> Some speculated Rich was protesting the selection of a non-traditional country artist for the award, but Rich's son disputes that, saying his father was drunk, taking pain medication for a broken foot and just trying to be funny. Denver's music was defended by country singer [[Kathy Mattea]], who told Alanna Nash of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''

::"A lot of people write him off as lightweight, but he articulated a kind of optimism, and he brought acoustic music to the forefront, bridging folk, pop, and country in a fresh way&nbsp;... People forget how huge he was worldwide."

In 1977, Denver co-founded [[The Hunger Project]] with [[Werner Erhard]] and [[Robert W. Fuller]]. He served for many years and supported the organization until his death. President [[Jimmy Carter]] appointed Denver to serve on the President's Commission on World Hunger. Denver wrote the song "I Want to Live" as the commission's theme song. In 1979, Denver performed "Rhymes & Reasons" at the [[Music for UNICEF Concert]]. Royalties from the concert performances were donated to [[UNICEF]].<ref>{{cite web |author=thepiperchile |url=http://www.abbaontv.com/1979/description-unicef1.html |title=ABBA on TV – Music for UNICEF – A Gift of Song Concert |publisher=Abbaontv.com |access-date=May 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707072734/http://www.abbaontv.com/1979/description-unicef1.html |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 

Denver's father taught him how to fly in the mid-1970s, which led to their reconciliation.<ref name="bio2" /> In 1980, Denver and his father co-hosted an award-winning television special, ''The Higher We Fly: The History of Flight''.<ref name="JD">{{cite web |title=Biography – The World Family of John Denver |url=http://www.john-denver.org/default.asp?nc=1168&id=444 |access-date=July 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060628051820/http://www.john-denver.org/default.asp?nc=1168&id=444 |archive-date=June 28, 2006 |date=June 28, 2006}}</ref> It won the Osborn Award from the Aviation/Space Writers' Association and was honored by the Houston Film Festival.<ref name="JD" />