Leader of the Band
Encyclopedia
"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.
Released as a single
at the end of the year, it peaked at number 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
".
Lucie Arnaz
performs a version of the song as a tribute to her late father, Desi Arnaz
.
It was used in a montage at the end of the 1985 CART season, in tribute to the Unser racing family.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
from his 1981 album The Innocent Age
The Innocent Age
The Innocent Age is the seventh album by American singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg, released in 1981 . It was also one of his most successful albums; three of his four Top 10 singles on the Billboard pop chart were from this album, as well as another Top 20 single in "Run for the Roses"...
. 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.
Released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
at the end of the year, it peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in March, 1982. It became Fogelberg's second #1 song on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
adult contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
, following his 1980 hit "Longer
Longer
"Longer" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg. The song can be found on Fogelberg's 1979 album Phoenix...
".
Lucie Arnaz
Lucie Arnaz
Lucie Désirée Arnaz is an American actress, singer, dancer and producer. She is the daughter of actors Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and is the sister of actor Desi Arnaz, Jr..- Early life :...
performs a version of the song as a tribute to her late father, Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
.
It was used in a montage at the end of the 1985 CART season, in tribute to the Unser racing family.