Photo from DanFogelberg.com
If James Taylor was one half of the soundtrack of my young life, then Dan Fogelberg may well have been the other half. One thing Fogelberg had in common with JT was that he sounded much the same in a solo acoustic setting as in a studio production. There are few artists of whom that can be said. He was very definitely one.
I recently put together a compilation that I thought pretty much summed up my life this fall. Two Fogelberg tunes made the list: "Souvenirs" and "There's a Place in the World a Gambler." (I left off "Dancing Shoes." That song has more meaning to me than I can bear.)
Most of the news coverage I've read today has consistently mentioned "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne" as two of his best known works. I'm sure though, that for at least a while in the mid-80's, "Longer" would easily have made a list of top ten wedding songs.
It's sad to think that he's gone. I would be remiss, if I failed to include here a link to his personal message to the rest of us men about getting checked regularly for the disease that killed him.
Here, for anyone not familiar with his music, are two selections from YouTube. Just Dan, a guitar, a microphone, and an audience. Enjoy.
"Leader of the Band"
"Believe in Me"
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