'Robert Clark Seger' (born
May 6,
1945) is a
Rock and Roll singer, songwriter, and
musician from
Michigan.
After years of local
Detroit-area success, recording and perfomring in the mid-1960s, Seger achieved superstar status by the mid-1970s and continuing through the 1980s with the 'Silver Bullet Band'. A
roots rocker with a classic raspy, shouting voice, Seger was first inspired by
Little Richard and
Elvis Presley. He wrote and recorded songs that dealt with
blue-collar themes. Seger has recorded many
rock and roll hits, including "
Night Moves", "
We've Got Tonight", "
Like a Rock", and his iconic
signature song "
Old Time Rock and Roll", named one of the
Songs of the Century in
2001. He also co-wrote the
Eagles number one hit "Heartache Tonight." Though his last top 40 hit charted in 1991, Seger continues to perform and record today.
Seger was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Biography
Early years
Bob Seger was born at the
Henry Ford Hospital in
Detroit. He was raised in the Detroit suburb of
Dearborn until age 6, when his family moved to the college town of
Ann Arbor, Michigan. When Seger
was 10 years old, his father left the family and moved to
California. Seger attended
Tappan Middle School and Ann Arbor High School (now
Pioneer High School) in Ann Arbor, graduating in 1963.
Regional favorite: 1966-1976
Seger started his musical career in 1961 in Detroit as a member of The Decibels and there met his future manager and
record producer,
Punch Andrews. Seger returned to Ann Arbor where he played with The Town Cryers and then
Doug Brown and the Omens. With them he released his first single in 1965, for the local
Hideout Records label. In 1966 Seger sang on Doug Brown and the Omens' parody of
Barry Sadler's song "
Ballad of the Green Berets", titled "Ballad of the Yellow Beret", which mocked
draft dodgers. Soon after its release Sadler and his record label threatened Brown and his band with a lawsuit and the recording was withdrawn from the market.
In 1966 Seger left Brown's group but retained him as a producer. As 'Bob Seger and the Last Heard', Seger had his first big Detroit hit with "East Side Story", which sold 50,000 copies, almost all in Detroit and leading to a deal with
Cameo-Parkway Records. Another of Seger's biggest early hit singles in the Detroit area was "Heavy Music" in 1967, which sold even more copies and had potential to break out nationally except that Cameo-Parkway folded. Nevertheless, "Heavy Music" would stay in his live act for many years to come.
During these early Detroit years, Seger also acted as producer for the local band The Mushrooms. He became (and remained) friendly with the band's leader
Glenn Frey, who would later become one of the founding members of the
Eagles.
In 1968, Bob Seger signed with major label
Capitol Records and formed 'The Bob Seger System'. This group was essentially a Michigan
proto-punk band not unlike the
SRC or
The Frost. Their first single was the anti-war message song "2+2=?", which reflected a marked change in Seger's political attitudes from "The Ballad of the Yellow Beret". The single was again a hit in Detroit, but went unnoticed almost everywhere else.
The second single from The Bob Seger System was "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man". Predictably it was a smash hit in Detroit, but it also became Seger's first nationally charted hit, peaking at #17. The song's success led to the release of an album in 1969, and the ''
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man'' album reached #62 on the
Billboard pop albums chart.
Seger was unable to follow up this early moderate success; the Seger System's follow-up album ''
Noah'' failed to chart at all, leading Seger to briefly quit the music industry and attend college. Seger returned the following year, however, with the System's final album, 1970's ''Mongrel''. In 1971, Seger released his first solo album, the all-acoustic
Brand New Morning. This was done in order to fullfill his Capitol contract.
Seger's next few albums, released on Punch Andrews' Palladium label and distributed by
Reprise Records, were stylistically erratic and appeared in the low 100s on the Billboard albums chart, if at all. These albums included
Smokin' O.P.'s (1972), which featured a minor hit (#76 US) with a cover of
Tim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter", and
Back in '72 (1973) which featured a long list of known session musicians and work from
J.J. Cale. It also has the studio version of Seger's live classic
Turn the Page(later covered by
Metallica). Seger maintained his regional appeal in Detroit, and had built a modest following in
Florida (necessitating many drives back and forth), but to the general music world was regarded as a
one-hit wonder.
