Open letters to Dan from his fans... 


August 15, 1998
Dan -
I've always wanted the opportunity to say thank you for the incredible way your music has touched our souls through the past decades. I've been a "Dan Fan" since 1975, as have been my sister and brother. It's a wonderful bond for the three of us.

I know of no other performer who is so truly an artist in every way. You have the soul of a poet, with the wit and intelligence of the original muses. Thank you for the wonderful gift of your music - and Happy Birthday!

MK


August 13, 1998

Dear Dan,
Just a note to wish you a very happy birthday. May your "restless soul" be still today.

Dianne


August 13. 1998

Dan, I celebrate this day. The day your Spirit came to earth to be with ours. Thanks for being a human being rather than a superstar. Thanks for writing, playing and singing from your poetic soul, your sense of fun, your experience of life, your individuality. May you be well blessed. Happy Birth Day!
ever on,
Deann


August 10, 1998

Mr. Fogelberg,
I'm not in the habit of writing fan letters, but I do want to take this opportunity to thank you for some great music over the years. Some memories I'd like to thank you specifically for:
1. There's a place in the world... the video ABC made to the music for the olympics. Remember Franz Klammer's downhill run? great stuff.
2. leader of the band... this song came on the radio at work the other day, and I had to leave to compose myself. I lost my father a few years ago; he also was a leader of the band.
3. souvenirs and Captured angel... we made several "make-out tapes" from those two albums, and of course, they were much more useful for fantasy purposes than anything else.
4. Not a thank you, but.. I thought it was great that Garth Brooks acknowledged you as an influence. It's quite obvious that he's spent some time listening to your music.

Thanks again.
Bob


August 9, 1998

Dan,
I remember in 1972 hearing "To The Morning" for the first time. It was on an album by an obscure artist I had picked up trying to broaden my musical horizons. Since that first listening, I have owned everything you record from the day of release. I have yet to miss one of your performances in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (to my knowledge). Most recently, I caught the show at the Wildflower Festivel in Richardson Tx. We were on the front row. At that performance, I was fortunant enough to me your "significant other". She was standing about halfway back in the crowd. I recognized her, as we saw you come in together. She was as charming and pretty as anyone I would ever hope to meet. I really thought it was grat that she wanted to see the performance from, in her words, "the perspective of the crowd". Not wanting to wear out our welcome, my girlfriend and I excused ourself promptly after a brief chat.

I have been backstage to one of your concerts in Dallas. It was the tour with Tim Weisberg a few years back at the Coca-Cola Starplex. Tim was great. He is one of my favorites as well. The album "A Party of One" was a pinacle in his long career (in my humble opinion). It rained so hard that night that you didn't come out and "smooze". That was one of the greatest disappointments of my life. I have been trying to get your autogragh for, at least, 20 some-odd years now. You are an allusive person, I must say. As one to respect anothers privacy, I can accept that. But, I will keep trying... If you have time, drop me a response. I am truly one of your oldest and most devoted fans. Thanks for all the wonderful music and the part of your soul you have shared with us over the years.

Sincerly,
Chet Rice


August 4, 1998

Dear Dan- August 1998
I saw you at the Cape Cod venue in July. I accidentally ended up sitting in the front row. Your shoes were similar to mine and I think you looked right at me a couple of times. Anyway, I loved the "borrowed" song you sang. You sing with such intensity and I can really relate to that since I am also a leo who sings(soprano), composes, and plays the guitar and piano. And, the one picture I have painted in my life is of a sailboat drifting off to sea.

I admire the way you dedicated your video "Greetings from the West." I especially love the line, "let every creature I see be a brother and a friend to me." You have such a mesmerizing gaze on your best of cd and in person. You really pull your compositions together with a rich style that is unparalleled! Thanks so much for "Run for the Roses." I've sung it before and just about brought the house down! You give so much of yourself to your music and it really is cherished!

I hope your sailing trip was a pleasurable experience, this time, and the sea and sky were a beautiful shade of turquoise blue.

