Like it, or not "” like him or not "” media magnate Dean Singleton has power and influence in Denver "” and beyond.

In feudal Japan, from the beginning of the 12th century to the beginning of the 20th century, the power behind the Emperor's throne was the Shogun. The military ruler held absolute power in that period of Japanese history. When subjects came to see the Emperor, behind his throne was a silk screen, and behind the screen sat the Shogun. Subjects would plead their cases, and believed they were pleading to the "God Emperor," but the man the Japanese dubbed, "Grey Eminence," the Shogun, was always there. The audience could see the outline of his body, and he could hear their pleas. In turn, subjects were cautious about what they asked for and what they did because the Shogun was all seeing and all knowing.

Little more than a century-and-a-half after the end of the Shoguns' rule, walls of glass have replaced the silk screens, as Denver's own "Grey Eminence" influences some of the most powerful business and political leaders in the world.

From the Denver Newspaper Agency headquarters on the 11th floor atop the new Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News building at Colfax and Broadway, the Post's Chairman and Publisher and Media News Group Vice Chairman and CEO Dean Singleton can gaze out the windows of his glass-encased penthouse office suite. To the west, Singleton looks down on Denver's City and County building. On the east side he looks down on the State Capitol.

"I can keep an eye on both of them," Denver's modern-day Shogun says with a smile.

Few people really know Dean Singleton, but it's easy to see his "outline behind the screen." Much like the powerful newspaper magnate and publisher William Randolph Hearst depicted in the 1941 Oscar-winning film, Citizen Kane, Singleton is a force to be reckoned with.

People who know him have strong opinions about him (whether good or bad depends on whom you speak to). Personal opinions aside, most would agree that Singleton has power nonetheless. (Even while setting up this interview by phone, Singleton had to put me on hold to take a call from Hillary Clinton's campaign manager asking him whether or not Hillary should stay in the race.) Powerful people want Singleton to weigh in.

All in the Family
Born in 1951, a poor kid from West Texas, Singleton had major health issues at birth and says that the medical bills that his illnesses accrued were not paid off until 1960 "” but his father made sure that they were paid. No one in his father's world got something for nothing. Singleton told stories about being shame-based as a kid watching his mother return $2 worth of food after realizing she had $12 worth, and only a $10 store credit. Once, when Singleton was 5, he stole a candy bar, was caught by his mother and had to take it back. She told him that he had to earn the nickel to pay for it. Singleton will tell you he's not a member of the lucky sperm club, but that his mother and father were great parents and instilled good values. "Those values," explains Singleton, "are more important than money and far more important than power."

You really get a sense of this when Singleton speaks about his formative years on a hardscrabble ranch in Texas. His father "” an oil field roust-about "” set the course for a guy who ended up befriending and advising folks ranging from world leaders such as Russia's former President Vladimir Putin and former President George H.W. Bush to local power brokers including concert promoter Barry Fey and legal eagles Norm Brownstein and Steve Farber.

Singleton's sister, Pat Robinson, is his gatekeeper at the office. As his assistant and corporate secretary, it's a brother-sister relationship full of love and respect. Robinson looks out for her brother's business welfare and personal health. Singleton is battling multiple sclerosis, but it doesn't seem to slow him down one bit. Although, he no longer skis, he still sails near his vacation home in Cape Cod. He has been married to his wife, Adrienne for 24 years. Together, they have three children. William, 22, attends Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs, and works as a rancher on the family ranches in Grand County and Wyoming during school and summer breaks. Paige, 19, whose birth name is Susan "Paige I" Singleton "” as in "page one" "” is majoring in journalism at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins. Adam, 16, is a sophomore at Mullen High School, a jock and impressive football player, according to his father.

Newspaper Route
It wasn't Singleton's life-long dream to be a newspaperman.

He got his license to drive at 15 "” then drove into town to find a job to help to support his family. He got a job with The Graham Leader, the newspaper in Graham, Texas. One of the reasons that he liked The Graham was because its office was air-conditioned "” and because he needed the money. Today he owns The Graham, one of his 67 daily newspapers. He also owns 126 weeklies, a television station and five radio stations. In Denver, he publishes The Denver Post and runs the business end of both the Post and the Rocky Mountain News.

Singleton's media empire boasts 14,000 employees operating in 14 states in the U.S. When politicians need advice and issues need to be grounded, they come and seek out the advice of "Shogun Singleton."

A perfect example of Singleton's power was the recent presidential controversy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. We were talking about endorsements and how newspapers work, and how the Post had backed Bruce Benson's presidency at CU. I personally had problems with Benson's appointment, but Singleton had the greatest line of our time together. "Sending Bruce Benson to CU is like Richard Nixon going to China, nobody else could do it but Nixon," he said. Singleton believes that no one will be better for CU than Bruce Benson.

Giving Back
While Singleton is involved with many charities, none is dearer to him then the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park. When Singleton retired as the chairman of the board of the NSCD, the children and adults in the program put a book of pictures and letters together for him as a thank you. In his office full of "attaboy" awards, plaques and pictures of Singleton with nearly every bold print person in the world "” even one of him on a sailing trip with "Sweet Baby" James Taylor "” he'll say nothing is dearer to him then this NSCD book. Singleton literally lights up when he talks about the young people learning to ski, ride horseback, play soccer and fish. They have overcome enormous roadblocks in their lives and accomplished so much thanks to what the NSCD has provided.

Don't Call Denver a Cowtown
Singleton owns ranches in Grand County and Wyoming. A cowpoke at heart, these wide-open spaces are the places on earth he loves the most, but don't you dare call Denver a cowtown in his presence. Not unless you want to get an earful.

Recently, Singleton stopped an event that was to be the centerpiece of the welcoming party for the Democrats arriving in Denver for the National Convention in August.

Some people in Denver, who believed they had some stroke, thought it would be great to have a rodeo inside the welcoming party for the media, superdelegates and their entourages. "There is no ******* way we're going to have a rodeo," said Singleton. "We've been trying for over 20 years to say that Denver is not a "˜cowtown,' and now these people want to show this gathering of powerful people a ******* rodeo!"

Guess what? Those Democrats won't see a rodeo.

Long Way from Texas
Walking out of the Kremlin next to President Bush in a trade discussion on how free media works, the President turned to Singleton and said, "Well Billy Dean, (his birth name is William) we're a long way from West Texas."

It's been said that Denver only has one true superstar. That person could get off an airplane at LAX or JFK and people would recognize him or her and point and say, "Oh, there is blank."

I think we've got one of those guys, and it's John Elway.

Singleton could probably walk down the 16th Street Mall passing many people at bus stop benches reading and one of his papers "” and not one would have a clue who he is.

Singleton is a man who owns his airplane, sails in Cape Cod, travels to his homes across the country and has influenced some of the most powerful people in the world, yet he's humble enough that his prize possession is the scrapbook a group of disabled children made for him as a thank you.

When subjects like power and clout come up and more well-known business and political leaders are credited for certain success stories, most people will never have a clue it's William Dean Singleton behind the "screen."

"Hardly anyone knows who you are, or what you're about," I said to him.

"I prefer it that way," he answered.