JD in the USSR

At one time, John Denver was the biggest-selling artist in the world.

When he embarked on an ambitious tour of the USSR in 1984, there was no cultural agreement between the USA and the Soviet Union, as the Cold War was just starting to thaw. Roger "The Immortal" Nichols, the engineering genius behind Steely Dan, accompanied Denver to Russia with a small yet state of the art recording rig, at the urging of John's brother Ron.  The tapes of those historic concerts eventually became an album after Denver died in a plane crash in 1997, but then were swallowed up over time. 

In an effort to restore history, Roger's daughters Cimcie and Ashlee have spent the last decade tracking down the master recordings, and along with their mom Conrad Reeder, successfully completed their mission, with support from the Denver Estate. 

These historic concets from 1945/85 are now available for digital download on all streaming platforms. Connie, Cimcie and Ashlee join me to share the journey, recount the incredible efforts of Roger to capture the concerts in the USSR and how 40+ years later, Denver's message of peace looms larger than ever before.

Included in this episode are some of Denver's classics, recorded on stage, just as he peformed them, for a very receptive audience in the USSR.