New John Denver Tribute Festival Coming to Aspen in October

Although two decades have passed since the legendary folk singer/songwriter John Denver died in a plane crash over Monterey Bay, California, the memory of that fateful day on Oct. 12, 1997 is still fresh for many of his fans around the world.  In an effort to pay tribute to Denver’s legacy, and also mark the 20th anniversary of his untimely death, Colorado-based radio personality/musician Willie Hoevers has organized the John Denver Tribute Festival through his nonprofit, the Rocky Mountain Foundation for the Performing Arts (RMFPA).  

The event will take place Oct. 11 through Oct. 14 in Aspen, Colorado and will feature an array of John Denver tribute artists and bands from around the world.  The Grammy Award-winning folk ensemble the New Christy Minstrels are set to headline with a performance at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Wheeler Opera House in downtown Aspen.

Hoevers said he can’t think of a better way to honor Denver than by hosting a concert with the New Christy Minstrels. The group’s founder, Randy Sparks, discovered John and gave him his stage name.

“Having the New Christy Minstrels is really like coming full circle,” said Hoevers, who founded his charity in 2015 aiming to provide scholarships to youngsters for their music education needs.  “Randy was the first person of prominence in the music business to recognize what an incredible talent John was, so we owe him a debt of gratitude for believing in our ‘country boy.’  It’s a very big deal that Randy and his group will play at our festival.”

Along with Sparks and the New Christy Minstrels, John Denver tribute artists such as Steve Rodman, Chris Liebig and the John Denver Project Band will be in concert at the Aspen Community Church throughout the festival.  In addition, Tom Becker, a former member of the New Christy Minstrels, also will perform.

Rounding out the shows at the church will be Jimmy Fong, who was part of John’s backup band for a performance with Malaysia’s  Sultan of Kedah, and Roy Rivers, who scored a No. 1 hit in the UK with Denver’s song “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” with duet partner Dolly Parton.

Independent country star Luanne Hunt is slated to open for the New Christy Minstrels. Hunt, who was recently inducted into the Independent Superstars Hall of Fame, is an award-winning, chart-topping recording artist best known for her Christmas hit, “Christmas Without You” (aka Patsy Cline’s Lost Christmas Song).

Her production company, Star Creek Entertainment, is co-producing the festival with RMFPA.

“A group of John’s loyal fans have been meeting in Aspen every October for the past 20 years to celebrate his life,” said Hunt.  “It’s been an informal gathering in the past but Willie and I wanted to expand on it and create something very, very special for the 20th anniversary of John’s death.

“As far as we can tell, there are going to be a lot more people in Aspen this year than ever before and our goal was to give them lots of exciting entertainment choices.  We are very proud of all the great acts we’ve booked, as well as the fact that they are willing to come from as far away as Italy, Germany and Australia to be a part of this.”

Beyond the musical acts, renowned environmental artist Apollo will paint a Rocky Mountain-themed scene before a live audience at Becker’s concert.  The artist’s high-end work has been showcased at the Ronald Reagan Library, the Honolulu Zoo and at numerous galleries and events around the world.

Tickets to the shows at the Wheeler Opera House, which is located at 320 E. Hyman Ave., can be purchased at www.aspenshowtix.com.  For shows at the Aspen Community Church, visit www.rockymountainfpa.org.  The venue is located at 200 E. Bleeker St.

Find the latest info about the festival on Facebook at www.facebook.com/johndenvertributefestival

About Star Creek Entertainment

Star Creek Entertainment is a music production company that specializes in producing concerts, as well as studio recordings.