Although formally educated, poet, author and lyricist JOE HENRY attributes much of his learning to his many years as a laborer, rancher and professional athlete. His lyrics have been performed on over a hundred recordings by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Roberta Flack to John Denver and Olivia Newton-John—and more recently, Garth Brooks and Rascal Flatts.

Joe Henry's lyrics for The Flame, composed by John Jarvis and performed by Trisha Yearwood, closed the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games before a global television audience of more than 4 billion viewers. His work has also been used in feature films, television specials and theme-songs for several long-running television series.

His poetry has been performed for many years by Emmy and Tony Award-winning actors, Anthony Zerbe and Roscoe Lee Browne. Excerpts from LIME CREEK, along with songs that Henry co-wrote, have been adapted for the stage by Mr. Zerbe in two critically acclaimed productions: Lime Creek Christmas, which Zerbe performed with Garth Brooks and Beth Nielsen Chapman in Nashville; and Prelude to Lime Creek, with Greg Barnhill, in Denver.

In addition to Henry's many music awards, he also received a National Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation "for the celebration of the natural world in his work," and the Colorado Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.

"A writer can only write with his hands and his heart," says Anthony Zerbe. "Joe does this. He will always do this. He does it beautifully."