Bob Seger
Biography
Originally a hard-driving rocker in the vein of fellow Michigan garage rockers the Rationals and Mitch Ryder, Bob Seger developed into one of the most popular heartland rockers over the course of the '70s. Combining the driving charge of Ryder's Detroit Wheels with Stonesy garage rock and devotion to hard-edged soul and R&B, he crafted a distinctively American sound. While he never attained the critical respect of his contemporary Bruce Springsteen, Seger did develop a dedicated following through constant touring with his Silver Bullet Band. Following several years of missed chances and lost opportunities, Seger finally achieved a national audience in 1976 with the back-to-back release of Live Bullet and Night Moves. After the platinum success of those albums, Seger retained his popularity for the next two decades, releasing seven Top Ten, platinum-selling albums in a row.
Seger began playing music in 1961 as the leader of the Detroit-based trio the Decibels; his future manager, Eddie "Punch" Andrews was also a member of the band. Moving to Ann Arbor, he played with the Town Criers before he became the keyboardist and vocalist for Doug Brown & the Omens. Billing themselves as the Beach Bums, the band released "The Ballad of the Yellow Beret," a parody of the Sgt. Barry Sadler song "The Ballad of the Green Beret." The single was withdrawn shortly after its release after Sadler threatened a lawsuit. In 1966, Seger released his first solo single, "East Side Story," which became a regional hit. Several other local hit singles followed on Cameo Records, including "Persecution Smith" and "Heavy Music," before his label folded. In 1968, he formed the Bob Seger System and signed with Capitol Records, releasing his debut album, Ramblin' Gamblin' Man, in the spring of that year. The title track became a national hit, climbing to number 17, but the group's follow-up, Noah, stiffed and Seger decided to quit the music business at the end of 1969 to attend college.
By the end of the summer, Seger had returned to rock & roll with a new backing band, releasing Mongrel at the end of the year. For 1971's Brand New Morning, he disbanded his group and recorded a singer/songwriter effort. Following its release, he began performing with the duo Dave Teegarden and Skip "Van Winkle" Knape, and the duo provided support on 1972's Smokin' O.P.'s, which was the first release on Palladium Records, a label he formed with Andrews. The album failed to sell, as did Back in '72 (1973) and Seven (1974), and he moved back to Capitol Records for 1975's Beautiful Loser. For the recording of Beautiful Loser, Seger formed the Silver Bullet Band, which consisted of guitarist Drew Abbott, bassist Chris Campbell, keyboardist Robyn Robbins, saxophonist Alto Reed, and drummer Charlie Allen Martin. Seger supported Beautiful Loser with an extensive tour with the Silver Bullet Band, and while it didn't make the album a hit, it provided a widespread grassroots following across the country. The touring paid off in 1976, when Live Bullet, a double album recorded in Detroit, became a hit, spending over three years on the U.S. charts and going gold; the album would eventually go quadruple platinum.
The groundswell behind Live Bullet sent Seger's next studio album, Night Moves (1976), into the Top Ten early in 1977. Night Moves became a blockbuster, generating the hit singles "Night Moves," "Mainstreet," and "Rock & Roll Never Forgets." Stranger in Town, released in the summer 1978, was just as successful, featuring the hits "Still the Same," "Hollywood Nights," "We've Got Tonite," and "Old Time Rock & Roll." Stranger in Town confirming his status as one America's most popular rockers. Seger's next album, 1980's Against the Wind, became his first number one album and all of its big hits -- "Fire Lake," "Against the Wind," "You'll Accomp'ny Me" -- were ballads. The live album Nine Tonight continued his multi-platinum success in 1981, selling three million copies and peaking at number three.
Seger returned with The Distance in 1982. The Distance was the first album since Seven to be recorded with the addition of session musicians, which caused guitarist Abbott to quit the band in frustration. Over the course of the next decade, the membership of the Silver Bullet Band shifted constantly. While The Distance featured "Shame on the Moon," his biggest hit single to date, its sales plateaued at a million copies, suggesting that his popularity was beginning to level off. Seger also began to drastically reduce his recording and touring schedules -- he only released one other album, 1986's Like a Rock, during the '80s. Like a Rock and its supporting tour were both successes, paving the way for "Shakedown," a song taken from the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II, to become Seger's lone number one hit in 1987. Four years after its release, he returned with The Fire Inside. Although the album went platinum and reached the Top Ten, it only appealed to Seger's devoted following, as did 1995's It's a Mystery, which became his first album since Live Bullet to fail to go platinum, leveling off at gold status. In 2006, after an 11-year hiatus, Seger released Face the Promise. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Selected Discography

The Distance
1982

Nine Tonight (Live)
1981

Against The Wind
1980

Stranger In Town
1978

Beautiful Loser
1975
an enduring artist who captures the spirit of every song he writes.His songwriting relates to many peoples lives,experi e n c e s , e t c . A great live show as well.STILL IS!
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He is totally awesome!!!! I remember my brother listening to him when I was growing up.
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I remember Bob Seeger from the mid-70s at the K.C. fair! He rocked on.
Ah,the memories! |
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I believe the album Ramblin' Gamblin' Man was renamed by Seeger as Tales of Lucy Blue. I still think it his best album, it is just hard to find.
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Bob Is the best thing that came out of michigan...s i n c e Forever!!!
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My very 1st concert in the late 80's. A great show, I still love his music!!!
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I grew up on a dairy farm in central Michigan and loved his music and still do. thank-you
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Your music is so great it has so much meaning i love just listening to it... Well thank you
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A great one for sure...1st concert I ever saw, his sax man was swinging from a wire playing...aw e s o m e
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I have many albums and have been to several concerts. He is on my My Space page. I am pushin' 70!
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Man I love this guy. I'm still waiting for him to pull up to
my house on his Harley and "Roll me Away!!!!" I've never, ever missed a concert when he's been in Boston since 1976. Every single one!!!! Had 6th row in 07. Got a great picture of him. |
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finally saw him in concert. He is amazing, even better in person than I imagined. Rock on Bob!
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I saw him live in about 1975 and not again till 2007. He may not have been as energetic as he was in 1975 but the music was still there. When he sat down at the piano and started "Turn the Page" I damn near cried.
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Growing up with Bob Seger, I find that it was wonderful to attend his concert
and find 15,000 people singing every word to every song. How many artist have their fans that can tell every Seger song in the first 3 beats. |
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Bob Seger Is Cool
You can contact me by deesnider37@ y a h o o . c o m |
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What is there that say, you say at all. How about putting out some Christian music, what do you say You can contact me by Clinton_5200 3 @ y a h o o . c o m
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this music will keep us geezers going all the way, thanks for thinking of us while you were on the stage.
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THANK YOU BOB SEGER VERY VERY VERY VERYYYYYYYYY Y MUCHHHHHHHHH H H H H H H H H H H H E
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I grew up on Bob's music in the 70"s and it is just as up-lifting now as it is then
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bob is the man! i have been a fan since the early 70s, rock and roll never forgets!
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He is such a great artist and still sounds great today just as he did 30 years ago!!
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