| "Leader of the Band" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Dan Fogelberg | ||||
| from the album The Innocent Age | ||||
| B-side | "Times Like These" | |||
| Released | December 1981 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:15 (single version) 4:48 (album version) | |||
| Label | Full Moon/Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dan Fogelberg | |||
| Producer(s) | Dan Fogelberg, Marty Lewis | |||
| Dan Fogelberg singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| Dan Fogelberg - Leader of the Band (from Live: Greetings from the West) on YouTube | ||||
"Leader of the Band" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg for his 1981 album The Innocent Age. The song was written as a tribute to his father Lawrence Fogelberg, a musician and leader of a band who was still alive when the song was released.[1][2] Before Lawrence's death in August 1982, he granted many media interviews because of the song.[3]
The single was released in late 1981 and peaked at no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[4] in March 1982.[5] It became Fogelberg's second no. 1 song on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, following his 1980 hit "Longer".[6] On the Radio & Records charts, "Leader of the Band" peaked at no. 2 on the CHR/Pop chart, and hit no. 1 on the AC chart.
"Leader of the Band" was written for my father Lawrence Fogelberg who was a musician, educator, and band leader. I was so gratified that I was able to give him that song before he passed on.