American singer-songwriter (born 1945)
Musical artist
Robert Clark Seger
(
SEE
-g?r
; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful
Detroit
-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups
Bob Seger and the Last Heard
and
the Bob Seger System
throughout the 1960s, breaking through with his first album,
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
(which contained his
first national hit of the same name
) in 1969. By the early 1970s, he had dropped the 'System' from his recordings and continued to strive for broader success with various other bands. In 1973, he put together the
Silver Bullet Band
, with a group of Detroit-area musicians, with whom he became most successful on the national level with the album
Live Bullet
(1976), recorded live with the Silver Bullet Band in 1975 at
Cobo Hall
in Detroit, Michigan. In 1976, he achieved a national breakout with the studio album
Night Moves
. On his studio albums, he also worked extensively with the
Alabama
-based
Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
, which appeared on several of Seger's best-selling singles and albums.
A
roots rocker
with a classic raspy, powerful voice, Seger wrote and recorded songs that dealt with love, women, and
blue-collar
themes, and is one of the best-known examples of a
heartland rock
artist. He has recorded many hits, including "
Night Moves
", "
Turn the Page
", "
Mainstreet
", "
Still the Same
", "
Hollywood Nights
", "
Against the Wind
", "
You'll Accomp'ny Me
", "
Shame on the Moon
", "
Roll Me Away
", "
Like a Rock
", and "
Shakedown
", the last of which was written for the 1987 film
Beverly Hills Cop II
and topped the
Billboard
Hot 100
chart. He also co-wrote the
Eagles
' number-one hit "
Heartache Tonight
", and his recording of "
Old Time Rock and Roll
" was named one of the
Songs of the Century
in 2001.
With a career spanning six decades, Seger has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the
world's best-selling artists of all time
.
[1]
Seger was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 2004 and the
Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 2012.
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
Seger was named
Billboard
's
2015 Legend of Live honoree at the 12th annual
Billboard
Touring Conference & Awards
, held November 18?19 at the
Roosevelt Hotel
in New York. His farewell tour took place in 2018 and 2019.
[6]
Early years
[
edit
]
Seger was born at
Henry Ford Hospital
in
Detroit, Michigan
,
[7]
the son of Charlotte and Stewart Seger. At age five, he moved with his family to
Ann Arbor
. He had an older brother, George.
[8]
Seger's father, a medical technician for
Ford Motor Company
, played several instruments and Seger was exposed to music from an early age.
[8]
Seger was also exposed to frequent arguments between his parents that disturbed the neighborhood at night.
[8]
In 1956, when Seger was 10 years old, his father abandoned the family and moved to
California
.
[8]
The remaining family soon lost their comfortable
middle-class
status and struggled financially.
[8]
Seger attended Tappan Junior High School (now
Tappan Middle School
) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and graduated in 1963 from Ann Arbor High School, now known as
Pioneer High School
. He ran track and field in high school. Seger also went to
Lincoln Park High School
for a time.
[9]
Regarding his early musical inspirations, Seger has stated, "
Little Richard
? he was the first one that really got to me. Little Richard and, of course,
Elvis Presley
."
[10]
"
Come Go with Me
" by
The Del-Vikings
, a hit in 1957, was the first record he bought.
Regional favorite and first national hit: 1961?1976
[
edit
]
The Decibels and The Town Criers
[
edit
]
Bob Seger arrived on the Detroit music scene in 1961 fronting a three-piece band called the Decibels. The band included Seger on guitar, piano, keyboards, and vocals, Pete Stanger on guitar, and R.B. Hunter on drums. All of the members attended Ann Arbor High. The Decibels recorded an
acetate
demo of a song called "The Lonely One", at
Del Shannon
's studio in 1961. As well as being Seger's first original song, "The Lonely One" was Seger's first song to be played on the radio, airing only once on an Ann Arbor radio station.
[8]
[11]
In 2021, a recording of "The Lonely One" resurfaced, and was broadcast (with permission from Seger) twice on
WCSX
-FM in Detroit, on the mornings of March 15 and 16.
[12]
After the Decibels disbanded, Seger joined the Town Criers, a four-piece band with Seger on lead vocals, John Flis on bass, Pep Perrine on drums, and Larry Mason on lead guitar. The Town Criers, covering songs like "
Louie Louie
", began gaining a steady following. Meanwhile, Seger was listening to
James Brown
and said that, for him and his friends,
Live at the Apollo
was their favorite record following its release in 1963. Seger was also influenced by the music of
The Beatles
, once they hit American shores in 1964. In general, he and local musician friends such as
Glenn Frey
(later a member of the
Eagles
) bought into the premises of 1960s pop and rock radio, with its hook-driven hits; he later recalled himself and Frey thinking at the time, "You're nobody if you can't get on the radio."
