They are both country boys at heart and both storytellers in their own right so it is hardly surprising that Darren Coggan has looked to John Denver for his latest show.
“The very first songs I learned to play on the guitar at age six were John Denver songs,” accomplished country music star Darren, who hails from Wagga Wagga in NSW’s Riverina, said.
“The first big concert my parents took me to at age 13 was John Denver in Canberra, and after that night, the whole world started to spin in a different way for me.
“It was just John on stage, with his guitars and a voice full of sunshine. He completely filled the room with love and seemed to have a personal connection with every single person in the audience.
“I thought, that’s what I want to do. He was the reason I wanted to become a country singer-songwriter.”
Now considered one of Australia’s most masterful storytellers, Darren Coggan takes audiences on a journey through the poems, prayers and promises of the life of John Denver in his new show. While he is still travelling with his highly lauded Cat Stevens show, the new one “Darren Coggan’s The Poems, Prayers & Promises of John Denver” allows Darren to revisit other songs so important to his youth -universal anthems, from Take Me Home Country Roads, Rocky Mountain High, Annie’s Song, and Perhaps Love, to Thank God I’m A Country Boy, Calypso and Leaving On A Jet Plane, to name a few.
A revered country artist and multi-award winner in his own right, Darren tries to delivers each performance with an authenticity and level of respect for songs that shaped generations.
“The show celebrates the close relationship and fondness that John Denver had for Australia, which I think helped inspire much of his work,” Darren explained.
“I hope that I can deliver the same sense of joy and yearning that John Denver had for performing and indeed living life to the fullest. I hope that the audiences emerge from the theatres feeling uplifted and inspired by the songs, taking with them a sense of moral concern to strive for a better world for our children.”
Darren is currently touring through NSW and Queensland including dates in Redcliff and Noosa’s J. Check out his Darren Coggan website for more details.
