Leader of the Band

Tunesmith Dan Fogelberg gone on ahead . . .

Dan Fogelberg, the singer and songwriter whose hits “Leader of the Band” and “Same Old Lang Syne” helped define the soft-rock era, died Sunday at his home in Maine after battling prostate cancer the last few years. He was 56.

. . . A quiet man of music
Denied a simpler fate
He tried to be a soldier once
But his music wouldn’t wait
He earned his love
Through discipline
A thundering, velvet hand
His gentle means of sculpting souls
Took me years to understand.

Those words like many others written and sung by Dan Fogelberg over the last 35 years have always had meaning and a place in my ‘favorites’ music folder. We have watched the mechanism of music change over the years from vinyl to tape, whether it was my trusty reel to reel or a great 8 track player in my Mustang or Dodge Charger to the next must have format the cassette tape. We survived the disaster of laser disc as everyone switched to compact disc and now DVD and Bluray. The music has always been a constant in our lives over the years. Fogelberg’s music was powerful in its simplicity. He did not rely on the volume of his voice to convey his emotions; instead, they came through in his soft, tender delivery and his poignant lyrics. Songs like “Same Old Lang Syne,” in which a man reminisces after meeting an old girlfriend by chance during the holidays, became classics not only for his performance, but also for their engaging story lines.

One of my great memories was a road trip from Vail driving down the mountain to Red Rocks outside of Denver to see him play. Most songwriters write songs that have some good lyrics and a catchy melody, Dan wrote stories set to some of the most beautiful melodies you'd ever heard. Put on Netherlands album again if you need a refresher. Dancing Shoes, False Faces, Lessons Learned . . . how could you not take something away with you after listening to that album? Any of his albums for that matter were great with a fine tuned lyric and a melody to match. The Reach comes to mind as I picture him looking out over the reach as he lay in his bed in Maine those final days. I'm sure that's how he would have wanted it. Rest in Peace my friend, you proved yourself to be the living legacy.

Like many of that generation, James Taylor and Carole King, Jimmy Buffett, John Denver, Harry Chapin, and Jim Croce; Fogelberg was one of those great singer songwriters of the day and we totally loved his free-spirit and natural vibe. He will be missed as he had an intuitive ability to, with intelligence and compassion; speak to our common fears, anxieties, insecurities and the need for love and acceptance. His experiences were also our experiences and how they related to the world around us. He effectively expressed it in a way that made us see ourselves in every note and lyric of our favorite songs. It was an incredible gift he gave to everyone who listened to his music. Truly a Tunesmith of the finest kind is the legacy he leaves behind.

I’m always amazed how when a great talent and warm soul leaves this earth, it still keeps spinning. Even though as has been said “the world stops for no man”, it would seem that when somebody like Dan Fogelberg passes on, the world just might skip at least one beat.

Dan Fogelberg learned he had advanced prostate cancer in 2004. In a statement then, he thanked fans for their support. “It is truly overwhelming and humbling to realize how many lives my music has touched so deeply all these years,” he wrote. “I thank you from the very depths of my heart.”

From our world this holiday season we say, Thank you for the music and your stories from the road . . . When it came your time to go . . . You are the living Legacy . . . To the Leader of the Band.

Alaska as in Colorado and other places the story is the same . . .

And as I turned to make my way back home . . .
The snow turned into rain . . .

Ice