From:Dave Hennessey Electronic:dave -A- toyhouse.org
Subject:... Take me home Clopper Road Date:Wed Jun 1 10:13:50 2011
Response to:15917
Dana,

Country Roads was actually written about Maryland. Unfortunately, Maryland doesn't seem to have the cachet West Virginia does.

December 1970 - John Denver was booked at the Cellar Door (Wash DC), but he was an unknown at the time. To make sure they had a good crowd, the club hired the local group "Fat City" to open for Denver.

Denver and Fat City (Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert) hit it off well, and after the club closed, they went back to Danoff's apartment. Bill & Taffy played a song they had not quite finished. Denver loved it, and came up with the missing verse. That night, they played it at the Cellar Door, and the rest is history.

Dr. Pepper might remember Clopper Road which runs from Gaithersburg to Germantown, Boyds, etc. In the 1970's, once you passed Quince Orchard Road, you had reached the end of civilization. Clopper Road looked like West Virginia.

Bill and Taffy went to a family get-together way out Clopper Road, and on the drive there, they said "take me home, country road".

Bill & Taffy (Fat City, Starland Vocal Band - remember "Afternoon Delight"?) wrote a lot of songs - Denver also recorded their "I guess he'd rather be in Colorado".

Here's a pic from the Cellar Door