[13]
Doug Brown & The Omens
[
edit
]
As the Town Criers began landing more gigs, Seger met a man named Doug Brown, backed by a band called The Omens. Seger joined Doug Brown & The Omens, who had a bigger following than the Town Criers. While Brown was the primary lead vocalist for the group, Seger would take the lead on some songs?covering
R&B
numbers.
[8]
With this group, Seger first appeared on an officially released recording: the 1965 single "TGIF" backed with "First Girl", credited to Doug Brown and The Omens. Seger later appeared on Doug Brown and The Omens' parody of
Barry Sadler
's song "
Ballad of the Green Berets
" which was re-titled "Ballad of the Yellow Beret" and mocked
draft evaders
. 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.
[14]
While Seger was a member of The Omens, he met his longtime manager
Edward "Punch" Andrews
, who at the time was partnered with Dave Leone running the Hideout franchise, which consisted of four club locations from Clawson to Rochester Hills, where local acts would play, and a small-scale record label. Seger began writing and producing for other acts that Punch was managing, such as the Mama Cats and the Mushrooms (with Frey). Seger and Brown were then approached by Punch and Leone to write a song for the Underdogs, another local band who recently had a hit with a song called "Man in the Glass". Seger contributed a song called "
East Side Story
", which was not successful.
[14]
The Last Heard
[
edit
]
Seger decided to record "East Side Story" himself, and officially left the Omens (though he did retain Brown as a producer). As Bob Seger and the Last Heard, Seger released his version of the song with Hideout Records in January 1966, and it became his first big Detroit hit. The single (backed with "East Side Sound", an instrumental version of "East Side Story") sold 50,000 copies, mostly in the Detroit area, and led to a contract with
Cameo-Parkway Records
. Though the name "The Last Heard" originally referred to the collection of Omens and Town Criers who recorded "East Side Story" with Seger, it soon became the name of Seger's permanent band, which consisted of former Town Crier Pep Perrine on drums, Carl Lagassa on guitar, and Dan Honaker on bass. Following "East Side Story", the group released four more singles: the
James Brown
-inspired holiday single "Sock It to Me Santa", the
Dylan
-esque "Persecution Smith", "Vagrant Winter", and perhaps the most notable, "
Heavy Music
", released in 1967. "Heavy Music", which sold even more copies than "East Side Story", had the potential to break out nationally when Cameo-Parkway suddenly went out of business. It was a top 100 hit in Canada, where it topped out on the national RPM charts at No. 82; in the US, it just missed the Hot 100, peaking on the "bubbling under" chart at No. 103. The song would stay in Seger's live act for many years to come.
The Bob Seger System
[
edit
]
After Cameo-Parkway folded, Seger and Punch began searching for a new label. In the spring of 1968, Bob Seger & the Last Heard signed with major label
Capitol Records
, turning down
Motown Records
, who offered more money than Capitol. Seger felt that Capitol was more appropriate for his genre than Motown.
[8]
Capitol changed the name of the band to The Bob Seger System. In the transition between labels, guitarist Carl Lagassa left the band and keyboard player Bob Schultz joined. The System's first single with Capitol 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 and hit number 1 on radio stations in
Buffalo, New York
and
Orlando, Florida
,
[15]
but went unnoticed almost everywhere else, and failed to chart nationally in the US. The single did, however, make the Canadian national charts, peaking at No. 79.
The second single from The Bob Seger System was "
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
". It was a major hit in
Michigan
, and it also became Seger's first national hit, peaking at No. 17. The song's success led to the release of an album of the same title in 1969. The
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
album reached No. 62 on the
Billboard
pop albums chart
. Glenn Frey had his first studio gig singing back-up and playing guitar on "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man".
[16]
Seger was unable to follow up on this success. For the next album, singer-songwriter Tom Neme joined The System, ultimately writing and singing the majority of the tunes featured, for which the group was heavily criticized. The album called
Noah
(1969), failed to chart at all, leading Seger to briefly quit the music industry and attend college. He returned the following year and put out the System's final album, 1970's
Mongrel
, this time without Neme. Bob Schultz left the band as well, being replaced by Dan Watson.
