Leader of the Band: Dan Fogelberg's Love Song to His Father

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the canon of personal songs, "Leader of the Band" is one of the most treasured. The song is Fogelberg’s loving tribute to his musician father, Lawrence. Here's Dan himself with the story of the song—and the man.

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Episode Transcript

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, or 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 enjoy 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 loved that. And
I loved that because I respected him so much. I mean,
he gave me everything I am. Really. My mother and

(01:47):
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. It came to me in
a different way. I've been able to reach and touch
people with these songs, and that one has probably touched

(02:08):
more people, more deeper than anything I've ever done.

Speaker 3 (02:13):
Only child alone, and while a cabinet maker's son, his
hands were meant for differntwork, and his heart was.

Speaker 4 (02:24):
Known to none. He left his arm and went his.

Speaker 5 (02:29):
No and saw a terror away, and he gave to
me a gift, Dina I'm never again read.

Speaker 2 (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 Usic Denyed is simplifate. He
tried to be a sort you once, but his music
wouldn't wait. You just love to discipline a thunderingvil. The
tent is gentle means of sculpting, soels took.

Speaker 4 (03:11):
Me ys to understand.

Speaker 2 (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 4 (03:28):
So my life is bad a poor tent to imitate
the man.

Speaker 6 (03:36):
I'm just a living elegacy to the leader the Man.

Speaker 2 (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,
our daughters and fathers. You know lot of women that
have said too that 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 5 (04:11):
Living out this life of jose and gone to know
so well.

Speaker 2 (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 4 (04:40):
Thank you for.

Speaker 3 (04:40):
Other measy and your stories of the road.

Speaker 5 (04:47):
I thank you for the freedom when it came my
time to go. I thank you for the kindness and
the times when you got.

Speaker 4 (04:59):
To and bumba, don't think I said.

Speaker 6 (05:04):
I love you need.

Speaker 4 (05:08):
The leader of the band is Dad, and.

Speaker 6 (05:11):
His eyes are growing all but his butter runs through
my instrument, and the song is in my soul.

Speaker 4 (05:22):
My life has been the bor drimitate the man.

Speaker 6 (05:29):
I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band.
I am the living legacy to the lead.

Speaker 4 (05:43):
The band.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
The song leader of the band cemented our relationship. There
was nothing left unsaid when he passed away.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
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
he was. Dan said, what it meant to my father
and to me. There's just no way I can quantify it.

(06:27):
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,
and you're listening, the guy whose son says that about
you or daughter, and the guy whose son or daughter doesn't,

(06:50):
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
nothing left unsaid when he passed away. The story of

(07:11):
a song, the story of leader of the band, a
father and son song, a love song. Here on our
American Stories plea hbibe here again, and I'd like to
encourage you to subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts,

(07:35):
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(07:56):
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