Joe Cocker’s Mad Dog Ranch: the late singer’s home sweet home in Colorado

The architect John D. Kelley designed Joe Cocker’s 16,000 square feet home situated on 243 acres. The property sold in 2017 for $3.875 million

I’ve been a fan of Joe Cocker’s music since Leon Russell produced  “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” in 1970, so this assignment from Colorado Expression magazine to write about the late singer’s Colorado estate was a high note.

“We can safely assume that the British Blues-rocker Joe Cocker sang in the shower at Mad Dog Ranch,” I wrote. “Yet the home was intentionally designed without a music studio, according to the gritty-voiced Grammy-winner’s widow, Pam Cocker. Her favorite place in the mansion was the library.

The architect John D. Kelley’s primary influence was Glencraig, an estate in Newport Rhode Island, designed in 1926, by Harrie Lindenberg.

Mile High City ups ante on corporate events: new venues, creative menus

Denver Business Journal assigned me to write articles for their Corporate Events Guide, and I was impressed by the creative venues and menus.

Denver is stepping up the corporate party in the Mile High City with entertaining new venues and fresh menus. For my article “Throw a better party” in the Denver Business Journal’s Corporate Events Guide, I reported on five unusual venues including a repurposed airplane hangar and rooftop patios. I wrote, “In corporate events planning — as in real estate — one aspect prevails: location, location, location.”

I also reported on caterers with mouth-watering options for the multitudes, including people with dietary restrictions. My article “Dietary redistricting: Feeding the masses in a hot culinary market” emphasizes that Denver has shed its former cow-town meat-and-potatoes image in favor of a foodie destination. “Rubber chicken breast no longer cuts the mustard at corporate banquets,” I wrote, “and at business cocktail parties, predictable canapés are toast.”

 

 

Chuck Morris: Colorado’s music man is a rock star of concert promotion

Gregory Alan Isakov, one of hundreds of artists promoted by AEG Presents, performs at Red Rocks.    — Photo by Colleen Smith

 

Chuck Morris’s half-century career in the music industry is well documented.

So is his signature look with a laid-back wardrobe akin to Neil Young’s and a collection of eyeglasses to rival Elton John’s. A native New Yorker, Morris perhaps more than any other individual has struck chords in Denver’s live music scene, growing the concert market into one of the most vibrant in the nation.

I reported on Morris, who heads up AEG Presents Rocky Mountains, for the Denver Business Journal. For my article, I interviewed the former governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, and the founder/CEO of MOA (Museum of Outdoor Arts) which owns Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, the largest outdoor concert venue in the region.

Having reported on live music for many years, I was interested to learn more about how the music business runs. “It’s not a science,” Morris said.

 

 

Rob Decker’s posters feature national parks

Rob Decker’s goal is to design posters honoring all the national parks of the United States of America, and he has an excellent start. I reported on Decker’s art for Colorado Expression magazine. If you enjoy the outdoors and Arts and Crafts era designs, you’ll appreciate his work.

To learn more about Rob Decker’s national parks posters, visit his website.

Upping the ante on Mile High City corporate events

Denver is stepping up the corporate party in the Mile High City with marvelous new venues and fresh approaches to catering. For the Denver Business Journal’s Corporate Events Guide, I reported on some unusual venues including a repurposed airplane hangar and rooftop patios. I also reported on caterers with mouth-watering options for the multitudes, including people with dietary restrictions.

To read the articles, click the links below:

Throw a better party: 5 unique events spaces in the Denver area

Dietary redistricting: Caterers up their game as Denver becomes a foodie destination

Honored CEOs work hard and workout hard, too

When I interviewed three outstanding CEOs honored by the Denver Business Journal, I asked each about their work life, and also his or her workouts. Though these business leaders put in lots of hours at their jobs, they also make time to exercise, proving the old adage “sound body, sound mind.”

To read about these three CEO’s click the links below:

Maureen Hewitt leads InnovAge gracefully

 Dave DuPont’s TeamSnap has competitive edge

BlueSky aims high with CEO Kent Stemper  

Outstanding women leaders honored by Denver Business Journal

For the Denver Business Journal, I interviewed two women honored as Outstanding Women in Business. These inspirational woman manage to balance their personal and professional lives: one in tech and one in tea.

To read the articles, click the links below:

Sha Ma: Defining her own leadership style, one success at a time

Linda Appel Lipsius: Teed up for success through good works and savvy

Colorado Vincentian Volunteers assist “poorest of the poor” in Denver

All aspects of the annual fund-raising mailing — from writing and design to printing and mailing — are donated so that all donations directly benefit CVV. 

About 20 years ago, I was awarded the Archdiocese of Denver Peacemaker’s Award for my writing about social justice issues. The same year, the Peacemaker’s Award also went to Mary Frances and Bill Jaster, who founded Colorado Vincentian Volunteers (CVV), a group of young, professional volunteers partnering with 20-some agencies in Denver serving people in need.

The Jasters recruited me as a volunteer to assist with communications, and ever since I’ve helped write and art-direct the annual fundraising mailing that generates support for the CVV mission of working with people in need. I deeply admire the Jasters and their Volunteers and have been happy to participate in a small way in their mission to work with the “poorest of the poor” in Denver’s inner city.

You can learn more about Colorado Vincentian Volunteers at this link.

Rembrandt’s prints at Denver Art Museum

Rembrandt’s only still-life print depicts a seashell that may have been part of the artist’s personal collection.

Rembrandt was not only one of the world’s finest painters and printmakers, he also was a clever entrepreneur. For the Denver Business Journal, I reported on the artist’s business plans and practices.

You can read the article at this link.

Babylon Floral’s garden of otherworldly delights

Arthur Williams incorporates human beings into his outrageous floral designs.

Photo by Amanda Baker.

Denver Art Museum recognized Arthur Williams is one of the most creative floral designers on the planet and gave him not one, but two exhibitions. The first, in 2015, was a one-month creative residency; and the second, in 2018,  a one-night “Untitled” show. I reported on Arthur Williams for Colorado Expression magazine. “It’s a modern take on the country garden,” he said, “but I like to tie in unexpected elements.”