Mongrel
, with the powerful single "
Lucifer
", was considered to be a strong album by many critics and Detroit fans, but failed to do well commercially.
The Bob Seger System was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2006.
[17]
Solo
[
edit
]
After
Mongrel
(1970) failed to live up to the success of
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
(1969), The System dissipated. For a short period following the breakup, Seger had ambitions to be a one-man act.
[18]
In 1971, he released his first solo album, the all-acoustic
Brand New Morning
. The album was a commercial failure, and led to his departure from Capitol Records.
[11]
[19]
Seger, having regained an eye for bands,
[18]
began playing with the duo
Teegarden & Van Winkle
, who in 1970 had a hit single with "God, Love and Rock & Roll". Together they recorded
Smokin' O.P.'s
(1972), released on Punch Andrews' own Palladium Records. The album mainly consisted of covers, spawning a minor hit with a version of
Tim Hardin
's "
If I Were a Carpenter
" (No. 76 the US), though it did feature "Someday", a new Seger original, and a re-release of "Heavy Music". The album reached 180 on the Billboard 200.
After spending most of 1972 touring with Teegarden & Van Winkle, Seger left the duo to put together a new backing band, referred to as both My Band and the Borneo Band, made up of musicians from
Tulsa, Oklahoma
.
Jamie Oldaker
, Dick Sims, and
Marcy Levy
were all members of My Band before joining
Eric Clapton
's backing band. In 1973, Seger put out
Back in '72
, recorded partly with the
Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
, a renowned group of
session musicians
who had recorded with the likes of
J. J. Cale
and
Aretha Franklin
.
[20]
According to Seger, there was a financial misunderstanding with the musicians: they offered to record him "for $1500 a side", which he took to mean $1500 per album side. When he found out that they meant $1500 per song, he left after recording three songs but resolved to work with them in the future.
[20]
Back in '72
featured the studio version of Seger's later live classic "
Turn the Page
"; "Rosalie", a song Seger wrote about
CKLW
music director
Rosalie Trombley
(and which was later recorded by
Thin Lizzy
); and "
I've Been Working
", a song originally by
Van Morrison
, a strong influence on Seger's musical development.
[21]
Despite the strength of Seger's backup musicians, the album only reached 188 on the US charts and has since faded into obscurity. Even so,
Back in '72
and its supporting tour mark the beginnings of Seger's long-time relationships with future Silver Bullet Band saxophonist
Alto Reed
, powerhouse female vocalist
Shaun Murphy
, and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Over the tour, My Band would prove to be unreliable, which frustrated Seger. By the end of 1973, Seger had left My Band in search of a new backing band. Throughout 1974?75, Seger continued to perform in local venues around his hometown while known as the Bob Seger Group including one renowned concert in Davisburg, Michigan, called the "Battle of the Bands".
The Silver Bullet Band
[
edit
]
In 1974, Seger formed the Silver Bullet Band. Its original members were guitarist
Drew Abbott
, drummer and backing vocalist Charlie Allen Martin, keyboardist and backing vocalist Rick Manasa, bass guitarist Chris Campbell, and saxophonist and backing vocalist
Alto Reed
. With this new band sitting in occasionally, Seger released the album
Seven
(1974), which contained the Detroit-area hard-rock hit "Get Out of Denver". This track was a modest success and charted at No. 80 nationally.
In 1975, Seger returned to Capitol Records and released the album
Beautiful Loser
, with help from the Silver Bullet Band (with new keyboardist Robyn Robbins replacing Manasa) on his cover of the
Tina Turner
penned "
Nutbush City Limits
". The album's single "
Katmandu
" which was featured in the 1985 movie
Mask
starring
Cher
(in addition to being another substantial Detroit-area hit) was Seger's first real national break-out track since 1968's "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man". Although it just missed the US Pop Top 40 ? peaking at No. 43 ? the song received strong airplay in several markets nationwide including Detroit.
In April 1976, Seger and the Silver Bullet Band released the album
Live Bullet
, recorded over two nights in Detroit's
Cobo Arena
in September 1975. It contained Seger's rendition of "Nutbush City Limits" as well as Seger's classic take on life on the road, "
Turn the Page
", from
Back in '72
. It also included his late 1960s successful releases ? "Heavy Music" and "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man". 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" on side one, Seger sounds like a man with one last shot at the top."