I also noticed your array of beverages at the show and wished I could tell you about a product which has really helped me and a friend of mine who also sings. There is a healthier alternative! I don't know if you are health conscious or completely apathetic. If you are interested, however, I can be reached at:
Kwickie@aol.com

Forever grateful for your gift and the way you share it!
Michele


July 20, 1998

Dan,
Maybe you read these letters, maybe not. *S* After reading these letters and knowing how deep from inside these folks' hearts they come, I had to add my two cents. You have always been one of my favorite artists, James Taylor being the other. I have all of your records but have never seen you in concert. In 1989, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The Wild Places came out and I played the cd so much that it became a part of my soul. It'd take me away when the pain became so unbearable that I thought I'd die. It made me smile, it made me laugh. I prayed for the strength to return to hiking in The Wild Places and for the salvation you seemed to find in Anastasia's Eyes. In the coming years, the cancer recurred twice and through numerous radiation treatments and chemo drips, I listened to you on my walkman and I told myself I had to live through it just so I could finally see you in concert and maybe get to meet you. Somehow, although that might seem a bit of an untraditional reason to survive, it worked for me. It inspired me to go back to my Native American roots (my mother is Cherokee)and take non-traditional herbal treatment instead of chemo which wasn't working.....And I did make it. I've been in remission for a year now and I'm going to the concert Tuesday in Atlanta. It will truly be a milestone in my life and a celebration as well. I've always wanted to say thank you even though you had no idea what I was going through or that you helped. Your music is inspirational. It isn't so much specifically the lyrics or the musical notes, it has to be you and the pieces of your soul that you share. Any true Fogelberg fan knows of which I speak. So, Mr. Fogelberg, thank you for your music and the inner peace you bring to others through the gift of your music. I wish you peace and happiness....P.S. If you ever read this and would like to say hello, my e-mail is daisyjane1@hotmail.com.

Victoria


July 20, 1998

Dan,
Can't wait to see you in concert at Wolf Trap tonight. I've been a fan since the late 70's. You're songs touch my soul and open my heart. I saw you in Austin in 1994 with my sister. It brings back many memories for both of us. I'd love to see you with full orchestration again, but understand your need to perform your songs solo too. If you decide you need someone to work with you in the studio or in concert on harmonies and counter melodies, give me a call. I'd be honored.
TL


July 19, 1998

Dear Dan:
Last Tuesday I saw your concert once again at Westbury Music Fair. It is always one of the highlights of my year. This year I brought a friend who liked your music but wasn't a great fan. He was quickly converted. You were spectacular as always although I wish you would have concentrated more on doing your older material from albums such as Souvenirs and Netherlands instead of your more commercial songs. Of course though, you are great whatever you do. Can't wait till next year.

Your devoted fan,
Karen


July 19, 1998

Mr. Fogelberg,
I write this, like many others, to express my gratitude for years upon years of great music, though I first discovered you through my father six years ago as a ten year old boy, listening to his now worn-out Greatist Hits album. I have since purchased all of the CD's of yours that I know of, and listen to them in the car, at home, etc. Your music has touched me in a way no others can quite match, helping pull through some tough times, or to just pass the time. I couldn't say I had a favorite song or album, but if I had to pick, "Make Love Stay" would be my favorite song, and "The Innocent Age" my favorite album. I couldn't say anymore without sounding redudant, so I'll just say thanks again.
Mike Moriarty
P.S. You've got to come back to San Antonio sometime.


July 17, 1998

Hi Dan,
I'm a very new fan of your music. I got a tape from a friend and I got hooked immediately... boy am I glad I discovered your music. Listening to your songs touch me all the time and makes me happy. Thanks for sharing your talent with us. I hope you will keep on doing your wonderful work!!!

Good thoughts and lots of love from Germany

Rike
**************
You will find as you look back upon your life,
you have really lived,
are the moments when you have done things
in the spirit of love.

