Fogelberg, Dan, 1951- 2007

Dan Fogelberg was born in Peoria, Illinois. He was the youngest of three sons born to Margaret (née Irvine), (1920-2015), a classically trained pianist, and Lawrence Peter Fogelberg, (1911-1982), a band director at Woodruff High School in Peoria, at Pekin Community High School in Pekin, and at Bradley University in Peoria. Fogelberg’s mother was a Scottish immigrant and his father was of Swedish descent. Fogelberg often related his memory of his father allowing him to "conduct" the Bradley University school band when he was only four years old. In 1981, Fogelberg released the song "Leader of the Band", which was written for and inspired by his father.

Using a Mel Bay course book, Fogelberg taught himself to play a Hawaiian slide guitar that his grandfather had given him. He also learned to play the piano. At age 14, he joined a band, The Clan, which covered The Beatles. His second band was another cover band, The Coachmen, who, in 1967, released a single with both tracks written by Fogelberg, recorded at Golden Voice Recording studio in South Pekin, Illinois, and released on the Ledger Record label: "Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget" and "Don't Want to Lose Her".

After graduating from Woodruff High School in 1969, Fogelberg studied theater arts and painting at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He began performing as a solo acoustic player at a local coffeehouse, "The Red Herring", which is where he made his first solo recordings as part of a folk festival in 1971. He was discovered by Irving Azoff, who started his music management career promoting another Champaign-Urbana act, REO Speedwagon. Azoff sent Fogelberg to Nashville, Tennessee, to hone his skills. There he became a session musician and recorded his first album with producer Norbert Putnam. In 1972, Fogelberg released his debut album Home Free to lukewarm response, although it eventually reached platinum status.

He performed as an opening act for Van Morrison in the early 1970s.