[22]
An instant best-seller in Detroit,
Live Bullet
began to get attention in other parts of the country, selling better than Seger's previous albums, getting
progressive rock radio
and
album-oriented rock
airplay, and enabling Seger to headline more shows.
[23]
But Seger still had a popularity imbalance; in June 1976, he was a featured performer at the
Pontiac Silverdome
outside Detroit in front of nearly 80,000 fans, but one night later played to fewer than a thousand people in Chicago.
[24]
Peak of success: 1976?1987
[
edit
]
Seger finally achieved his commercial breakthrough with his October 1976 album
Night Moves
. The title track, "
Night Moves
" was critically
[25]
and commercially well-received, becoming a No. 4 hit on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and receiving airplay on
AOR
radio. The album also featured the songs "
Mainstreet
" (written about Ann Arbor's Ann Street),
[13]
a No. 24 hit ballad that emphasized Seger's
rock
credibility as well as guitarist
Pete Carr
's lead guitar line, and "
Rock and Roll Never Forgets
", which peaked at No. 41 on the
Billboard Hot 100
.
Night Moves
was Seger's first top-ten album in the Billboard album chart, and as of 2006 was certified at 6 million copies in the United States, making it the biggest-selling studio album of his entire career. The success of
Night Moves
also bolstered sales of Seger's previous releases. Seger's 1975 release
Beautiful Loser
would eventually sell two million copies and the 1976 album
Live Bullet
would go on to sell six million copies in the United States.
Live Bullet
would eventually be cited as one of the greatest live albums of all time.
[26]
In February 1977, Silver Bullet Band drummer Charlie Allen Martin was hit by a car from behind while walking on a service road and was left unable to walk.
[27]
David Teegarden, previous drummer for Seger on his 1972 album
Smokin' O.P.'s
was his replacement. Despite the loss of Martin, Seger's 1978 album
Stranger in Town
was also a success. The first single, "
Still the Same
", reached No. 4 on the
Billboard Hot 100
. "
Hollywood Nights
" reached No. 12 on the same chart, while the ballad "
We've Got Tonight
" reached No. 13. "We've Got Tonight" was a major hit again when it was covered in 1983 by country music superstar
Kenny Rogers
and pop singer
Sheena Easton
. Notably, it topped
Billboard's
Hot Country Songs
and peaked at No. 2 and No. 6 on
Billboard's
Adult Contemporary
and
Hot 100
charts respectively. "
Old Time Rock and Roll
", a song from George Jackson and Thomas E. Jones III that Seger substantially rewrote the lyrics for,
[13]
[28]
peaked at No. 28 on the Hot 100, but achieved greater popularity after being featured in the 1983
Tom Cruise
film
Risky Business
, in which Tom Cruise's character dances in his underwear to the song. It has since been ranked the second-most played Jukebox Single of all time, behind
Patsy Cline
's "
Crazy
".
[13]
"Old Time Rock and Roll" was named one of the
Songs of the Century
in 2001. Seger has since remarked that not taking one-third writing credit on his recording was, financially, "the dumbest thing I ever did".
[13]
Seger also co-wrote the
Eagles
' No. 1 hit song "
Heartache Tonight
" from their 1979 album
The Long Run
;
[13]
their collaboration about Seger's and
Glenn Frey
's shared early lives in Detroit.
In 1980, Seger released
Against the Wind
(with ex-
Grand Funk Railroad
member
Craig Frost
replacing Robyn Robbins on keyboards) and it became his first and only No. 1 album on the
Billboard
album chart. The first single "
Fire Lake
" featured Eagles
Don Henley
,
Timothy B. Schmit
, and
Glenn Frey
on backing vocals and Muscle Shoals guitarist
Pete Carr
on 12-string acoustic. Fire Lake reached No. 6 on the Hot 100, while the title song "
Against the Wind
" reached No. 5 as a single and even crossed over to the Top 10 on
Billboard
'
s
Adult Contemporary
chart. "
You'll Accomp'ny Me
" became the third hit single from the record, reaching No. 14.
Against the Wind
would also win two
Grammy Awards
. As of 2006, both
Stranger in Town
and
Against the Wind
had sold over 5 million copies each in the United States.
The live 1981 album
Nine Tonight
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 Five hit from
Nine Tonight
and the album would go on to sell 4 million copies.
