''It's About Time'' is the seventeenth studio album by American singer-songwriter
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American Country music, country and Folk music, folk singer, songwriter, and actor. He was one of the most popular acoustic m ...
recorded at
Criteria Recording Studios in Miami and released in November 1983. The album featured several notable supporting vocalists, including
Patti Austin
Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter best known for " Baby, Come to Me", her 1982 duet with James Ingram, which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after its re-release ...
,
Rita Marley
Alfarita Constantia "Rita" Marley OJ OD ( Anderson; born 25 July 1946) is a Jamaican reggae singer. She is the widow of reggae musician Bob Marley. Along with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, Rita was a member of the reggae vocal group the ...
(and
The Wailers), and
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
. "
Wild Montana Skies" was the single from this album; members of the
Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
It contains the following dedication from John Denver: "This album is dedicated with great love and respect to the memory of my father, Lt. Col. (Ret.) H.J. "Dutch" Deutschendorf."
Track listing
All tracks composed by John Denver; except where indicated
Side One
#"Hold on Tightly" – 4:00
#"Thought of You" – 4:02
#"Somethin' About" – 3:44
#"On the Wings of a Dream" – 5:01
#"Flight (The Higher We Fly)" (Adapted from the Poem by
John Gillespie Magee Jr.; Words: John Gillespie Magee Jr., John Denver and Joe Henry; Music: Lee Holdridge) – 3:16
Side Two
#"Falling Out of Love" – 4:56
#"I Remember Romance" – 5:25
#"
Wild Montana Skies" – 4:02
#"The Way I Am"
1
#"World Game" – 4:58
#"It's About Time" (Denver,
Glen D. Hardin) – 3:42
1Not featured on cassette version or on original LP.
Personnel
The following information is from the CD insert.
[John Denver. ''It's About Time''. RCA. 1983.]
Musicians
All personnel in this section are credited along with John Denver as arrangers.
*
Jerry Carrigan – drums and percussion
*
Jerry Scheff – bass
*
Glen Hardin – piano, Rhodes, B-3
*
James Burton
James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana, United States) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also ...
– lead guitars (electric and acoustic)
*
Jim Horn
James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician.
Biography
Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for ...
– saxophone, flute, recorder
Additional musicians
*
Larry Fast – synthesizer
*Fred Wickstrom – marimbas
Muscle Shoals Horns
*Harvey Thompson – tenor saxophone
*Charles Rose – trombone
*Harrison Calloway, Jr. – trumpet
**with
Jim Horn
James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician.
Biography
Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for ...
– baritone saxophone
Background vocals
*
Patti Austin
Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter best known for " Baby, Come to Me", her 1982 duet with James Ingram, which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after its re-release ...
*
Ullanda McCullough
*
Conrad Reeder
*
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
on "Wild Montana Skies"
Musicians from "World Game"
*
The Wailers
**
Aston "Family Man" Barrett
Aston Francis Barrett, Order of Distinction, CD (22 November 1946 – 3 February 2024), often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, was a Jamaican musician and Rastafari movement, Rastafarian. He was best known as the bass-guitar bandleader ...
– bass
**
Carlton "Carli" Barrett – drums
**Steve Stewart – piano
**
Earl "Wire" Lindo – organ
**
Alvin Patterson
Alvin "Seeco" Patterson (born Francisco Aloysius Willie, 30 December 1930 – 1 November 2021) was a Cuban-born Jamaican percussionist. He was a member of The Wailers Band.
Early life
Patterson was born as Francisco Willie in Havana, Cuba in ...
– percussion
**Lloyd "Gits" Willis – guitar
*The
I Threes
**
Rita Marley
Alfarita Constantia "Rita" Marley OJ OD ( Anderson; born 25 July 1946) is a Jamaican reggae singer. She is the widow of reggae musician Bob Marley. Along with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, Rita was a member of the reggae vocal group the ...
**
Marcia Griffiths
Marcia Llyneth Griffiths (born 23 November 1949) is a Jamaican singer best known for the 1989 remix of her single " Electric Boogie", which serves as the music for the four-wall " Electric Slide" line dance. It is the best-selling single of ...
Arrangers
*
Lee Holdridge – strings
*
Patti Austin
Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter best known for " Baby, Come to Me", her 1982 duet with James Ingram, which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after its re-release ...
– background vocals
Engineers
*
Roger Nichols – Recording And Mixing Engineer
*
John Slywka – Assistant Engineer
*
Patrice Carroll-Levinsohn – Assistant Engineer
Chart performance
References
{{Authority control
John Denver albums
1983 albums
Albums arranged by Lee Holdridge
RCA Records albums