June 17, 2024 • 7 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, in a canon of personal songs, “Leader of the Band” stands out as Dan Fogelberg’s most treasured. It’s a loving tribute to his musician father, Lawrence Fogelberg.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is Our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people.
To search for the Our American Stories podcast, go to
the iHeartRadio app, to Apple Podcasts, over wherever you get
your podcasts. All show long, we're celebrating Father's Day and
the importance of fathers and the effect and impact good
(00:32):
fathers have on young men's lives and young women's. In
a canon of personal songs, Leader of the Band stands
out as Dan Fogelberg's most treasured. It's a loving tribute
to his musician father, Lawrence Fogelberg. Released in late nineteen
eighty one, it peaked at number nine on the Billboard
(00:53):
Hot one hundred chart and hit number one on Adult Contemporary.
Here is Dan Fogelberg with the story of his love
song to his father.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
If I think I could only have written one song
in my life, it would have been Leader of the Band.
Because what that meant to my father and to me,
There's no way I could quantify that or even explain it.
My father passed away over ten years ago now, and
(01:26):
he got to hear that song. He got to see
this and enjoyed the success of that song. People were
calling him on the phone and interviewing him in his
last days. You know, who is this man? The leader
of the band, you know? And he he loved that,
and I loved that because I respected him so much.
I mean, he gave me everything I am.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Really.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
My mother and he were both musicians, and the idea
of being a living legacy is really the truth. I
don't think I'll ever be as accomplished a musician as
he was, but I've had a different gift.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
It came to me in a different way.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
I've been able to reach and touch people with these songs,
and that one has probably touched more people, more deeply
than anything I've ever done.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Only child alone, and while a cabinet maker's son, his
hands were meant for differntwork, and his heart was.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
Known to none. He left his arm and went his
long and saw a terror.
Speaker 6 (02:32):
Away, and he gave me a gift, Dina, I'm never
again repay.
Speaker 7 (02:40):
Every night when I sing that song, I feel him.
He's there with me. It's a difficult song to sing
some nights.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
A quiet man of me.
Speaker 6 (02:48):
Music denied is simplifate. He tried to be a sort
to once, but his music wouldn't wait. You're just love
to discipline a thundering vil. The tent is gentle means
(03:09):
and sculpting, soels took me ease to understand.
Speaker 7 (03:15):
Some nights it's it's ambulance. Some nights it feels great.
I celebrate his life. Sometimes it's very sad because I
really miss him. I miss having that guy, you know,
that that strong central figure in my life that I
respected so greatly.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
So my life is bad. The poor tent to imitate
the man. I'm just a living legacy to the leader
the man.
Speaker 7 (03:48):
So I think in the long run, next song is
maybe one of the most important I've written, simply because
it has helped bridge the gap between fathers and sons
or daughters and fathers. You know this lot of women
that have said too that it helped them to communicate
their love to their father and to be able to
solidify that relationship and express that relationship while there's time.
Speaker 6 (04:11):
Living out this life of jose and gone to know
so well.
Speaker 7 (04:18):
You know, one of the worst things I think that
can happen to people is if they don't express the
love to their father and their mother while they're alive,
and then there's always difficulties in family relationships, but I
think it's one of the most important things you can
do in your life is to make sure that's all
done well. Everybody's still around.
Speaker 6 (04:40):
Thank you, Father, me easy and your stories of the road.
I thank you for the freeedom when it came my
time to go. I thank you for the kindness and
the times when you got And Baba, don't think I
(05:03):
said I love you need no.
Speaker 8 (05:08):
The leader of the band is Dad, and his eyes
are growing all but his blood runs through my instrument,
and the song is in my soul.
Speaker 5 (05:22):
My life has been abora to imitate the man. I'm
just living legacy to the leader of the band. I
am living legacy to the lead the band.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
The song. Leader of the band cemented our relationship. There
was nothing left unsaid when he passed away.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
And a terrific job by the production editing and storytelling
by our own Greg Hangler himself a father, and what
a story Dan told, What a tribute and what a
thing to do for your dad. And imagine how moved
(06:20):
he was. Dan said, what it meant to my father
and to me, There's just no way I can quantify it.
Every night when I sing that song. I feel him.
I miss having that guy, Dan said about his dad,
that strong central figure in my life I respected so greatly.
And my goodness, there are two kinds of fathers out there,
(06:42):
and you're listening the guy whose son says that about
you or daughter, and the guy whose son or daughter doesn't,
and get busy being that first guy. It is the
most important song I ever wrote because it helped bridge
the gap between fathers and sons and fathers and daughters.
The song cemented our relationship, Dan said, and there was
(07:06):
nothing left unsaid when he passed away. The story of
a song, the story of leader of the band, a
father and son song, a love song. Here on our
American Stories, this is Lee Habib, host of our American Stories,
(07:32):
the show where America is the star and the American people,
and we do it all from the heart of the
South Oxford, Mississippi. But we truly can't do this show
without you. Our shows will always be free to listen to,
but they're not free to make. If you love what
you hear, consider making a tax deductible donation to our
American Stories. Go to our American Stories dot com. Give
(07:54):
a little, give a lot, that's our American Stories dot com.