Seger released the acclaimed
The Distance
in December 1982. During the recording of this album, Silver Bullet guitarist Drew Abbott left the band due to his frustration with Seger's frequent use of session musicians in the studio and was replaced by
Dawayne Bailey
. After the album's release, David Teegarden also left the band due to internal conflict and was replaced by ex-
Grand Funk
drummer
Don Brewer
. Critically praised for representing a more versatile sound than that of his recent material,
The Distance
spawned numerous hits beginning with
Rodney Crowell
's "
Shame on the Moon
". It was the biggest hit of the Silver Bullet Band's entire career, hitting No. 1 on the
Adult Contemporary
chart and holding at No. 2 for four consecutive weeks ? behind
Patti Austin
and
James Ingram
's "
Baby, Come to Me
" and
Michael Jackson
's "
Billie Jean
" ? on the Hot 100. It also crossed over to No. 15 on
Billboard
's
Country Singles
chart. The follow-up single, "Even Now", just missed the Top 10, and "
Roll Me Away
" peaked at No. 27. The driving album track "Making Thunderbirds" was a popular music video filmed in Detroit and well-received on
MTV
. Seger's multi-platinum sales dropped off at this point, with
The Distance
peaking at No. 5 and selling only 1.9 million copies in the United States.
The Distance
was belatedly released on
8-track tape
; Capitol reportedly had no plans to do so, but Seger, claiming that many of his fans still used 8-track players in their vehicles, requested that the label also release the album in the waning format.
In 1984, Seger wrote and recorded the power rock ballad "Understanding" for the film soundtrack
Teachers
. The song was another Top 20 hit for Seger in late 1984.
[
citation needed
]
In 1986, he wrote and recorded "Living Inside My Heart" for the film soundtrack of
About Last Night...
.
Seger was no longer as prolific, and several years elapsed before his next studio album,
Like a Rock
,
emerged in the spring of 1986. The fast-paced "American Storm" was another Top-20 single aided by a popular music video featuring actress
Lesley Ann Warren
, and "
Like a Rock
" followed, reaching No. 12 on Billboard's Hot 100. Later, it would become 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).
[29]
Seger's 1986?1987 American Storm Tour was his self-stated last major tour, playing 105 shows over nine months and selling almost 1.5 million tickets.
Like a Rock
reached No. 3 and eventually sold over three million copies, although it has never been certified above platinum.
On March 13, 1987, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
for their contributions to the music industry, located at 1750
Vine Street
.
[30]
[31]
[32]
In 1987, Seger recorded the song "
Shakedown
" for the soundtrack to the film
Beverly Hills Cop II
. A synth-driven pop-rock song, it was Seger's first and only No. 1 hit on the pop singles chart. The song had originally been intended for fellow Detroiter
Glenn Frey
, but when Frey lost his voice just before the recording session, he asked Seger to take his place. Seger changed the verses of the song but kept the chorus the same. The song earned Seger an Academy Award nomination as co-writer in the Best Original Song category the following year.
Later years: 1988?present
[
edit
]
Bob Seger's next record was 1991's
The Fire Inside
, at a time when
glam metal
,
grunge
and
alternative rock
were taking the forefront. His new music found little visibility on the radio or elsewhere. The same was true of 1995's
It's a Mystery
, although the album was certified
gold
(500,000 copies sold). However, in 1994, Seger released
Greatest Hits
; the compilation album was his biggest-ever record in terms of sales, selling nearly 10 million copies in the United States as of 2010
[update]
. 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. (Seger was once known for his concerts in small venues, as witnessed with his appearance at the 18th Amendment in Omaha, Nebraska.)
Seger took a sabbatical from the music business for about ten years to spend time with his wife and two young children. In 2001 and 2002, Seger won the prestigious
Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race
aboard his 52-foot (16 m) sailboat
Lightning
. He subsequently sold the boat. 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. In 2005, Seger was featured singing with
3 Doors Down
on the song "
Landing in London
" from their
Seventeen Days
album.
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2005.
[33]
Seger's first new album in eleven years, titled
Face the Promise
, was released in 2006. In its first 45 days, it sold more than 400,000 copies.
[34]
The album sold over 1.2 million copies, returning Seger to platinum status and staying on the
Billboard
chart for several months. His supporting tour was also eagerly anticipated, with many shows selling out within minutes. Showing that Seger's legendary appeal in Michigan had not diminished, all 10,834 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.
In 2009, Seger released a compilation album titled
Early Seger Vol. 1
, which contained archival material from the 1970s and 1980s, including some fully or partially re-recorded tracks from his albums
Smokin' O.P.'s
(1972) and
Seven
(1974) and some never-before-released songs.
