Dan Fogelberg

He was the youngest of three sons born to Margaret (née Irvine), (1920-2015), a classically trained pianist, and Lawrence Peter Fogelberg, (1911-1982), a band director at Woodruff High School in Peoria, at Pekin Community High School in Pekin, and at Bradley University in Peoria.

Fogelberg’s mother was a Scottish immigrant and his father was of Swedish descent.

Fogelberg often related his memory of his father allowing him to "conduct" the Bradley University school band when he was only four years old.

Daniel Grayling Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.

His second band was another cover band, The Coachmen, who, in 1967, released a single with both tracks written by Fogelberg, recorded at Golden Voice Recording studio in South Pekin, Illinois, and released on the Ledger Record label: "Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget" and "Don't Want to Lose Her".

After graduating from Woodruff High School in 1969, Fogelberg studied theater arts and painting at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

He performed as an opening act for Van Morrison in the early 1970s.

WZZQ, a radio station in Jackson, Mississippi, gave Home Free a lot of airplay and some local promoters secured the City Auditorium in Jackson for a concert.

They sold out the show in ten days and when they called Fogelberg's agent to let him know the show sold out, he was in disbelief because Fogelberg had been playing in clubs with less than 100 people in attendance, whereas the City Auditorium had 2,500 seats.

He began performing as a solo acoustic player at a local coffeehouse, "The Red Herring", which is where he made his first solo recordings as part of a folk festival in 1971.

He was discovered by Irving Azoff, who started his music management career promoting another Champaign-Urbana act, REO Speedwagon.

Azoff sent Fogelberg to Nashville, Tennessee, to hone his skills.

There he became a session musician and recorded his first album with producer Norbert Putnam.

In 1972, Fogelberg released his debut album Home Free to lukewarm response, although it eventually reached platinum status.

On February 22, 1974, this show was broadcast and recorded by WZZQ and can be found on YouTube.

Fogelberg's second effort was successful – the 1974 Joe Walsh-produced album Souvenirs.

The song "Part of the Plan" became his first hit.

Fogelberg also received contributions from the Eagles throughout the album.

He had toured with the Eagles during this time.

After Souvenirs, he released a string of gold and platinum albums, including Captured Angel (1975) and Nether Lands (1977).

His 1978 Twin Sons of Different Mothers was the first of two collaborations with jazz flautist Tim Weisberg, which found commercial success with songs such as "The Power of Gold".

"The Power of Gold" peaked at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart – his sole entry on that chart.

The album reached number 42 on the UK Albums Chart, likewise his only entry there.

Phoenix, from 1979, reached the top 10, with "Longer" becoming a #2 pop hit in 1980.

This LP eventually sold two million copies.

It was followed by a Top 20 hit "Heart Hotels".

He is primarily known for his 1980s soft rock hits, including "Longer" (1980), "Same Old Lang Syne" (1981), and "Leader of the Band" (1982).

Dan Fogelberg was born in Peoria, Illinois.

In 1980, Fogelberg appeared on the soundtrack to the film Urban Cowboy with his song "Times Like These".

He also first performed on a live television program.

In 1981, Fogelberg released the song "Leader of the Band", which was written for and inspired by his father.

Using a Mel Bay course book, Fogelberg taught himself to play a Hawaiian slide guitar that his grandfather had given him.

He also learned to play the piano.

At age 14, he joined a band, The Clan, which covered The Beatles.

The Innocent Age, released in October 1981, was Fogelberg's critical and commercial peak.

The double album included four of his biggest hits: "Same Old Lang Syne", "Hard to Say", "Leader of the Band", and "Run for the Roses".

He drew inspiration for The Innocent Age from Thomas Wolfe's novel Of Time and the River.

A 1982 greatest hits album contained two new songs, both of which were released as singles: "Missing You" and "Make Love Stay".

In 1984, he released the album Windows and Walls, containing the singles "The Language of Love" and "Believe in Me".

According to MTV, "Fogelberg couldn't capitalize fully on his popularity, due to stage fright that caused him to cancel live appearances, including a Dodgers Stadium gig with Elton John."