This is Lee Habib and this is Our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people.
To search for the Our American Stories podcast, go to
the iHeartRadio app, to Apple Podcasts, over wherever you get
your podcasts. All show long, we're celebrating Father's Day and
the importance of fathers and the effect and impact good
(00:32):
fathers have on young men's lives and young women's. In
a canon of personal songs, Leader of the Band stands
out as Dan Fogelberg's most treasured. It's a loving tribute
to his musician father, Lawrence Fogelberg. Released in late nineteen
eighty one, it peaked at number nine on the Billboard
(00:53):
Hot one hundred chart and hit number one on Adult Contemporary.
Here is Dan Fogelberg with the story of his love
song to his father.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
If I think I could only have written one song
in my life, it would have been Leader of the Band.
Because what that meant to my father and to me,
There's no way I could quantify that or even explain it.
My father passed away over ten years ago now, and
(01:26):
he got to hear that song. He got to see
this and enjoyed the success of that song. People were
calling him on the phone and interviewing him in his
last days. You know, who is this man? The leader
of the band, you know? And he he loved that,
and I loved that because I respected him so much.
I mean, he gave me everything I am.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Really.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
My mother and he were both musicians, and the idea
of being a living legacy is really the truth. I
don't think I'll ever be as accomplished a musician as
he was, but I've had a different gift.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
It came to me in a different way.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
I've been able to reach and touch people with these songs,
and that one has probably touched more people, more deeply
than anything I've ever done.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Only child alone, and while a cabinet maker's son, his
hands were meant for differntwork, and his heart was.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
Known to none. He left his arm and went his
long and saw a terror.
Speaker 6 (02:32):
Away, and he gave me a gift, Dina, I'm never
again repay.
Speaker 7 (02:40):
Every night when I sing that song, I feel him.
He's there with me. It's a difficult song to sing
some nights.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
A quiet man of me.
Speaker 6 (02:48):
Music denied is simplifate. He tried to be a sort
to once, but his music wouldn't wait. You're just love
to discipline a thundering vil. The tent is gentle means
(03:09):
and sculpting, soels took me ease to understand.
Speaker 7 (03:15):
Some nights it's it's ambulance. Some nights it feels great.
I celebrate his life. Sometimes it's very sad because I
really miss him. I miss having that guy, you know,
that that strong central figure in my life that I
respected so greatly.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
So my life is bad. The poor tent to imitate
the man. I'm just a living legacy to the leader
the man.
Speaker 7 (03:48):
So I think in the long run, next song is
maybe one of the most important I've written, simply because
it has helped bridge the gap between fathers and sons
or daughters and fathers. You know this lot of women
that have said too that it helped them to communicate
their love to their father and to be able to
solidify that relationship and express that relationship while there's time.
Speaker 6 (04:11):
Living out this life of jose and gone to know
so well.
Speaker 7 (04:18):
You know, one of the worst things I think that
can happen to people is if they don't express the
love to their father and their mother while they're alive,
and then there's always difficulties in family relationships, but I
think it's one of the most important things you can
do in your life is to make sure that's all
done well. Everybody's still around.
Speaker 6 (04:40):
Thank you, Father, me easy and your stories of the road.
I thank you for the freeedom when it came my
time to go. I thank you for the kindness and
the times when you got And Baba, don't think I
(05:03):
said I love you need no.
Speaker 8 (05:08):
The leader of the band is Dad, and his eyes
are growing all but his blood runs through my instrument,
and the song is in my soul.
Speaker 5 (05:22):
My life has been abora to imitate the man. I'm
just living legacy to the leader of the band. I
am living legacy to the lead the band.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
The song. Leader of the band cemented our relationship. There
was nothing left unsaid when he passed away.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
And a terrific job by the production editing and storytelling
by our own Greg Hangler himself a father, and what
a story Dan told, What a tribute and what a
thing to do for your dad. And imagine how moved
(06:20):
he was. Dan said, what it meant to my father
and to me, There's just no way I can quantify it.
Every night when I sing that song. I feel him.
I miss having that guy, Dan said about his dad,
that strong central figure in my life I respected so greatly.
And my goodness, there are two kinds of fathers out there,
(06:42):
and you're listening the guy whose son says that about
you or daughter, and the guy whose son or daughter doesn't,
and get busy being that first guy. It is the
most important song I ever wrote because it helped bridge
the gap between fathers and sons and fathers and daughters.
The song cemented our relationship, Dan said, and there was
(07:06):
nothing left unsaid when he passed away. The story of
a song, the story of leader of the band, a
father and son song, a love song. Here on our
American Stories, this is Lee Habib, host of our American Stories,
(07:32):
the show where America is the star and the American people,
and we do it all from the heart of the
South Oxford, Mississippi. But we truly can't do this show
without you. Our shows will always be free to listen to,
but they're not free to make. If you love what
you hear, consider making a tax deductible donation to our
American Stories. Go to our American Stories dot com. Give
(07:54):
a little, give a lot, that's our American Stories dot com.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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