[35]
The album was initially only available for purchase at
Meijer
stores and then later for download at BobSeger.com.
[36]
Seger contributed piano and vocals on Kid Rock's 2010 album
Born Free
. Seger staged a successful arena tour during 2011, accompanied by the release of a two-CD compilation album,
Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets
.
[37]
On May 28, 2011, Michigan Governor
Rick Snyder
proclaimed that date as Bob Seger Day for his more than 50 years of sharing his celebrated musical talents with fans all over the world.
[38]
On December 30, 2011, before a sell-out crowd at the
Mandalay Bay Events Center
in Las Vegas, Seger closed another tour.
[39]
On October 30, 2011, he told AnnArbor.com director, Bob Needham, he was returning to the studio to complete another new album for release in the fall of 2012, followed by another supporting tour.
[40]
On June 14, 2012, Seger was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame
.
[3]
[4]
On January 10, 2013, Seger announced another tour in the US and Canada.
Seger performed a duet of "
Who'll Stop the Rain
" with
John Fogerty
on Fogerty's album
Wrote a Song for Everyone
, released in 2013.
Seger's 17th studio album,
Ride Out
was released on October 14, 2014.
Ride Out
was accompanied by a highly successful arena tour of the United States and Canada.
[41]
[42]
On December 22, 2016, Seger performed "
Heartache Tonight
" as the
Kennedy Center
honored the
Eagles
. A few weeks later, on January 18, 2017, Seger gave away the single "Glenn Song" on his website as a tribute marking the first anniversary of the death of Eagles founding member
Glenn Frey
, with whom Seger was close friends.
[43]
Starting on August 24, 2017, Seger embarked on a 32-city
Runaway Train
tour that was originally scheduled to conclude on November 17, 2017, in
Chicago
. This tour included a show on September 22, 2017, at
The Palace of Auburn Hills
(
Michigan
), which was the last event to be held at that venue.
[44]
The same day, Seger announced his new studio album,
I Knew You When
, and released "Busload of Faith", a cover of the
Lou Reed
song from the 1989 album
New York
, as the first single taken from the album.
[45]
I Knew You When
was released on November 17, 2017, which would have marked the last day of Seger's
Runaway Train
tour.
[45]
However, due to "an urgent medical issue with his
vertebrae
", all concert dates starting September 30 had to be postponed. Of the 32 scheduled tour dates, Seger could complete 13 and had to postpone 19.
[46]
On September 18, 2018, Seger announced his final tour. Named the
Travelin' Man
tour, it included postponed dates from the 2017 tour as well as additional shows, and was scheduled to kick off on November 21 at the
Van Andel Arena
in
Grand Rapids, MI
.
[47]
The tour ended on November 1, 2019, after which Seger retired. Silver Bullet Band saxophonist
Alto Reed
died one year later, on December 30, 2020, aged 72.
[48]
Seger came out of retirement on October 22, 2023, to perform at the
Country Music Hall of Fame
in
Nashville
for the induction of
Patty Loveless
, playing her 1997 song "
She Drew a Broken Heart
." Loveless sang a duet with Seger in "The Answer's The Question" in Seger's
Face the Promise
album in 2006.
[49]
Legacy
[
edit
]
Lincoln Park
declared November 17, 2017, "Bob Seger Day"
[9]
in the city. Mayor Thomas Karnes called Seger the voice of the city for their generation. Seger attended school there in his youth and performed at the city's
bandshell
in the 1960s.
[50]
In 2023,
Rolling Stone
ranked Seger at number 181 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
[51]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Seger's first marriage to Renee Andrietti in 1968 lasted for "one day short of a year". He had a long-term relationship with Jan Dinsdale from 1972 until 1983. In 1987, he married actress Annette Sinclair and they divorced one year later. He married Juanita Dorricott in 1993, in a small private setting at The Village Club, in Bloomfield Hills; they have two children.
[52]
Politics
[
edit
]
Politically, Seger has characterized himself as a
centrist
: "[I'm] right down the middle", he remarked. He supported Democrat
Hillary Clinton
in the
2016 presidential election
.
[53]
He tackled antiestablishment themes in early songs such as "
2+2=?
