Bob Seger, The #30 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Four

 

(Continued from Part Three)

 Seger recorded "Understanding" for the movie Teachers in 1984.  It hit #4 on the MR chart and #14 overall.

 

Two years later, Bob released the album Like a Rock.  The title song gave Bob his first #1 Mainstream Rock hit that peaked at #12 Popular.  It was used for several years by Chevrolet for a popular commercial.  

The album sold over three million copies.

Bob played 105 shows before 1.5 million fans.  In 1987, Seger & the Silver Bullet Band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1750 Vine Street.

 Seger wrote the song "Shakedown" for the soundtrack to the movie Beverly Hills Cop for longtime friend Glenn Frey.  Frey lost his voice before going into the studio, so Bob recorded it as well.  Seger rode the song to #1 in the U.S. and Canada.  

Seger was nominated for Best Rock Performance, Solo at the Grammy Awards, Favorite Pop/Rock Single at the American Music Awards and Best Original Song at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards, and he won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film.  Bob also won an ASCAP Music Award for Most Performed Song From a Motion Picture.

 

In 1991, Seger released a solid but largely unappreciated album The Fire Inside.  Bob brought in many ace musicians to assist in the project, including one of The Top 100 Guitar Players of the Rock Era*--Mike Campbell (of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers).  "The Real Love" rose to #4 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #24 overall.  J.D. Souther ("You're Only Lonely") sings backing vocals on this as well as "Sightseeing", which we'll hear in a bit.

 Seger was nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male and Best Rock Performance, Solo at the Grammy Awards for The Fire Inside.  Bob began writing the title song in 1989 and finished it in 1991.  Punch kept telling him, 'You gotta' finish that song!"  "The Fire Inside" also landed in the Top 10 on the MR chart.

 "Sightseeing" is Seger's favorite song on the album.  He brought in piano wizard Bruce Hornsby (who played accordion on this track), vocalist Patty Smyth (leader of Scandal ("Goodbye To You") who also enjoyed success with Don Henley on "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough") and violinist Lisa Germano.  Seger was happy with the results:  "I just got that strange feeling...and I loved it."

 

Seger delivered a great version of the Tom Waits song "New Coat Of Paint".

In 1994, Seger released his Greatest Hits package, selling nearly 10 million albums in the U.S. alone.

 

The 1995 album It's a Mystery went Gold.  The following year, Seger released another of the best albums of his career--Face The Promise.  He promoted it with an extensive tour that ranked as the fourth-largest in terms of number of tickets sold in 1996.  The title song is one of just many gems. 

 "Wreck This Heart" is another great song released 31 years after he began.

 

We also want to feature "Simplicity".

 Seger also featured this hauntingly beautiful song on the album--"Won't Stop".

 

"The Answer's In The Question" (with Patty Loveless) is another incredible song that few people heard.

Seger than concentrated on his family for nearly ten years without recording or touring.  In 2004, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Bob released the album Face the Promise in 2006.  It has sold over one million copies.

In 2009, Seger released another compilation Early Seger, Vol. 1.  

In 2012, Seger was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  In 2014, he released the album Ride Out.

Bob has racked up 31 career hits.  Six of those have reached the Top 10 although many are underrated, and he has one #1 song to his credit.  Although the Mainstream Rock chart didn't exist for the first 21 years of his career, Bob still charted 16 hits with 11 Top 10 songs and 3 #1's.  Those numbers would triple or quadruple had the chart been around since his early days.

According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Seger has sold over 50 million albums.

Seger won one Grammy Award from seven nominations and was nominated for three American Music Awards, one Academy Award, one Golden Globe Award, one MTV Video Music Award and he won an ASCAP Music Award.