John Denver vs. Emmylou Harris

I was thinking about this over the weekend and decided I would bring it to the music board for your opinions.

How/why is/was Emmylou Harris more accepted in Nashville and country music than John Denver was? Both came out of the folk scene in the late 60s/early 70s. Both put out their first well known albums about the same time.

Is it because Emmylou was more likely to record/be connected with other folks in the country industry while John liked to say he was more "western" music and did his own thing? Is it because Emmylou moved to Nashville and John went to Colorado? Is it because Emmylou had more of a country sound while John was "too country for pop but too pop for country"?

I love Emmylou Harris, but it just seems odd that John Denver isn't thought of that often as a big country artist. He isn't in the CMHoF, and there is really no talk about him getting in any time soon.