" (1968) and "U.M.C. (Upper Middle Class)" (1974), according to Brian McCollum of the
Detroit Free Press
. On his 2014 album
Ride Out
, he addressed topics such as gun violence, and wrote "It's Your World" about
climate change
. On the subject, he said, "There are a lot of culprits in climate change, and everybody's responsible, myself included. Nobody gets a free pass on this one. We've got to change our ways and change them fast."
[54]
He has considered President
Barack Obama
to be the favorite president of his lifetime; he met him at the 2016
Kennedy Center Honors
and thanked Obama for his "wisdom and dignity."
[55]
Discography
[
edit
]
- Studio albums
|
- Live albums
- Compilation albums
|
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Luciano, Phil (September 18, 2018).
"Bob Seger coming to Peoria Civic Center Arena"
.
Journal Star of Peoria
. Archived from
the original
on March 18, 2021
. Retrieved
January 13,
2022
.
- ^
"Bob Seger: inducted in 2004 | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum"
. Rockhall.com
. Retrieved
August 6,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"Bob Seger, Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Steinman Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame | Music News"
.
Rolling Stone
. June 15, 2012. Archived from
the original
on January 31, 2014
. Retrieved
August 6,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"Bob Seger, Gordon Lightfoot Among Songwriter Hall inductees"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved
August 6,
2013
.
- ^
"Songwriters Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Inductees"
. SongHall
. Retrieved
August 6,
2013
.
- ^
Greene, Andy (September 18, 2018).
"Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band Announce Farewell Tour"
.
Rolling Stone
. Retrieved
October 13,
2018
.
- ^
"Bob Seger reflects on growing up in Ann Arbor, looks forward to concert at EMU"
.
The Ann Arbor News
. Retrieved
December 7,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Brian McCollum (March 14, 2004).
"A definitive oral history of Seger's early years"
.
Detroit Free Press
. Archived from
the original
on April 13, 2009.
- ^
a
b
Herndon, Dave (November 16, 2017).
"Bob Seger Day set for Friday in Lincoln Park"
.
News-Herald
. Archived from
the original
on March 18, 2021
. Retrieved
September 19,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Influences"
. Seger File. Archived from
the original
on November 17, 2015
. Retrieved
August 10,
2009
.
- ^
a
b
Joanne Zangrilli (November 1990). "Going the Distance".
Goldmine
.
- ^
Melody Baetens (March 12, 2021).
"First Bob Seger song ever recorded to play on WCSX Monday"
.
The Detroit News
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Dave Hoekstra (May 5, 2011).
"Seger songs tell a story"
.
Chicago Sun-Times
.
- ^
a
b
Rolling Stone Editors.
The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century
. New York: Fireside, 2001.
- ^
"Bob Seger System ? 2 + 2 = ? [1968]"
. ARSA. Archived from
the original
on August 8, 2014
. Retrieved
August 18,
2011
.
- ^
History of the Eagles
. Sundance Institute, 2013
- ^
Advertising, OJ.
"Michigan Rock and Roll Legends - Bob Seger System (a.k.a. Bob Seger & The Last Heard)"
.
www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com
. Archived from
the original
on February 18, 2020
. Retrieved
July 9,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Tom Weschler and
Gary Graff
.
Travelin' Man: On the road and behind the scenes with Bob Seger
. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 2009.
- ^
White, Timothy
(1983). "The Roads Not Taken".
Musician
.
- ^
a
b
Segerfile.com: Back in '72
Archived
July 31, 2015, at the
Wayback Machine
. "Working with Muscle Shoals". Excerpted from Chris Cioe,
Musician
. "Bob Seger: Hymns from the heartland".
- ^
Mentioning
Frankie Miller
, covering Miller's song "Ain't Got No Money" on
Stranger in Town
album, and also
Graham Parker
,
John Fogerty
and
Bruce Springsteen
, Seger has remarked: "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."
[10]
- ^
Dave Marsh
; John Swenson (1983).
New Rolling Stone Record Guide
. New York, NY: Rolling Stone Press/Random House. pp.
454?455
.
ISBN
0-394-72107-1
.
- ^
Greil Marcus
(December 13, 1976).
"Bob Seger Never Forgets"
.
The Village Voice
.
- ^
Mary Campbell (July 25, 1986). "Bob Seger to storm into Poplar Creek with rock poetry".
Chicago Sun-Times
.
- ^
Greil, Marcus (December 13, 1976).
"Bob Seger Never Forgets"
.
The Village Voice
.
- ^
"50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time"
.
Rolling Stone
. April 29, 2015.
