John Denver was born with the name Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. on Dec. 31, 1943, in Roswell, N.M. One of America's most popular performers in the '70s, Denver's rise to fame began when he was "discovered" in a Los Angeles nightclub. He initially joined the BACK PORCH MAJORITY, a nursery group for the renowned The New Christy Minstrels, but, tiring of his role there, he left for The Chad Mitchell Trio where he forged a reputation as a talented songwriter. With the departure of the last original member, the Mitchell Trio became known as Denver, Boise and Johnson, but their brief lifespan ended when Denver embarked on a solo career in 1969. One of his compositions, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," provided an international hit for Peter, Paul & Mary.