Dan Fogelberg

At 56 years old, Dan Fogelberg has this physical status:

Daniel Grayling Fogelberg (August 13, 1951-2007) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist.

He is best known for his 1980s hits, including "Longer" (1979), "Same Old Lang Syne" (1980), and "Leader of the Band" (1982).

Early life and family

Dan Fogelberg was born in Peoria, Illinois, and he was a student at the University of Illinois. Lawrence Peter Fogelberg, a band director at Woodruff High School in Peoria, and Pekin Community High School in Peoria, was the youngest of three sons born to Margaret (née Irvine), a classically trained pianist, and Peoria's youngest brother. Fogelberg's mother was a Scottish immigrant, and his father was of Swedish descent. His father was later to be the inspiration for the song "Leader of the Band." Fogelberg also recalled his father's invitation to "conduct" the Bradley University school band when he was just four years old.

Fogelberg learned how to play a Hawaiian slide guitar from his grandfather's book "Menomen Slide Guitar." He also learned to play the piano. He formed The Clan, a boy band that covered The Beatles at age 14. The Coachmen, Fogelberg's second band, released a single with both songs written by him in 1967 and Ledger Recording's "Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget" and "Don't Want to Lose Her."

Fogelberg, a 1969 graduate of Woodruff High School, studied theater arts and painting at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, while playing local venues with a folk-rock band The Ship. He began performing in cafes as a solo acoustic player. The Red Herring, which is where he made his first solo appearance as part of a folk festival in 1971, was one of these. Irving Azoff, who started his music career as a manager for another Champaign-Urbana group, REO Speedwagon, was discovered. Fogelberg was sent by Azoff to Nashville, Tennessee, to fine tune his skills. He performed as a session musician and released his first album with producer Norbert Putnam. Fogelberg's debut album Home Free in 1972 sparked a lukewarm response, but the album eventually surpassed platinum status.

In the early 1970s, he appeared as an opening act for Van Morrison.

Personal life

Fogelberg was married three times, from Maggie Slaymaker from 1982 to 1985, Anastasia Savage from 1991 to 1996; and finally to musician Jean Marie Mayer, from 2002 to 2007.

Fogelberg lived near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where he built a recording studio in the early 1980s. He also owned a home on Deer Isle, overlooking Eggemoggin Reach.

Fogelberg was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in May 2004. After undergoing chemotherapy, his cancer went into partial remission. Fogelberg's cancer treatments were a hit in August 2005. Fogelberg's cancer resurfaced, and on December 16, 2007, he died in Deer Isle, Maine, at the age of 56. Fogelberg was cremated, and his ashes were scattered into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maine.

Jean Fogelberg, Fogelberg's widow, announced that "Sometimes a Song," written and recorded by Dan for her on Valentine's Day 2005, would be available on the Internet and that all funds will go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. On Valentine's Day 2008, the song was released on Valentine's Day 2008 and was also included on a CD titled Love in Time, a collection of 11 previously unreleased songs. Love in Time was the first Dan Fogelberg album to chart since River of Souls in 1993, peaking at number 117 on the Billboard Top 200 on October 10, 2009.

Source

Musical career

Home Free, a radio station in Jackson, MS, had a lot of airplay on it. Local promoters had arranged the City Auditorium in Jackson for a Dan Fogelberg concert. They sold out the show in ten days, and when they called Fogelberg's agent to inform him that the show had sold out, Fogelberg's agent was disbelief because Dan had been playing in clubs with fewer than 100 people in attendance. The City Auditorium held 2,500 people, making it Fogelberg's first big show. This show was broadcast and recorded by WZZQ on February 22, 1974, and it can be found on YouTube.

Fogelberg's second attempt, the 1974 Joe Walsh-produced album Souvenirs, was a hit. His first hit was "Part of the Plan." Fogelberg has also received contributions from the Eagles throughout the years. During this period, he had been touring with the Eagles. He released a number of gold and platinum albums, including Captured Angel, which was released at Golden Voice Recording Studio in South Pekin, Illinois (1975) and Nether Lands (1977).

Tim Weisberg's 1978 Twin Sons of Different Mothers was the first of two collaborations with jazz flautist Tim Weisberg, who achieved commercial success with songs like "The Power of Gold." The Power of Gold chart reached 59 on the UK Singles Chart, his sole entry on the chart. The album debuted at number 42 on the UK Albums Chart, as well as his first appearance there.

Phoenix, 1979, debuted in the top ten with "Longer" becoming a top-ten pop hit in 1980. This LP eventually sold two million copies. It was followed by a Top 20 hit "Heart Hotels."

Fogelberg appeared on the soundtrack to the film Urban Cowboy in 1980, and he first appeared on a live television show.

Fogelberg's The Innocent Age, which was published in October 1981, was his first and commercial peak. "Same Old Lang Syne," "Hard to Say," "Leader of the Band," and "Run for the Roses were four of his greatest hits on the double album. From Thomas Wolfe's book Of Time and the River, he was inspired for The Innocent Age. Two new songs were released as singles on a 1982 greatest hits album: "Missing You" and "Make Love Stay." He released Windows and Walls in 1984, containing the singles "The Language of Love" and "Believe in Me."

"Fogelberg couldn't profite fully from his fame due to stage fright, which caused him to cancel live performances, including a Dodgers Stadium appearance with Elton John," according to MTV. Fogelberg's original statement was debunked by Fogelberg himself, blaming persistent streptococcal tonsillitis as the reason for his cancellations and a dramatic improvement in his health following a tonsillectomy.

In 1985, Fogelberg released High Country Snows. It was on display in Nashville and showcased some of the best bluegrass players in the country. Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson, Jerry Douglas, Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Chris Hillman, and Herb Pedersen all contributed to the list. Fogelberg described the music as "life in the fast lane" in a world where he lives. Joe Vitale, Paul Harris, Tino Gonzales, Jeff Grossberg, and Rick Rosas all began playing blues in small clubs around Colorado in late 1985, including Cream and Muddy Waters. "What You're Doing" acetate on Exiles, a throwback to the old Stax Records sound that made Memphis popular in the 1960s, and 1987 heralded a return to rock with Exiles. In 1990, The Wild Places, an album whose theme was nature preservation, was released, followed by a tour. Greetings From The West album, as well as full-length concert film (with interview segments) of the same name, was released in 1991.

River of Souls, Fogelberg's last studio album for Sony Records, was released in 1993. Portrait included four discs from 1997, each representing a different facet of his music: "Ballads," "Tales and Travels," and "Hits." He released A Christmas Album, The First Christmas Morning, in 1999, and Full Circle showcased a return to the folk-influenced 1970s soft rock style of music.

Fogelberg's appearance at Carnegie Hall, championed by his family and longtime friend Irv Azoff, was released in May 2017 as a result of his touring sound company's 1979 tape. It topped at No. 5 in the country's most popular charts. On June 10, 2017, Fogelberg's live albums debut on the Billboard Top 200 chart, 71, the first of Fogelberg's albums to chart on the Billboard Top 200 chart.

Source