Bob Seger is a multi-talented musician widely applauded for his singing and songwriting skills. He was born in 1945 and is popularly known for his bands Bob Seger and The Last Heard, which he later changed to Bob Seger System.
Music Career
As the founder of the Silver Bullet Band, Seger has, over the years, been a part of various bands including, The Decibels, The Town Criers, and The Omens. However, it is not until Seger was a member of The Omens did he start receiving the recognition he deserved. While he was still a member of The Omens, Seger’s writing prowess shone bright that he started writing for various acts that Edward ‘Punch’ Andrews, his soon-to-be manager, was managing at the time. Click here to learn more about Seger’s career.
It is not until 1966 that Seger had his first hit in Detroit. Having signed a contract with Cameo-Parkway Records, the song East Side Story sold around 50,000 copies in and around Detroit. Initially, Seger had written the single for a local band known as the Underdogs, but turned out to be a flop. It is then that he formed the group Bob Seger and The Last Heard and released the song. Together, they released four more hits with one of the songs Heavy
Music, doing better than East Side Story. It also went on to top Canadian charts. As much as the song looked promising, the joy was short-lived as Cameo-Parkway Records went out of business.
In 1968, Bob Seger and The Last Heard changed their name to The Bob Seger System after landing a recording deal with Capitol Records. Their first single with the label called 2+2=? was not a US national hit. It, however, did well in Canadian Charts. Following massive hard work and dedication, their second single Ramblin‘ Gamblin‘ Man was a success.
After this, Seger took a short hiatus but later released their last studio album Mongrel as a group, which was not a commercial success
Seger as a Solo Artist and Associated Acts
In 1971, under Capitol Records, Seger released an all-acoustic solo album, which was a commercial failure. He left the record label and played with Teegarden & Van Winkle. Also, Seger later formed a backing band known as My Band/The Borneo Band. He has associated acts with The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. After suffering frustrations with My Band, Seger left the group but continued touring in and around his hometown. It is later that he formed The Silver Bullet Band.
Success at Last
The frustrations did not dim Seger’s ambitions. His peak of success reached when he released the album Night Moves, which sold over 6 million copies in the US. Night Moves made him popular with fans purchasing his previously released albums. His other albums, Stranger in Town, Against the Wind, Nine Tonight, The Distance, Like a Rock, were all commercial successes.
In further pursuit of success, Seger released a compilation album Greatest Hits that sold over 10 million copies in the United States. It is not until 2004 that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The following year, together with The Silver Bullet Band, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
In 2006, his album Face the Promise reached Platinum status. His eighteenth and final album, I Knew You When was released in 2017.
