By Lynnae Marty Hentzen
Today we are switching away from our focus on weather to talk with a musician who is in town soon for a concert hosted by the Des Moines Heritage Trust.
Jim Curry is known to be the preeminent performer of the late John Denver’s music. Always aware of the similarity of his voice to Denver’s, Jim provided Denver’s singing voice for the CBS TV movie about John Denver’s life. This inspired Jim to keep Denver’s music alive and perform tribute concerts for his fellow Denver fans.
As mentioned in the Houston Symphony article, Tribute to John Denver with Jim Curry, John Denver “developed a great passion for the environment and these views became more and more expressed in his music. His outspoken beliefs of hope and peace brought him many unique opportunities. For example, he was the first American performer in the USSR since the cold war, and the first American to do a multi-city tour of Mainland China.”
Thanks to the efforts of the Des Moines Heritage Trust, Jim will be performing in Des Moines on September 16th at6 7:30 pm at the Des Moines Heritage Trust Center.
Key Takeaways from the interview:
- Art & music have a way of showing the beauty of something – giving us the reason for becoming engaged
- John Denver was in the NW US once, speaking to the logging industry regarding an owl that was endangered. He was able to connect to the people with a key focus on sustainability
- John Denver was also a strong messenger for peace
- Jim connects with John’s continued message of the value of humanity
- John Denver’s key element in his lyrics was hope!
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.”
~ Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
Thank you for listening to today’s discussion.
Let’s continue the conversation and learn from each other.