The youngest of three sons, Dan was born in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Margaret (née Irvine), a classically-trained pianist, and Lawrence Peter Fogelberg, a high school band director, who spent most of his career at Peoria Woodruff High School and Pekin High School. Dan Fogelberg's mother was a Scottish immigrant and his father was of Swedish descent. His father would later be the inspiration for the song Leader of the Band. Using a Mel Bay course book, Dan taught himself to play a Hawaiian slide guitar his grandfather gave to him; he also learned to play the piano. He started his music career at age 14 when he joined his first band, The Clan, which paid homage to The Beatles. His second band was another cover combo, The Coachmen, which in 1967 released two singles on Ledger Records: "Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget" and "Don't Want To Lose Her." Another was the blues band, Frankie and the Aliens, who toured regionally during the 1980s covering songs by Cream and Muddy Waters, among others.
After graduating from Woodruff High School in 1969, he studied theater arts and painting at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and began performing as a solo acoustic player in area coffeehouses including the Red Herring Coffeehouse where he made his first solo recordings as part of a folk festival recording in 1971. There, he was discovered in 1971 by Irving Azoff. Fogelberg and Azoff – who started his music-management career promoting another Champaign-Urbana act, REO Speedwagon – moved to California to seek their fortunes. Fogelberg became a session musician who played with pop-folk artists like Van Morrison. In 1972, he released his debut album Home Free to lukewarm response. His second effort was much more successful: the 1974 Joe Walsh-produced album Souvenirs and its hit song "Part of the Plan" made him a major star.
Following Souvenirs, Fogelberg released a string of gold and platinum albums, including Captured Angel (1975) and Nether Lands (1977), and found commercial success with songs like "The Power of Gold." His 1978 Twin Sons of Different Mothers was the first of two collaborations with jazz flutist Tim Weisberg. 1979's Phoenix reached the Top 10, with "Longer" becoming a #2 hit and wedding standard in winter 1980. This was followed by his Top 20 hit "Heart Hotels."
The Innocent Age, released in October 1981, was Fogelberg's critical and commercial peak. This double album song cycle included four of his biggest hits: "Leader of the Band," "Hard To Say," "Run for the Roses", and "Same Old Lang Syne," based on a real-life accidental meeting with a former girlfriend (Jill Anderson). In 1984, he rocked a little again with the album Windows And Walls.
later years:
Fogelberg released High Country Snows in 1985. Recorded in Nashville, it showcased his (and some of the industry's best) talent in the bluegrass genre. Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson, Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen were among those who contributed to the record. In a world defined by "life in the fast lane" Fogelberg described the music as "life in the off-ramp." 1987 heralded a return to rock with Exiles, while 1990's The Wild Places was a tribute to Earth preservation. In 1991, he released the live album Greetings from the West.
River of Souls, released in 1993, was Fogelberg's last studio album for Sony Records. In 1997, Portrait encompassed his career with four discs, each highlighting a different facet of his music: "Ballads," "Rock and Roll," "Tales and Travels" (which displayed his talents as a narrative songwriter) and "Hits." In 1999 he fulfilled a career-long dream of creating a Christmas album called First Christmas Morning, and in 2003, Full Circle showcased a return to the folk-influenced, 1970s soft rock-style of music for which he and other singer-songwriters from his era had gained popular recognition.
Fogelberg also used his music to address social issues, including peace and Native American concerns. He was particularly outspoken about his commitment to the environment and to finding alternatives to nuclear power. To that end, Fogelberg included "Face the Fire" on the Phoenix album and performed at a number of the Musicians United for Safe Energy "No Nukes" concerts in 1979 and 1980.
His live concerts won acclaim across the nation over the years. Fogelberg said one of his proudest moments came in 1979 when he played New York City's Carnegie Hall for an audience including his mother and father. Most summers, Fogelberg would perform with full band or in solo acoustic setting; the formats allowed him to show the breadth and depth of his talent as a singer, guitarist, pianist and bandleader. In 2002, fans showed their appreciation by choosing Fogelberg to be one of the first 10 inductees into the Performers Hall of Fame at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.
In May 2004, Fogelberg was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. He underwent therapy and achieved a partial remission, which did not eliminate his cancer but reduced it and stopped its spread. On August 13, 2005, his 54th birthday, Fogelberg announced the success of his cancer treatments and he thanked fans for their support. He said that he had no immediate plans to return to making music but was keeping his options open and enjoying spending time with his wife, musician Jean Fogelberg.
Fogelberg maintained residences in Deer Isle, Maine and at Mountain Bird Ranch, a 610-acre property near Pagosa Springs, Colorado that he bought in 1982. The ranch was put up for sale in 2005.
After battling prostate cancer for three years, Fogelberg died on December 16, 2007 at his home in Maine with his wife Jean by his side.
Soon after his death, Fogelberg's wife, Jean, announced that a song written and recorded for her by Fogelberg for Valentine's Day 2005, Sometimes a Song, would be sold on the Internet and all proceeds would go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The song was released on Valentine's Day 2008. She further announced that this song would be included in a collection of eleven previously unrecorded songs (nine originals) to be released on a CD provisionally entitled "Love In Time".
Reach
Dan Fogelberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it`s Autumn
The birches have just begun turning
It`s life and it`s dying
The lobstermen`s boats come returning
With the catch of they day in their holds
and the young boys cold and complaining
The fog meets the beaches and out on
It`s father and son
It`s the way it`s been done since the old days
It`s hauling by hand ten miles out
from the land where their chow waits
All the days get so lonely and long
and seas grow so stormy and strong but
The Reach will sing welcome as homeward
they hurry along.
