Background
Denver was born Angus Murdo McKenzie in Springburn, Glasgow and was well travelled by the time he took up singing, having had a previous career in the British Merchant Navy.
Denver was born Angus Murdo McKenzie in Springburn, Glasgow and was well travelled by the time he took up singing, having had a previous career in the British Merchant Navy.
Most famous of these was a 1961 version of "Wimoweh", which showed off Denver"s falsetto yodelling register. He also had a country music influence, having lived in Nashville, Tennessee for a short time before being deported from there as an illegal immigrant in 1959. In the United States, he adopted the new name that he retained for the remainder of his singing career.
In the early 1960s he formed a trio which included Kevin Neil (born 25 July 1931, Manchester, Lancashire.
Died 13 March 2010, Blackley, Manchester) and Gerry Cottrell (born Gerard Cottrell, 18 December 1933, Manchester, Lancashire. Died 24 November 2006, at Trafford General Hospital, Urmston, Manchester).
Denver"s song, "Never Goodbye", was an entry in A Song for Europe in 1962. In 1963, he appeared in the film Just for Fun, along with Bobby Vee, the Vernons Girls, and various other American and British popular music acts.
After the mid-1960s, Denver worked mainly on the cabaret circuit.
However, in 1989 he enjoyed a brief raise in profile after guesting on Madchester band, the Happy Mondays" single, "Lazyitis (One-Armed Boxer)", on Factory Records (FAC 222). Denver also appeared in The Happy Mondays" video for the song, although he contracted pneumonia whilst filming the video. Following this collaboration Factory released two further Denver recordings, "Wimoweh "89" (FAC 228) and "Indambinigi" (FAC 278.
Credited to Karl Denver and Steve Lima).
In 1993 he released his final album, Just Loving You, aimed at the country music market. In mid-1998, Denver began recording a new album, but died before full recording of the album was completed.
The finished tracks were included on a re-release of Just Loving You entitled Movin" On in 1999. The final song he recorded was "I Can"t Go On This Way".
Denver died from a brain tumour in December 1998, at the age of 67.
His ashes are buried in Stockport Borough cemetery.