Bob Seger’s rise to the upper echelon of rock and roll musicians was not what you would call meteoric. When he and his band finally became tour headliners in 1975, Bob was 30 years old, had been playing in rock bands for 15 years, and already had 8 studio albums under his belt. Bob was the epitome of the rock and roll road warrior, playing upwards of 250 dates in a year. He was extremely popular in his hometown of Detroit, fairly well known in the Midwest, Pennsylvania and Florida, but virtually unknown everywhere else. His best songs “Turn the Page” “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” and “Beautiful Loser” were tales of endless touring, frustration and longing for success.
Bob’s fortunes began to improve in 1974, when he ended a brief period as a solo act and formed the Silver Bullet Band to be his backing group. Between that band’s impeccable live work, and the Swampers from Muscle Shoals backing him in the studio, Bob’s songwriting and singing talents finally found the support they deserved. Over two nights in September, 1975, in front of a packed hometown crowd at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Bob recorded Live Bullet. Showcasing Bob and the Silver Bullets doing what they did best, it’s been called one of the best live albums ever made. It attracted national attention and radio play, and set the table for a run of 3 studio albums that propelled the group to the top of the charts, and into the HOF.
Live Bullet was released in April, 1976, and Bob followed it up with Night Moves in October. The album was pure gold with “Night Moves” “Mainstreet” “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” “Come to Poppa” and “Fire Down Below.” A little case of nerves over how to follow up strong on the next album lengthened the time before Stranger in Town (1978) was ready for release. Bob needn’t have worried so much. “Hollywood Nights” “Still the Same” “Old Time Rock and Roll” “Feel Like a Number” and “We’ve Got Tonight” kept the Seger train chugging toward the summit. Bob finally got there with Against the Wind (1980). We focused on that album a few months back.
Bob only produced two albums in each of the next 3 decades, but there are gems in each one. “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” “Shame on the Moon” “Tryin’ to Live My Live Without You” “Roll Me Away” and “Like a Rock” all came during this time. All told, Bob has 7 multi-platinum albums and over 50 million units sold. Against the Wind was his only #1.
By the 90s, Bob had semi-retired to enjoy the fruits of his long, hard years of work, including starting a family. When the boys were 19 and 21, Bob released Ride Out (2014) and hit the road again. He has announced release of a new album in 2016 to be called I Knew You When and plans to tour in celebration of his 50th anniversary as a recording artist.
Happy Birthday Bob!