Henry Drummond


July 7, 1998

First of all, we all owe a ton of thanks to Pete for the really great information clearinghouse and also to Wynn for giving all of us who have been touched by Dan's spirit over the years the opportunity to share with other folks around the country (and the world) what Dan's special talents have meant to us. Reading through the letters has been a real revelation--to see so many folks with really warm stories on how Dan's music has been with them for so long that they feel as though he's part of the family--like his voice has been heard in your home for so long that it feels like it belongs there as much as the voices of the folks who live there. Doesn't it feel almost as if he's been in our heads and hearts all these years, saying all the things we wish we knew how to say ourselves? I feel honored to have read the depth of feelings from Lori in Nashville, Tim from Seattle and Denise from Pittsburgh, and all the hundreds of others who have taken the risk of letting others see how they felt (corny or not). Like many of you, my feeling when I wrote this letter (which was before I even knew about the Website) was that it would probably never be seen by Dan, but that I needed to do this anyway, that I had to somehow put into words my thanks to Dan for the profound effect he's had on my life and that of my wife and sons. Reading the many letters, it's heartwarming to see that so many others have been similarly touched. Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories. Please bear with me as I share my letter to Dan.

May 27, 1998 (now July 7th)

Dear Dan,

This letter is long overdue. I’ve never been much for fan mail. As a matter of fact, I don’t recall ever writing a fan letter before. The occasion for this one is our 25th wedding anniversary. I would imagine that you get this kind of thing all the time, but my hope is that you might be at your home in Colorado in the summer and the idea might strike you as just off the wall enough to wander over to Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder on July 22nd and join us.

Some of the parallels of Corinne’s and my life with yours are kind of fun and intriguing. I was born in Chicago and raised in the northern suburbs. (I know you’re from the Peoria area). Corinne was born 8 days after you on August 21st, ’51, and I was born 3½ weeks after her on Sept. 14th. We drove out from Chicago to get married on Flagstaff in ’73, then moved to Boulder to stay in ’74 and lived there for 11 years, till ’85. Both our sons were born there. I drove a school bus for Boulder Valley Schools and had one of the mountain routes that went past your place in Pinebrook Hills. If I remember right, you were on Wild Horse Circle.

I also worked in radio during those years, a weekender at a little station in Leadville, doing a progressive jazz show and a progressive rock show back to back on Saturday nights back in ’75 through ’77. I used to drive through snowstorms over the Tunnel and Fremont Pass to do air shifts on Saturday and Sunday, then back down to Boulder to drive for the School District during the week. I think I may have been the first (or among the first) in Colorado to play Captured Angel, Nether Lands and Twin Sons on the air, even before KBCO in Boulder.

Over time, Corinne was a graphic artist in Boulder, became a flight attendant for United Airlines, and went back to school at 39 to get her Bachelor’s, then Master’s in Social Work. She’s now a Drug/Alcohol Counselor here in Juneau. I ended up as Transportation Director for Cheyenne WY School District, then Colorado Springs from (’86-’90). Those two cities were a real culture shock for a couple of Boulder flower children. As much as people like to beat up on Boulder for being too yuppified, it’s still a place that retains the sense of being able to be whoever you want to be without having to defend your choices. Cheyenne and the Springs were so ragingly conservative that it was really uncomfortable to try to raise children with the core values that we hoped they’d inherit, such as valuing the differences between people, protection of the environment, freedom of people to make their own choices, etc. There was no need to worry--the kids grew up to be rebels like their folks. We’ve taken them to the native lands of Arizona, to Lakota and Cheyenne lands in Montana and the Dakotas, to Inuit villages on the Arctic Ocean and to every place in between to learn about and celebrate all people’s cultures and differences. I also worked as a volunteer at Wolf Haven International, a wolf sanctuary and education center for wolf ecology just outside Olympia, Washington and the boys have inherited our love of the wilderness. Corinne and I now live in Alaska, where she is a Social Worker (Addictions Counselor) and I'm the State Director of School Transportation for the Alaska Department of Education.

