December 16, 2015 – It was eight years ago today, on a cold Sunday morning in Maine, that one of my favorite singer/songwriters passed away.
I wasn’t born yet that original “day the music died” in February 1959 when Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper perished in the plane crash. For me those sad American Pie moments came when John Lennon and George Harrison passed, and most recently on December 16, 1997, when Dan Fogelberg left us.
And yes, all of those moments made me shiver. (How ironic that today is also the 44th anniversary of the single “American Pie”. Don McLean released the song on December 16, 1971.)
Fogelberg hit the music scene in Nashville in 1972 with the classic album “Home Free.” He went on to record 22 albums in all, and reached the Top 10 Billboard Charts with hits like “Longer”, “Leader of the Band”, “Hard to Say”, “Run for the Roses”, and “Same Old Lang Syne”. While these are great songs, many of his best and my personal favorites were the deeper cuts on his albums.
His fans keep his legacy alive by listening to his wonderful music, and the Fogelberg Foundation of Peoria, the city in Illinois where he was born, also honors the memory of their native son with this tribute. There’s also a campaign on Facebook to get Dan inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
There are many of us “Fogelheads” who miss you, Dan, and we’re glad your music lives on.
janemcmaster 