In
1974 Seger formed the 'Silver Bullet Band' and put out the album ''
Seven'', which contained the Detroit-area hard-rock hit "Get Out of Denver", a track that also charted at #80 nationally.
1975 brought forth the album ''
Beautiful Loser'', Seger's return to Capitol Records. The album's single "Katmandu" (in addition to being another substantial Detroit-area hit) was Seger's first real national break-out track since "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man". Although it just missed the US top 40, peaking at #43, the song received strong airplay in a number of markets nationwide, not just Detroit.
In April 1976 Seger and the Silver Bullet Band had an even bigger commercial breakthrough with the album ''
Live Bullet'', recorded over two nights in Detroit's
Cobo Hall in September 1975. The album stayed on the Billboard charts for 168 weeks, peaking at #34, easily Seger's highest charting album to that time. It also contained Seger's hit rendition of
Tina Turner's "
Nutbush City Limits" (#69 US) as well as Seger's own classic take on life on the road, "
Turn the Page", from ''Back in '72''. It also harkened back to his late 1960's successes with both "Heavy Music" and "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" making appearances.
Critic
Dave Marsh later wrote that "''Live Bullet'' is one of the best live albums ever made ... In spots, particularly during the medley of 'Travelin' Man'/'Beautiful Loser', Seger sounds like a man with one last shot at the top." An instant best-seller in Detroit, ''Live Bullet'' quickly began to get attention in other parts of the country -- although perhaps not as quickly as Seger would have liked. In June
1976 he was a featured performer at the
Pontiac Silverdome outside Detroit in front of nearly 80,000 fans. Yet three nights before in
Chicago, Seger had played before 50 people in a bar.
National success: 1976-1987
Seger finally achieved his indisputable commercial breakthrough with his October 1976 album ''
Night Moves''. The title song "
Night Moves" was a highly evocative, nostalgic, time-spanning tale that was not only critically praised, but became a #4 hit single on the Billboard pop singles chart as well as a heavy
album-oriented rock airplay mainstay. The album also contained "Mainstreet", a #24 hit ballad that emphasized Seger's heartland rock credentials, as well as the AOR anthem "Rock and Roll Never Forgets". ''Night Moves'' was Seger's first
Top 10 album in the
Billboard 200, and through late 2006 had sold over 6 million copies in the U.S. Furthermore it activated sales of Seger's recent back catalog, so that ''Beautiful Loser'' would eventually sell 2 million and ''Live Bullet'' 5 million copies in the U.S.
Seger followed this up strongly with
1978's ''
Stranger in Town''. First single "Still the Same" emphasized Seger's talent for mid-tempo numbers that revealed a sense of purpose, and made the Top 5 on the pop singles chart. "Hollywood Nights" was an up-tempo rocker Top 15 hit, while "
We've Got Tonight" was a slow us-against-the-world ballad that not only was a Top 15 hit on its own, but would become an
adult contemporary mainstay in years to come for both Seger and other artists. The final single,
1979's "
Old Time Rock & Roll", was the least successful single from the album, reaching only the
Top 30, but achieved substantial AOR airplay. Moreover, it would later became one of Seger's most recognizable songs following its memorable
Tom Cruise-dancing-in-his-underwear use in the 1983 film ''
Risky Business''. Album tracks from ''Stranger in Town'' were equally strong, with "Feel Like a Number" being especially memorable for its raging powerless fury. Around this time Seger also co-wrote the
Eagles' #1 hit song "
Heartache Tonight" from their 1979 album ''
The Long Run'', their collaboration resulting from Seger and
Glenn Frey's early days together in Detroit.
In 1980 Seger released ''
Against the Wind''; it became his first and only #1 album on the Billboard 200. First single "
Fire Lake" featured Eagles
Don Henley,
Timothy B. Schmit, and Frey on backing vocals and reached #6 on the singles chart, while title song "
Against the Wind" reached #5 as a single. "You'll Accomp'ny Me" became the third hit single from the record. ''Against the Wind'' would also win two
Grammy Awards. Through late 2006 both ''Stranger in Town'' and ''Against the Wind'' had sold over 5 million copies in the U.S., and were followed by the 1981 live album ''
Nine Tonight'' which encapsulated this three-album peak of Seger's commercial career. Seger's take on
Eugene Williams' "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You" became a Top 5 hit from ''Nine Tonight'', which would go on to sell 4 million copies.