I’ve played guitars for over 30 years and play much of your music on 6- and 12-string. I have a Martin D-28 six-string that I bought in ’72 and a D-20 twelve (modeled after the D-18) that I bought in ‘74. I supported myself playing and singing for a year or two back in '70 and '71; my inspirations were Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell (although trying to figure out her tunings by ear made it a lot tougher to play her songs than Gordon's). Our older son, Luke, who is 20, has turned into a wonderful guitarist himself and plays some of your pieces, mostly writes his own material now; the younger, Casey, at 18½, is a really good pianist, who learned to play your “Paris Nocturne” from a sheet music book of your 1st six albums I picked up several years ago. The first concert they ever went to was your “For the Earth” concert in June of ’89 (I think?) at Red Rocks with us. Corinne and I have seen you several times over the years, most recently at Sokol Blosser Winery in McMinnville, Oregon last summer with the guys. Corinne was blowing bubbles and I was the guy who kept giving you standing O’s in about the 5th row to your right, on the off chance you remember.

All that being said, the reason we would like to invite you to our 25th anniversary is that you’ve felt like a part of the family for all those years. We raised our children to your music; your voice, the paintings that your songs create and your depth of feeling have gotten us through some rough times. I know every piece you’ve done and can play and sing many of them (all harmony lines). Your music has been in turn healing, uplifting, poignant and has touched our hearts and souls. I’ll be playing several of your pieces at the celebration with backing by Luke on guitar, such as “Face of Love”, “Make Love Stay”, “Don’t Lose Heart” and “Forefathers” along with Michael Johnson’s “Give Me Wings”, and Timothy B. Schmidt’s “Love Will Keep Us Alive”.

Whether you ever get to see this (let alone able to make it to the celebration), you will always have a place in our heart as a friend and a place in our home as one who has contributed to a very special love of music for all of us. May you always find peace and a sense of fulfillment. If you ever feel the need to question whether your music was really important or really mattered to others, you need look no further than our family. Your music has had a profound effect on our lives; as I read the letters on the website, I see that you have touched so many others as well. I wish you a sense of joy and satisfaction from the fact that many of those who love your music today are second and third generation, children and even grandchildren (Can you believe that?) of your original following.

Whether you’re able to make it to the anniversary or not, whether you see this or not, I wish you all the best throughout your life. If you ever feel the desire to visit Alaska, please consider including Juneau (a relatively small town, but it has a campus of the University of Alaska here. Michael Johnson, also one of our old favorites whom we’ve listened to for over 20 years, played a very small place here and Corinne and I sat about 12 feet away a few months ago.) If you need a place to stay, you will always be welcome with us. We have a little A-frame, kind of like what you’d expect to see in Nederland or Ward or Ouray, perched on a bluff overlooking the Inside Passage about 20 miles north of Juneau. We have a guest room and I think you’d love the sense of wilderness. Bears play in our driveway, we can watch whales from the windows and deck and there are wolf packs on the nearby ridges and bays.

Take care, Dan, and thank you again for sharing your music with us for all these years.

Ever On,

Joe Precourt
(907) 790-5522; wk 465-8687
P.O. Box 22334
Juneau, Alaska 99802-2334


April 26, 1998

Hey Dan,
To me, there is no greater songwriter or artist than you are. I am 37 and have been listening to your music since I was about 15 and although every album has been superb, "Souveniers" has to be my favorite of all time. The musical arrangements and sheer artistry echoes through each and every song. I would one day like to meet and talk with you. I have my first CD coming out in a couple of weeks that I recording in Nashville. It was a fantastic experience and best of all the majority of my music was influenced by you. I would be more than happy to send you a copy just to get your feedback. It would mean the world to me. Maybe, you could even give me some good advice on bettering my songwriting capabilities. My name is Mark Leland, and the title of my CD is "Through the Heart". MY email is Songwriter@centuryinter.net. Again I would like to thank you for all these great years of music from "Homefree" to your latest box set collection. The music has touched my
soul forever. God bless.

MARK LELAND


April 20, 1998

Dan, why won't you include Pittsburgh on your tour schedule? I know alot of people here love your music.....will you consider it?

Denise in Pittsburgh


April 4, 1998

Dear Dan,

I am so excited about the April 19th concert in Houston! I can't wait! It's been a while since you've had a solo accoustic concert here.

As if that's not enough, we plan on seeing you at the Colorado WestFest this year! What a great time it's going to be! I recently got the "Portrait" 4-cd boxed set. Wow! I've really missed some beautiful music!

Any comments or thoughts can be e-mailed to GCEqpt@aol.com

See you soon,
Sandy


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