Here's an interesting article about how John Denver recorded Take Me Home, Country Roads, in part, because he broke his thumb.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/co-writer-of-take-me-home-country-roads-dispels-myths-surrounding-songs-origins/2525010/

Some of this is included in the Wikipedia discussion.  However, there are some other interesting facts as narrated in Bill Danoff's interview here:  He was inspired by a Johnny Cash riff - don't know which one he's referencing.  But Danoff had plans of selling it to Cash, mostly because he saw it as a country song NOT a folk song.

Danoff talks about their 2nd verse, which was dropped because he was afraid it would never make it on AM radio because of the lyrics.  He sings a measure or two during the interview.  I had to further investigate to get that deleted 2nd verse.  So what’s the missing verse?  See link below:

https://www.nancyherkness.com/2013/04/23/the-deleted-verse/

Danoff made it abundantly clear that he liked Ray Charles cover the best, in part because he was a big fan of Ray Charles.  Danoff never sold it to Cash; consequently, Johnny Cash never recorded it.