John Denver tribute concert features singer's lead guitarist

As a kid in the early 1970s, Shawn Garvey loved listening to a live double-album by singer-songwriter John Denver. He practically had the record memorized, including Denver’s introduction of his band, beginning with lead guitarist Steve Weisberg.“I’ve known Steve’s name almost my whole life,” says Garvey, who later started playing the guitar himself.

More than 35 years later, Garvey not only knows Weisberg’s name; he can call him a friend and collaborator. In the past couple years, the two have performed together in tribute to the legacy of Denver, who died in 1997.

Garvey and Weisberg will play tomorrow night (Sept. 24) at the Stanley Congregational Church in Chatham, where Garvey is pastor. The evening is billed as “John Denver: An Evening of Music and Memories.”

For the most part, the “memories” come courtesy of Weisberg, who began playing with Denver in 1974. The two men met in Aspen, Colo., where Denver lived.

“I had moved to Aspen and figured I’d get discovered,” says Weisberg with a laugh.

At the time, Denver was becoming a ubiquitous presence in the media, through a string of hit songs (“Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Rocky Mountain High,” “Annie’s Song”), as well as TV and movie appearances.

Weisberg played with Denver throughout the rest of the 1970s into the 1980s.

“We had a lot of great times,” he says. “My first gig with him was in front of fewer than 5,000 people. Within a year-and-a-half, we were selling out four nights at (Madison Square) Garden.”

“What I miss most about John is the way he communicated one-on-one,” continues Weisberg. “You know that, when you spoke to him, nothing else mattered to him but this exchange with you. There was never any miscommunication with John.”

That sincerity is one reason why Denver’s music endures, according to Garvey.

“John tapped into very primal things about who we are as people,” he says. “I know he was criticized for being a little hokey, a little saccharine. But he sang about things that were important: what it means to be home, what it means to be family. And he did it with a sense of humor and a twinkle in his eye.”