Folk, bluegrass and country music lovers were treated to a very special performance for a very special cause Saturday night at the fourth annual "Music from the Mountains - Tribute to John Denver."

Former members of Mr. Denver's band and colleagues from such groups as The Starland Vocal Band, The Hard Travelers and Limelighters came together at Maryland Hall for the popular concert that benefits Maryland Therapeutic Riding.

Producer/singer Kenn Roberts really knows how to put on a show. The old-fashioned variety format featured everything from foot-stompers to comedy and a string quartet that enhanced some of the more mellow ballads. Mr. Roberts is an accomplished performer as well as founder of the M.U.S.E. foundation, an organization that produces concerts for charitable causes. It is through his connection to local singer/guitarist Mack Bailey that MTR first came to his attention.

MTR is a Crownsville-based nonprofit that puts the healing energy of horses to work for more than 160 special needs riders ranging in age from 2 to 76. Mr. Bailey has been an ardent supporter of the group ever since they adopted his stirring ode, "Eagles and Horses," as their unofficial theme song six years ago.

Mr. Bailey is a phenomenal guitarist with a full, mellow voice that is exquisitely suited to Mr. Denver's repertoire. He was complemented by the lovely Mollie Weaver, a velvety-toned mezzo who harmonized beautifully with him in such showstoppers as "Sweet Surrender," "Shanghai Breezes" and "Fly Away," to name but a few.

Keyboardist Chris Nole, a member of Mr. Denver's band for three years, demonstrated an easy familiarity with this style of pop-country music, which set the tone for a relaxing and nostalgic evening of old favorites.

Rounding out the core band were performers who are stars in their own right: bassist Ira Gitlin, for example, who also is a former National Bluegrass Banjo champion, and the multi-talented instrumentalist John Sommers on banjo, mandolin and fiddle. Mr. Sommers composed "Thank God I'm a Country Boy," which was a hit for Mr. Denver and has since become the Baltimore Orioles' seventh inning stretch theme. It was naturally received with enthusiastic audience participation.

Singer/songwriter Bill Danoff hails from Washington, D.C., and it was there that he co-wrote Mr. Denver's first smash hit, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" 33 years ago. He also penned "Afternoon Delight," and both pieces were wildly popular with the crowd at Maryland Hall. Another of his hits, "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado," which was used extensively in tourism promotions, served as comic fodder for a hilarious monologue on his failed attempts to write a similar song touting Washington, D.C., tourism.

Gary Mule Deer, the "clueless country boy," slipped into his routine so smoothly that the audience didn't realize until several jokes had passed that his fine singing and picking would only come as a complement to his wit. His delivery was so perfect that it didn't matter if some of his material wasn't original. I would hesitate to say he stole the show, because there was just so much to enjoy, but he could have if he wanted to.

The beauty of this venture was that all the artists worked together so perfectly to re-create music that can never again be heard live in its original context. It has been seven years since Mr. Denver's flying accident abruptly halted a remarkable career, but for one night it all came together again, just the way we remember.