Seger released ''
The Distance'' in 1982. Critically praised for representing a tougher sound than some of his recent material, the album spawned hits with
Rodney Crowell's "
Shame on the Moon" (which also did moderately well as a
country music song), "Even Now", and "
Roll Me Away". But perhaps because Seger and his band were ill-equipped to exploit the new
MTV era, Seger's album sales dropped noticeably, with ''The Distance'' only selling at the 1 million copies level. The following year country music superstar
Kenny Rogers would team up with pop singer
Sheena Easton to cover "We've Got Tonight". This version was a world wide hit and was so successful Rogers used it as the title cut to one of his own albums.
Seger was no longer as prolific and four years elapsed before his last studio album,1986's ''
Like a Rock'' emerged. The fast-paced "American Storm" garnered both pop and rock airplay, and "
Like a Rock" became yet another successful Seger ballad, later most familiar to many Americans through its association with a long-running
Chevrolet ad campaign (something Seger explicitly chose to do to support struggling American automobile workers in Detroit). Seger's 1986-1987 American Storm Tour was his self-stated last major tour, playing 105 shows over 9 months and selling almost 1.5 million tickets. ''
Like a Rock'' sold over a million copies and went platinum. The following year Seger's "
Shakedown", a somewhat uncharacteristic song off the 1987 film ''
Beverly Hills Cop II''
's soundtrack, became his first and only #1 hit on the pop singles chart.
Later years: 1988-present
Bob Seger on the cover of his first ''Greatest Hits'' album
Bob Seger's next record was 1991's ''
The Fire Inside'', at a time when
glam metal,
grunge and
alternative rock were all taking the forefront. His new music found little visibility on radio or elsewhere. The same was true of 1995's ''
It's a Mystery'', however the album was certified Gold (500,000) copies sold. In between, however, his ''
Greatest Hits'' compilation was a major success, achieving sales of over 8 million units through late 2006. Seger did go back on the road again for a 1996 tour, which was successful and sold the fourth-largest number of tickets of any North American tour that year.
In June 1997 Seger drove his automobile off the
Trans-Canada Highway in
Nipigon, Ontario. He was charged by Ontario police with drunk driving after crashing his car.
[1]
Seger took a sabbatical from the music business for about ten years to spend time with his wife and two young children. He was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on
March 15,
2004; fellow Detroiter
Kid Rock gave the induction speech, and Michigan Governor
Jennifer Granholm proclaimed that date Bob Seger Day in his honor.
[2]
Seger's first new album in 11 years, titled ''
Face the Promise'', was released on September 12, 2006. In its first 45 days, the album sold more than 400,000 copies, according to
Soundscan. The album has sold over 1 million copies to date and stayed on the Billboard chart for months. His supporting tour has also been eagerly anticipated, with many shows selling out within minutes. Showing that Seger's legendary appeal in Michigan had not diminished, all 15,000 tickets available for his first show at Grand Rapids'
Van Andel Arena sold out in under five minutes; three additional shows were subsequently added, each of which also sold out.
[3]
In 2005 Seger was featured singing with
3 Doors Down on the song "
Landing in London" from their
Seventeen Days Album.
On October 21, 2006 Seger performed "
America the Beautiful" at the first game of the
2006 World Series between the
St. Louis Cardinals and the
Detroit Tigers.
Events in late March of 2007 suggested that Seger may move on from Capitol Records because those who had worked with him to this point are now gone from the label. The same press release also confirmed Seger's intention to release a live CD/DVD package chronicling his Face the Promise tour at some point in the fall. ).
Influences
Growing up, Seger listened to
WLAC In
Nashville. He especially liked
James Brown saying that among him and his friends,
Live at the Apollo was the absolute favorite record. "I learned how to sing 100 percent hard all the time, full beat stop and how to move from him." The first record he bought was "Come Go With Me" by
The Del Vikings. Regarding Springsteen, Petty, Fogerty and Mellencamp, Seger said: "We all listen to each other. I think we all sound like each other at times." Mentioning
Frankie Miller,
Graham Parker,
Bruce Springsteen, ....Seger said: "There's a whole little clique of male vocalists. We're just sort of all connected. I think every last one of us has a connection with
Van Morrison."
[4]
Trivia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMsCpp092z8
Thin Lizzy covered Bob Seger's Rosalie and often played it live.
