Dan fogelburg dies

[sammyg2]

So far this month we've morned the passing of a couple of wife-beating drug addicts, I guess it's OK to morn a class act.
I saw him in concert about 10 years ago, definately a memorable show. Prolly top three all time. Quality music with magic lyrics performed perfectly. I was surprized to realize I knew every word to every song he sang that night, and so did every other person in that audience.

NEW YORK (AP) -- 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. He was 56.

His death was announced Sunday on the singer's Web site.

"Dan left us this morning at 6 a.m. He fought a brave battle with cancer and died peacefully at home in Maine with his wife, Jean, at his side," it read. "His strength, dignity and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this disease were an inspiration to all who knew him."

Fogelberg discovered 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. ... I thank you from the very depths of my heart."

Fogelberg's music was powerful in its simplicity. He didn't rely on the volume of his voice to convey his emotions; instead, they came through in the 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 because of his performance, but also for the engaging storyline.

Fogelberg's heyday was in the 1970s and early '80s, when he scored several platinum and multiplatinum records fueled by such hits as "The Power of Gold" and "Leader of the Band," a touching tribute he wrote to his father, a bandleader. Fogelberg put out his first album in 1972.

Fogelberg's songs tended to have a weighty tone, reflecting on emotional issues in a serious way. But in an interview with the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Journal Sentinel in 1997, he said it did not represent his personality.

"That came from my singles in the early '80s," he reflects. "I think it probably really started on the radio. I'm not a sour person in the least. I'm actually kind of a happy person. Music doesn't really reflect the whole person.

"One of my dearest friends is Jimmy Buffett. From his music, people have this perception that he's up all the time, and, of course, he's not. Jimmy has a serious side, too."

Later in his career, he would write material that focused on the state of the environment, an issue close to his heart. Fogelberg's last album was 2003's "Full Circle," his first album of original material in a decade. A year later he would receive his cancer diagnosis, forcing him to forgo a planned fall tour.

[URY914]

I knew he was sick and I was waiting for this. Sad to hear. I grew up listening to his music.

R.I.P. Dan.

[sammyg2]

[sammyg2]

My favorites:



http://youtube.com/watch?v=djCUfGVd9lY

[trap]

Damn, I really hated to see this.

I saw him in concert several times - one of the best was at Red Rocks - but another cool show was when he appeared in a small Denver theater as Frankie and the Aliens.

It's sad to know the well has closed. As Sammy said, he was definitely a class act.

[Hugh R]

Prostate cancer, get the doc to test it boys, it ain't a gay thing, its important.

[Joeaksa]

Boy, thats a shocker. Saw him at Red Rocks in Colorado years ago... excellent preformance.

Really makes me glad I do the PSA test every year... 56 is far too young....

[charleskieffner]

wow caught this at 10pm last night and was in total shock. got on his website at 5am this morning and have been really bumming. as mentioned he really was a class act. saw him at red rocks when i was going to regis college and saw him hanging out at the "'lil bear bar" in evergreen,colorado.

when back in phx. saw him at celebrity theatre with his band fools gold right after captured angel came out. ripped the house apart. a concert i will never forget. still have his albums stashed away. yep albums. got him on a couple of cds now. had russ kunkel (drums)/chris hillman/joe walsh/joe vitale(drums) and an entire cast of characters play with him over the years. outstanding music that many never liked. but then many have never lived in the mountains of colorado and endured winters that could make a grown man cry.

sorry to see him go. R.I.P.

[David McLaughlin]

There's another singer I won't be able to see in concert.

My favorite album... oops CD is his bluegrass style High Country Snows.

[on2wheels52]

My wife was a bit more of a fan than me, too young to be gone.
Jim

[RickM]

Very sad and preventable. My dad is in the late stages but he's 30 years older.

Here's what got me hooked....

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by RickM

Here's what got me hooked....

A CD or album ? RIP Dan...

[RickM]

I knew someone would pick up on that

Vinyl, when it first came out.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by RickM

I knew someone would pick up on that

Vinyl, when it first came out.

I knew that Just showing my age a bit...

[JavaBrewer]

As for millions of others Dan's songs spoke to me. What horrible news to start the week.

Time to schedule my annual physical and also burn a music CD for the car.