Take Me Home, Country Roads

by Randal C. Hill

Day tripping on country roads is a great way to leave stresses behind and enjoy nature’s scenic wonders. For John Denver, just such an adventure — though not his own — proved life-changing.

It was late 1970. Musicians Bill Danoff and his girlfriend/future wife Taffy Nivert motored along picturesque Clopper Road in Maryland. To pass the time, they batted around some lyrics they felt might work as a melancholy ode for Johnny Cash. When they got to “almost heaven,” Bill injected “Massachusetts,” his home state. And while the name did contain four syllables — what Danoff wanted — he thought it somehow wasn’t “musical” enough. Back home that night in Washington DC, he and Nivert replaced it with something better-flowing: West Virginia. Neither had ever been there.

Soon after, on December 29, the 163-seat Cellar Door music club in Georgetown featured two relatively unknown acts — Bill and Taffy (performing as Fat City) and a struggling folkie friend named John Denver. His lone claim to music-world fame had been his original “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” While it became a chart-topping single for Peter, Paul and Mary, John himself remained unknown to most music fans.

After Fat City and Denver had finished their sets that night, they rendezvoused at Bill and Taffy’s place for an impromptu jam. At one point, Taffy said to Bill, “Get out that song you’re writing for Johnny Cash.” He did, even though it still had only one chorus and one verse. Still, John was bowled over by what he heard and asked for first crack at recording it. The three worked through the night, John adding the bridge and more words of wistful nostalgia. By dawn, they pronounced the future classic finished.

The next night, after Denver had played his entire set and an encore, the enthusiastic crowd demanded one more tune. When the applause died down, he told the audience, “We just finished a brand-new song, and I haven’t even learned the words yet.” He unfolded a sheet of paper and taped it below the mic. Danoff joined Denver onstage, along with John’s lead guitarist and bass player, and the foursome launched into the first public performance of “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

When they finished, the audience exploded into a thunderous five-minute standing ovation. Denver took this as proof that his immediate reaction had been right: the song was a winner.

A month later, John recorded it as an RCA Victor single, his Fat City friends providing backup. Upon release, the radio-friendly 45 rocketed to Number Two on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, finally giving Denver the breakout hit he’d spent years searching for.