Guide Note
Bob Seger is a popular
Rock musician and songwriter from
Detroit,
Michigan. He has been recording and performing his unique brand of "Roots Rock" for the past four decades, both as a solo artist and with his backup group,
The Silver Bullet Band.
Fast Facts
- Name: Robert Clark Seger
- Born: May 6, 1945
- Origin: Detroit, Michigan
- Label: Capitol Records
Musical Evolution
Seger began his career as a blue-eyed soul singer, much in the same style as Detroit singer Mitch Ryder. His first radio hit, 1968's "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" is a raw '60s-style R&B; rave-up. By 1976's Night Moves, however, he had moved on to a roots-rock sound sometimes compared to similar work by Bruce Springsteen, combining elements of folk, 1950's rock, soul and blues.
Reception
Like Springsteen, Seger sang about working-class life, and redemption through struggle and romance, but his music does not enjoy the same prestige among critics and music enthusiasts. This is perhaps owing in part to the identification of his music as a soundtrack to television commercials, most notably the Chevrolet "Like a Rock Campaign," which used the 1986 Seger track of the same name.
Key Tracks
"Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," 1968—a raw soul song in the style of Mitch Ryder, from the hard-to-find LP of the same name.
"Old Time Rock and Roll," 1978—nostalgic rocker about the music of the 1950s, used for a key scene in Tom Cruise's Risky Business.
"Like a Rock," 1986—a song that reminisces about lost youth, used in ads for Chevy trucks.
"Sightseeing," 1991—a Celtic-flavored rock song from his critically acclaimed comeback album The Fire Inside.
