The Leader of the Band Has Died . . .

I was sad to read that Dan Fogelburg passed away yesterday morning. There are so many influences that pushed me toward music. Fogelburg is one of the bigger ones. When I think of singer/songwriters, he is one of the first that comes up. His delivery of heavy lyrics in such a sincere package of melody always shot right through my heart.
When I was a kid, I used to go to work with my father any time I had a day off of school. I can remember his alarm clock going off and being tuned to AM 750 in Atlanta. Back in the day, they used to play music during their morning broadcast. Great AM classics from Dan Fogelburg, Stephen Bishop, the Beatles, Julian Lennon. All sappy - all have shaped my view of music. I'll never forget riding to the job site with my dad nodding in and out of sleep with all of this music in my head. I can still remember the first time I heard Fogelburg's "Leader of the Band". I always feel overwhelmed when I hear "Same Old Lang Syne" - I once LIVED the experience described in that song . He put into words what I have only wished. I will miss him greatly.