- ^
Erickson, Anne (October 20, 2016).
"VSA celebrates 30 years of helping disabled people become artists"
.
Oakland Press
.
- ^
K. Sharp,
Classic Rock
, Issue 102, page 59. Future Publishing, 2007.
- ^
Roger Catlin (April 12, 1996). "Bob Seger's back ? with his kids".
Hartford Courant
.
- ^
"Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band | Hollywood Walk of Fame"
.
www.walkoffame.com
. Retrieved
June 12,
2016
.
- ^
"Walk of Fame (1987)"
.
IMDb
. Retrieved
June 12,
2016
.
- ^
"Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
June 12,
2016
.
- ^
"Michigan Rock and Roll Legends - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band"
.
www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com
.
- ^
According to
Soundscan
.
- ^
Graff, Gary
(October 26, 2009).
"New Seger Album Cover Revealed"
.
WCSX
. Archived from
the original
on August 9, 2011
. Retrieved
October 31,
2009
.
- ^
"Early Seger Vol. 1"
. BobSeger.com. October 30, 2009. Archived from
the original
on September 23, 2010
. Retrieved
October 31,
2009
.
- ^
Melinda Newman (November 9, 2011).
"Bob Seger talks Tom Waits, Tom Cruise, Leonard Cohen, and Civil Wars"
.
HitFix
.
- ^
"Snyder ? Saturday, May 28, 2011: Bob Seger Day"
. Michigan.gov. May 28, 2011. Archived from
the original
on August 21, 2011
. Retrieved
January 12,
2012
.
- ^
"BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND FINAL DATES OF 2011 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR ANNOUNCED"
.
livenationentertainment.com
. LIVE NATION WORLDWIDE, INC
. Retrieved
March 30,
2024
.
- ^
"Bob Seger reflects on growing up in Ann Arbor, looks forward to concert at EMU"
. Annarbor.com. October 30, 2011
. Retrieved
January 12,
2012
.
- ^
"Bob Seger -
Ride Out
(2014) Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
October 14,
2014
.
- ^
"Fehler"
.
Facebook
. Archived from
the original
on June 7, 2021
. Retrieved
July 17,
2022
.
- ^
"Hear Bob Seger's New Tribute Song to Glenn Frey"
.
Rolling Stone
. Retrieved
November 17,
2017
.
- ^
"Bob Seger > Tickets and Concert Tour Dates > Tours > 2017"
.
Bulletclub.bobseger.com
. Retrieved
November 17,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Graff, Gary
(September 22, 2017).
"Bob Seger Covers Lou Reed's 'Busload of Faith' as First Release From Upcoming 'I Knew You When' LP"
.
Billboard.com
. Retrieved
September 24,
2017
.
- ^
Graff, Gary
(October 3, 2017).
"Seger postpones rest of tour due to health issue"
.
The Oakland Press
. Retrieved
October 14,
2017
.
- ^
Aswad, Jem (September 18, 2018).
"Bob Seger Announces 'Final' Tour Dates"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
November 7,
2018
.
- ^
"Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band Setlist at Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia"
.
setlist.fm
.
- ^
Brian McCollum. "Bob Seger performs for first time in 4 years, honors Patty Loveless at country music hall of fame.
Detroit Free Press
. October 24, 2023.
- accessed October 27, 2023.
- ^
"60-year-old band shell restored in time for MC5 homecoming, tribute"
. The News-Herald
. Retrieved
November 17,
2017
.
- ^
"The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time"
.
Rolling Stone
. January 1, 2023
. Retrieved
February 9,
2023
.
- ^
"Seger File: Biographical Notes, Part 2"
. Segerfile.com. Archived from
the original
on August 29, 2019
. Retrieved
October 14,
2014
.
- ^
Susan Whitall (November 18, 2015).
"Bob Seger says he'll tour in 2016; supports Hillary"
.
The Detroit News
. Retrieved
June 20,
2017
.
- ^
Brian McCollum (October 14, 2014).
"Bob Seger gets feisty and reflective on new album"
.
Detroit Free Press
. Retrieved
June 20,
2017
.
- ^
Greene, Andy (January 2, 2018).
"Hear Bob Seger Talk About His Health Scare, New Album and Springsteen"
.
Rolling Stone
. Retrieved
November 26,
2019
.
Other sources
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Bob Seger
.
Wikiquote has quotations related to
Bob Seger
.
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Seger solo albums
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The Silver Bullet Band albums
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