May 08 Newsletter

I don’t know why it has suddenly washed over me that Dan Fogelberg is gone. Maybe it was hearing his Souvenirs CD recently while driving with my friend Bobbi to one of our gigs. I received some mail immediately after his passing last December but it took until now for it to truly resonate with me. Dan is one of the singer songwriters that I always admired and wished we could have shared a bill with. “Same Old Lang Syne” is one of my all-time favorite songs, period. I think “Part of the Plan” is my second favorite of his and of course “Leader of The Band” is such a compelling song, especially knowing that his father really did conduct bands. Truth be told, I have barely kept up with his recordings but plan on immersing myself in his music now. While reading his on line bio I loved that he described himself as being “fearless” as a young aspiring artist. I know first hand this is what it takes to succeed in this crazy business. He (like me) dropped out of college to chase his dreams. Ironically, Dan ended up living and dying in the state I grew up in and dared to leave against all odds to pursue a career in music. One day I would love to return to Maine as well. After all is said and done, I can only say what an incredible life lived, how blessed he was and how blessed we are to have Dan Fogelberg’s music indelibly woven in our life’s fabric.

In June, Neal and I are performing several shows with Danny O’Keefe, another amazing singer songwriter. This will be our first time on the same bill with Danny and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am about this. Besides having a top-5 Billboard hit with “Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues,” Danny also had several Fm classics like, “Angel Spread Your Wings,” “The Road” which Jackson Browne covered on his live album, “Magdelana” and of course, “Catfish” which David Bromberg played on as well. Danny also has a co-write with Bob Dylan, a duet sung with Linda Ronstadt and has been covered by Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and a cast of thousands.
OK! Thanks again for your support and please do come out and see us while we all still can.
Peace, Rex & Neal