Songs, Albums & Quotes of John Denver, Cat Stevens, Gordon Lightfoot & Jim Croce: A Proper Introduction for Gen Z

People love 1970's music because it represents a period of creative innovation in iconic songwriting. The music and songwriting was rich and diverse, with catchy melodies and lyrics. It brings up feelings of nostalgia for those who lived it.John Denver's Greatest Hits sold over 10 million copies with "Rocky Mountain High," "Sunshine on My Shoulders", "Annie's Song" and "Take Me Home Country Road." He was the 1975 Entertainer of the Year and did more to combat world hunger than any other artists. He spoke out on the dangers of nuclear weapons, protecting the envirnonment and oceans and even spoke at a Congressional Hearing to speak against censorship of music.Cat Stevens became famous at age nineteen with "Wild Wild World," He was hospitalized for several months as he battled tuberculosis after living a life of overindulgence in the world of rock 'n' roll." He also wrote "Morning Has Broken," "Peace Train" and "Moonshadow." He almost drowned in the Pacific Ocean and cried out to God. He read the Koran and converted to Islam in 1978. He was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 and has sold over 100 million records.Gordon Lightfoot is known as the bard of Canada. His writing style changed after hearing this new folk singer named Bob Dylan. Lightfoot has written "Race Among the Ruins," "If I Could Read Your Mind" and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." The parties in his home are infamous, and he struggled with alcoholism and relationships with his ladies, married or not. He was able to recover and is in the Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and was celebrity captain of hockey's Toronto Maple Leaf's in 1991. He was voted Male Vocalist of the Decade in 1980 as well.Jim Croce was born in South Philadelphia in an Italian devout Catholic family that loved music, church and family parties. He is known for "Time in a Bottle," "Working at the Carwash Blues," and "Roller Derby Queen." He celebrated the life of the common man and sadly, after three albums, died in small airplane crash in 1973 in Louisiana, as John Denver did in the Pacific Ocean off Malibu California. He has sold over 40 million albums, and was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1990. He is also known for "Don't Mess Around with Jim," "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," and "I'll Have to Say I'm Sorry in a Song."This book includes their backgrounds, influences, discographies and achievements. Their impact of these songwriters cannot be overstated, and their music continues to inspire new generations around the world. Read more