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".
Sutter's Mill
Dan Fogelberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So the story, it is told,
Old John Sutter went to the mill site
Found a piece of shining gold.
Well, he took it to the city
Where the word, like wildfire, spread.
And old John Sutter soon came to wish he'd
For they came like herds of locusts
Every woman, child and man
In their lumbering Conestogas
They left their tracks upon the land.
[Chorus]
Some would fail and some would prosper
Some would die and some would kill
Some would thank the Lord for their deliverance
And some would curse John Sutter's Mill.
Well, they came from New York City,
And they came from Alabam'
With their dreams of finding fortunes
In this wild unsettled land.
Well, some fell prey to hostile arrows
As they tried to cross the plains.
And some were lost in the Rocky Mountains
With their hands froze to the reins.
Oh...
[Chorus]
Well, some pushed on to California
And others stopped to take their rest.
And by the Spring of Eighteen-sixty
They had opened up the west.
And then the railroad came behind them
And the land was plowed and tamed,
When Old John Sutter went to meet his maker,
He'd not one penny to his name.
Oh...
[Chorus]
And some would curse John Sutter's Mill
Some men's thirsts are never filled.
The song "Sutter's Mill" by Dan Fogelberg is a narrative ballad that recounts the story of John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant who discovered gold in Coloma, California in the spring of 1848. The opening stanza sets the scene for the rest of the song by recounting how Sutter discovered a piece of shining gold while at the mill site, which he later took to the city, where news of his discovery spread like wildfire. The following verse introduces the idea that the discovery of gold brought waves of people to California with the hopes of finding their own fortunes.
The chorus encapsulates the wide range of outcomes that awaited those who made the journey to California, with some prospering while others failed, died, or killed. Some found salvation in religious faith, while others directed curses at Sutter - who played a key role in the development of California both before and after its gold rush period. The following verse further details the dangerous and arduous journey that these prospectors embarked upon, with some falling prey to hostile natives or freezing to death in the mountains.
The final two stanzas of the song cast a retrospective eye back towards the development of California as a result of the gold rush, depicting how some pushed on to California while others found rest along the way. The arrival of the railroad helped to tame the land, but Sutter - who had poured his fortune into the early development of California - died destitute, with not a penny to his name.
Line by Line Meaning
In the Spring of Forty-seven,
The song begins by setting the scene - it's Spring, and the year is 1847.
So the story, it is told,
The singer implies that this is a well-known story.
Old John Sutter went to the mill site
John Sutter, the central figure of the story, goes to the mill site where his life will soon change.
Found a piece of shining gold.
Sutter discovers a piece of gold that sets a chain of events in motion.
Well, he took it to the city
Sutter takes the gold to the city, excited about his discovery.
Where the word, like wildfire, spread.
News of Sutter's gold travels quickly and captures the public's imagination.
And old John Sutter soon came to wish he'd
Sutter regrets that he ever found the gold.
Left that stone in the river bed.
He wishes he had left the gold where he found it.
For they came like herds of locusts
People come to the area where Sutter found the gold in great numbers.
Every woman, child and man
Everyone, regardless of age or gender, wants a piece of the action.
In their lumbering Conestogas
People arrive in wagons, with their belongings and dreams.
They left their tracks upon the land.
The influx of people and their activities leave a lasting impact on the area.
Some would fail and some would prosper
Not everyone who came to the area found gold - some succeeded, while others failed.
Some would die and some would kill
The stakes were high, and some resorted to violence to protect or acquire their fortunes.
Some would thank the Lord for their deliverance
Some were grateful for their success and saw it as a blessing from God.
And some would curse John Sutter's Mill.
Others saw Sutter's discovery of gold as a curse that brought destruction and chaos to the area.
Well, they came from New York City,
People traveled from all over the country to seek their fortunes in California.
And they came from Alabam'
The gold rush drew people from even the farthest reaches of the country.
With their dreams of finding fortunes
People were drawn to California with the hope of striking it rich.
In this wild unsettled land.
California was still a relatively untamed and unsettled place at the time.
Well, some fell prey to hostile arrows
Not everyone who came to California found gold - some lost their lives at the hands of Native Americans.
As they tried to cross the plains.
Many died while trying to make the dangerous journey to California.
And some were lost in the Rocky Mountains
Others perished while crossing the treacherous mountain range.
With their hands froze to the reins.
The harsh conditions of the frontier often led to tragedy.
Well, some pushed on to California
Despite these challenges, many continued on to California in search of gold.
And others stopped to take their rest.
Others stayed behind, perhaps giving up on their dream of finding gold.
And by the Spring of Eighteen-sixty
The narrative jumps ahead to 1860, thirteen years after the gold rush began.
They had opened up the west.
Those who participated in the gold rush played a significant role in settling and developing the western United States.
And then the railroad came behind them
The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad made travel and transportation easier and more efficient.
And the land was plowed and tamed,
As people settled in the West, they began to farm and develop the land, making it more civilized and structured.
When Old John Sutter went to meet his maker,
Old John Sutter died, likely as an old man, after living through the changes brought about by the gold rush.
He'd not one penny to his name.
Despite having discovered gold, Sutter did not profit financially from it in the long run.
And some would curse John Sutter's Mill
The final chorus repeats, reminding the listener that not everyone saw the gold rush as a good thing.
Some men's thirsts are never filled.
The song ends on a somber note, implying that even those who struck it rich during the gold rush were ultimately left unsatisfied and unfulfilled.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAN FOGELBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CCharlieAngel .cajm110798
I love Dan harmonizing over his vocals. Not only on this track but on so many others. He was a unique singer and songwriter.
J Taylor
This is one of Dan's finest songs, his voice and talent will be missed. Thank-you for posting
William Martinec
The only time we ought to miss Daniel is when we somehow missed out on having ever heard one of his songs.
Cloverhoney
Dan fogelberg was a genius that left us far too soon but he will live on can you even imagine the beautiful music he's making now
Idk
Finally I found this song after 10 years!My dad always play this song on his car and when I was 8 years old I used to listen this song with him and now I'm 23.Time changes really fast and good old days and song❤️
Chamil Prang
Me too bro, now I’m 21 and still listening to it😂
valli pherson
It feels like a victory to finally find a song. Congratulations!
Cherno Doggo
My dad recommended this to me while we talked about old movies
Eldred Dohling
Same like me my dad also love this song and would play it in his car
Jason Rongpi
I've been looking for this song since five years ago. Thank God I found it today.