Leader of the Band


"Leader of the Band" is a song written by Dan Fogelberg from his 1981 album The Innocent Age. The song was written as a tribute to his father, Lawrence Fogelberg, a musician and the leader of a band, who was still alive at the time the song was released. Lawrence died in August 1982, but not before this hit song made him a celebrity with numerous media interviews interested in him as its inspiration.
Released as a single at the end of 1981, the tribute peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1982. It became Fogelberg's second #1 song on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, following his 1980 hit "Longer".

Other versions

has performed a version of the song as a tribute to her late father, Desi Arnaz.
Regine Velasquez recorded this song in 2008 for her album Low Key, and she also performed the song to her father, Gerardo Velasquez, he was still alive.
Zac Brown recorded this song in 2017 as part of a tribute album to Dan Fogelberg. He also dedicated it to his father.

Charts

Year-end chart Rank
US Top Pop Singles 35