Silver Bullet Band
The Silver Bullet Band was formed in
1974. Its original members were:
★
Drew Abbott,
guitar
★
Charlie Allen Martin,
drums
★
Rick Mannassa,
keyboards
★
Chris Campbell,
bass guitar
★
Alto Reed (''real name'': Thomas Neal Cartmell
[5][6]),
saxophones and
flute
Seger himself does all lead vocals and plays guitar and piano.
In
1982 Abbott was replaced by
Dawayne Bailey on guitar.
Around
1977 Martin was replaced by
Dave Teegarden on drums, who in
1983 was replaced by
Don Brewer.
In
1975 Mannassa was replaced by
Robyn Robbins on keyboards, who in
1980 was replaced by
Craig Frost.
Seger has almost always used
session musicians, most notably The
Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, on his albums as well.
Discography
Albums
With the single exception of ''Smokin' O.P.'s,'' rereleased on
compact disc by Capitol in 2005, all of Seger's albums prior to ''Beautiful Loser'' (the pre-Silver Bullet Band releases) have long remained out of print and command extremely high prices if offered for sale. As of March 2007, genuine prints of the brief 1993 Capitol CD release of ''Ramblin' Gamblin' Man'' are offered for over US$180 on various on-line marketplaces.
Singles
:''Regional as well as national singles are listed, to document Seger's career arc.''
Pre-solo career (1961-1966)
| Year | A-Side | B-Side | Label | Chart Positions |
|---|
| US Hot 100 | Detroit | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | The Lonely One | | (none) | | | Unreleased acetate demo by 'The Decibels'. Played once on radio. |
|---|
| 1965 | TGIF | First Girl | (unknown) | | | Only single credited to 'Doug Brown and the Omens |
|---|
| 1966 | Ballad of the Yellow Beret | Florida Time | Are You Kidding Me/ Hideout 1010 | | | Only single credited to 'The Beach Bums', who are really Doug Brown & The Omens. Seger sings lead on this parody of Barry Sadler's Ballad of the Green Beret. |
|---|
Bob Seger and the Last Heard (1966-1967)
| Year | A-Side | B-Side | Label | Chart Positions |
|---|
| US Hot 100 | Detroit | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 'East Side Story | East Side Sound | Cameo 438 (and Hideout 1013) | | #3 (WKNR) | |
|---|
| 1966 | Sock It To Me Santa | Florida Time | Cameo 444 | | | |
|---|
| 1966 | 'Persecution Smith | Chain Smokin' | Cameo 465 (and Hideout 1014) | | #9 (WKNR) | |
|---|
| 1967 | Vagrant Winter | Very Few | Cameo Parkway 473 | | | |
|---|
| 1967 | 'Heavy Music | Heavy Music Part 2 | Cameo Parkway 494 | #103 | #2 (WKNR), #4 (CKLW) | Also charted top 10 regionally in Columbus, Ohio, and top 50 in New York City |
|---|
The Bob Seger System (1968-1970)
| Year | A-Side | B-Side | Label | Chart Positions |
|---|
| US Hot 100 | Detroit | Canada | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | '2+2=? | Death Row | Capitol 2143 | | #7 | | |
|---|
| 1968 | 'Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man | Tales Of Lucy Blue | Capitol 2297 | #17 | #1 | #18 | |
|---|
| 1969 | 'Ivory | The Last Song | Capitol 2480 | #97 | #12 | | |
|---|
| 1969 | 'Noah | Lennie Johnson | Capitol 2576 | #103 | #14 | | |
|---|
| 1970 | Innervenus Eyes | Lonely Man | Capitol 2640 | | | | |
|---|
| 1970 | 'Lucifer | Big River | Capitol 2748 | #84 | #14 | | |
|---|
Bob Seger (1971-1975)
| Year | A-Side | B-Side | Label | Chart Positions |
|---|
| US Hot 100 | Detroit | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 'Lookin' Back | Highway Child | Capitol 3187 | #96 | #2 | Also a top 10 hit in Orlando, Florida. Was only released on a 45 record. |
