One of my favorite singer-songwriters passed away, yesterday. Dan Fogelberg became one of my favorites when I was in college. I remember the first time I heard Same Old Lang Syne on the radio in the car, I called the radio station to find out who sang it. The DJ mistakenly told me it was Gordon Lightfoot, so I was surprised after I bought Lightfoot's Greatest Hits. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Sundown are great songs, but they're not quite the same. Other venerable favorites include Leader of the Band and Run For The Roses (to which I usually listen on the day of the Kentucky Derby ...or any other horse race). I even prefer his version of Rhythm of the Rain.
Fogelberg was originally from Peoria, so I've always held him in special esteem as a fellow native Illinoisan. A woman on the radio this morning, here in Tulsa, was talking about how she grew up in Peoria, and she used to shop at the Kroger where Same Old Lang Syne took place. Six degrees of separation also put one of my college roommate's dad was once Dan Fogelberg's dad's insurance agent. So...
I realize his biggest hits were over 25 years ago, but he continued to be a very popular live act (I missed a chance to see him at the Ryman Auditorium on my birthday in '97). His folk style and lyrics has always made his Greatest Hits album one of my comfort foods of music. I'll miss not getting to see him live, but I still enjoy listening to his music nearly 15 years after discovering it.
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