And the morning will blow away
As the waves crash and fall
And the Reach like a siren sings
as she beckons and calls
As the coastline recedes from view
And the seas swell and roll
I will take from the Reach
all that she has to teach
To the depths of my soul --
The wind brings a chill
There`s a frost on the sill in the morning
It creeps through the door
At the edge of the shore
ice is forming
Soon the northers will bluster and blow
And the woods will be whitened
with snowfall
And the Reach will lie frozen
for the lost and unchosen to row --
And the morning will blow away
As the waves crash and fall
And the Reach like a siren sings
as she beckons and calls
As the coastline recedes from view
And the seas swell and roll
I will take from the Reach
all that she has to teach
To the depths of my soul --
The song describes the beauty, the struggle, and the cycle of life in Maine during autumn. The opening lines depict the changing season with the birches turning colors and the lobstermen returning with their daily catch while the young boys complain of the cold weather. The fog and rain add to the setting's melancholy mood, with the Reach acting as a witness to it all. The Reach is a term used in Maine to describe the region of land and sea where the two meet, and it is a significant element of the song's imagery.
As the verse progresses, we learn that the fishing tradition in Maine is a father-son activity that has been done for generations. Despite the hardship, the men brave the storm to catch food and provide for their families. The Reach is a place of solace and peace, where they find comfort and a sense of home when they return. Fogelberg uses the Reach as a symbol of both the struggles and rewards that come with pursuing one's passion.
In the final verse, winter approaches as the winds get colder and the frost appears. The Reach will freeze over, and the lost and unchosen who didn't heed its call during the summer will have to row through it. The song's final message is that the Reach has much to teach us if we take the time to listen and learn. No matter how long and difficult life gets, we should go back to our roots and embrace what's truly important—the beauty of nature, the relationships we build, and the traditions that connect us to our past.
Line by Line Meaning
It`s Maine...
This song takes place in Maine.
And it`s Autumn
The story is taking place in Autumn.
The birches have just begun turning
The leaves on the birch trees have started to change color and fall.
It`s life and it`s dying
Autumn is a time of both new life and death, as leaves turn colors and fall, and animals prepare for winter.
The lobstermen`s boats come returning
Lobster fishermen are returning home with their catch.
With the catch of the day in their holds
The boats are carrying the lobsters that were caught that day.
And the young boys cold and complaining
The children of the fishermen are cold and unhappy from being out on the sea.
The fog meets the beaches and out on the Reach it is raining --
Fog is rolling in and it is raining out on the Reach (a stretch of water).
It`s father and son
The story is about a relationship between a father and his son.
It`s the way it`s been done since the old days
Fishing is a tradition that has been passed down for generations.
It`s hauling by hand ten miles out from the land where their chow waits
The fishermen must travel ten miles out to sea to catch the lobsters, and their families are waiting for them back on land.
All the days get so lonely and long and seas grow so stormy and strong but The Reach will sing welcome as homeward they hurry along.
Fishing is a demanding and often lonely job, but the fishermen find comfort in returning home to the Reach and hearing its song of welcome.
And the morning will blow away As the waves crash and fall And the Reach like a siren sings as she beckons and calls
The sea and the Reach have a powerful, alluring quality to them, like a siren's song that draws people in.
As the coastline recedes from view And the seas swell and roll I will take from the Reach all that she has to teach To the depths of my soul --
The singer is deeply moved by the beauty and power of the Reach, and feels that he has much to learn from it.
The wind brings a chill There`s a frost on the sill in the morning It creeps through the door At the edge of the shore ice is forming
Winter is approaching, and the cold is setting in on both land and sea.
Soon the northers will bluster and blow And the woods will be whitened with snowfall And the Reach will lie frozen for the lost and unchosen to row --
Winter will bring snow and freezing temperatures, and the Reach will become too treacherous for many to navigate.
I will take from the Reach all that she has to teach To the depths of my soul --
Once again, the singer expresses his reverence for the Reach and the lessons it holds for him.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAN FOGELBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bill Klein
No one singer ever hit me emotionally like Fogelberg. Prine, Dylan, Lightfoot, all affected me, but Fogelberg wins.
JOEL LIEBLER
Same here!
Terrance Newton
I can feel the ocean spray every time this song plays. I can feel the hard work of the fishermen and their sons, living by the catch. To the depths of my soul this song touches me. Dan was part of the intimacy a lover and I shared for many years. Even though we married different people, Dan's songs remind me of my special time I had with Kris. I have been with my wife now for 36 years and these songs take me back to college and a carefree time in my life. Love you Dan and I miss you.
nestlinggirl
The perfect song. Dan was such a gifted story teller and musician. I miss him so much!
William Lamie
The best
Debbie Schmidling
Yes!
pcwcolby
I was born on an island in the Reach. This song touches the deepest part of my soul. My home is on Deer Isle. Dan and Jean lived a half mile down the road from us. I had listened to Dan's music for years while I paint. I met Jean about 8 years ago. She knew I painted animals and asked me to paint Buckaroo Boone for Dan's birthday. Dan loved the portrait and invited me to come for a visit and a tour of their newly completed house. I got to tell him what this song means to me. Always in my heart.
Cydney Payne
Yes I remember seeing the portrait you did of buckaroo Boone in Jean's memior outstanding I can see why Dan loved it.
Larry Estabrook
Who cares?
Susan March
I was a Dan Fogelberg fan from the get go but knew little about him other than his beautiful voice & touching lyrics. Around 20 years ago my husband & I visited relatives on Deer Isle & immediately fell in love with it. We were blessed to buy a home there @ 10 years ago & I profoundly understand its draw for Fogelberg. This song now has such a personal meaning to me. While Maine is a beautiful state in general Deer Isle has become my happy place & it surrounds me with peace.