Dan Folger

Dan Folger (April 11, 1943 – March 23, 2006) was an American singer and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

. Born Dan Waren Folger in

San Rafael, California San Rafael ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Raphael (archangel), St. Raphael", ) is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), ...

, while he was a small boy his family moved to

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States. A small part of Midland is in Martin County. At the 2020 census, Midland's population was 132,524. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan ...

, where he would make friends with future

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

collaborator Joe Melson. His and his friends' interest in music led to a move to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, in the 1960s. There, under Don Gant, Folger wrote songs for

Acuff-Rose Music Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. was an American music publishing firm formed in 1942 by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Acuff-Rose's honest behavior towards their writers set them apart from other music publishing firms ...

including the song "Amy", which appeared on the 1969 album, ''

Roy Orbison's Many Moods ''Roy Orbison's Many Moods'', also known as ''The Many Moods of Roy Orbison'', is the thirteenth album recorded by Roy Orbison, and his seventh for MGM Records, released in May 1969. It included two singles, both of which were minor hits in the UK ...

''. Other Folger compositions were recorded by Melson,

Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs Domingo "Sam" Samudio (born February 28, 1937, in Dallas, Texas, United States), better known by his stage name Sam the Sham, is a retired American rock and roll singer. Sam the Sham was known for his camp robe and turban and hauling his equipme ...

, and Glass Bubble, among others. As a performer, Folger recorded four

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

(eight songs) for Hickory Records between 1962 and 1966, and another single for Elf Records in 1967. Several of these singles were co-written by Folger and Melson. Perhaps Folger's best-known composition is "Weeping Annaleah", a song co-written with Mickey Newbury. It was recorded by Newbury,

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer * Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...

The Box Tops The Box Tops is an American rock band formed in Memphis in 1967. They are best known for the hits " The Letter", "Cry Like a Baby", "Choo Choo Train," and " Soul Deep" and are considered a major blue-eyed soul group of the period. They perform ...

, Gordon Waller,

Bob Shane Robert Castle Schoen (February 1, 1934 – January 26, 2020), known professionally as Bob Shane, was an American singer and guitarist who was a founding member of The Kingston Trio. In that capacity, Shane became a seminal figure in the revi ...

, and (under the title "Sleeping Annaleah") by

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...

. In 1998, Folger resided at the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

for several years in

East Texas East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region consi ...

, where he played in a religious band on Sundays. Dan spent his free time at the S.A writing lyrics for songs he was working on. He also worked on art-drawings. He died in Bentonville, Arkansas in 2006, at the age of 62. {{DEFAULTSORT:Folger, Dan 1943 births 2006 deaths Songwriters from California People from Midland, Texas Musicians from San Rafael, California People from Bentonville, Arkansas Singers from California 20th-century American singers Songwriters from Texas Songwriters from Arkansas Singers from Arkansas 20th-century American male singers American male songwriters