|---|
| 1972 | Midnight Rider | -- | Palladium 571 | | | Was only released on a promo 45 record |
|---|
| 1972 | 'If I Were A Carpenter | Jesse James | Palladium 1079 | #76 | n/a | |
|---|
| 1973 | Who Do You Love | Turn On Your Love Light | Reprise 1117 | | n/a | |
|---|
| 1973 | Rosalie | Neon Sky | Palladium 1143 | | n/a | |
|---|
| 1974 | Need Ya | Seen A Lot Of Floors | Palladium 1171 | | n/a | |
|---|
| 1974 | 'Get Out Of Denver | Long Song Comin’ | Palladium 1205 | #80 | n/a | |
|---|
| 1974 | U.M.C. (Upper Middle Class) | This Old House | Palladium 1316 | | n/a | This Old House was only released on the B side of this 45 record. |
|---|
| 1975 | 'Beautiful Loser | Fine Memory | Captol 4062 | #103 | n/a | |
|---|
| 1975 | 'Katmandu | Black Night | Capitol 4116 | #43 | #3 | |
|---|
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (1976-2006)
★ 1976 "
Nutbush City Limits" #69 US
★ 1977 "
Night Moves" #4 US, #5 CAN, #45 UK (1995 release)
★ 1977 "Mainstreet" #24 US, #1 CAN
★ 1977 "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" #41 US
★ 1978 "Still the Same" #4 US, #27 Adult Contemporary, #4 CAN
★ 1978 "Hollywood Nights" #12 US, #12 CAN, #42 UK
★ 1978 "
We've Got Tonight" #13 US, #29 Adult Contemporary, #41 UK (#22 UK in 1995)
★ 1979 "
Old Time Rock & Roll" #28 US, #31 CAN
★ 1980 "
Fire Lake" #6 US, #31 Adult Contemporary, #3 CAN
★ 1980 "
Against the Wind" #5 US, #8 Adult Contemporary, #6 CAN
★ 1980 "You'll Accomp'ny Me" #14 US, #17 Adult Contemporary, #8 CAN
★ 1980 "The Horizontal Bop" #42 US
★ 1981 "Tryin' To Live My Life Without You" #5 US, #11 CAN
★ 1982 "Feel Like a Number" #48 US, #29 CAN
★ 1983 "
Shame on the Moon" #2 US (#15 Country US), #1 Adult Contemporary, #8 CAN
★ 1983 "Even Now" #12 US, #35 CAN, #73 UK
★ 1983 "
Roll Me Away" #27 US
★ 1984 "Understanding" #17 US, #7 Adult Contemporary, #38 CAN
★ 1986 "American Storm" #13 US, #26 CAN, #78 UK
★ 1986 "
Fortunate Son"
★ 1986 "It's You" #52 US, #22 Adult Contemporary
★ 1986 "
Like a Rock" #12 US, #21 Adult Contemporary, #33 CAN
★ 1986 "Miami" #70 US
★ 1986 "Tightrope"
★ 1986 "The Aftermath"
★ 1987 "
Shakedown" #1 US, #1 CAN, #88 UK
★ 1989 "Blue Monday"
★ 1991 "Take A Chance"
★ 1991 "The Fire Inside" #45 Adult Contemporary
★ 1991 "The Real Love" #24 US, #4 Adult Contemporary
★ 1995 "Lock And Load" #57 UK
★ 1995 "Manhattan"
★ 1996 "Hands In The Air"
★ 1998 "Chances Are" (with
Martina McBride) #23 Adult Contemporary
★ 2006 "Wait For Me" #52 US Country / #16 Adult Contemporary
★ 2006 "Wreck This Heart"
See also
★
List of best selling music artists
★
Notable Ann Arborites
References
★ 1983 ''
Rolling Stone Record Guide''
★
Joel Whitburn, ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 1983. ISBN 0-8230-7511-7.
★
Joel Whitburn, ''Top Adult Contemporary 1961-2001'', 2002. ISBN 0-89820-149-7.
★ Ted Kennedy, Canada Top 40 (Canadian chart listings)
★
Tim Rice et al, British Hit singles
★ everyhit.com
★
Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
All Music Guide biographical entry on Bob Seger
'Notes'
1. [1] KOOL Week in Rock
2. [2] Michigan.gov
3. [3] mLive.com
4. [4] Seger Influences
External links
★
Official website
★
The Seger File - Extensive fan website, with many newspaper/magazine cites
★
SegerBob.com - Fan website, with tour dates, lyrics, and more.
★
Bob Seger -
IMDb profile
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