Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band was composed of quite a few names that might sound familiar to a ‘60s and ‘70s music fan. Bob Seger was the lead vocalist, but there was also Drew Abbott on guitar, Charlie Allen Martin on drums, Rick Manasa on keys, Chris Campbell on bass and guitar, and Alto Reed, on saxophone. Charlie Allen Martin, Rick Manasa, and Alto Reed also provided backing vocals. The band would change members throughout its illustrious history.
The Silver Bullet Band was formed in 1974, thanks to Bob Seger. He had not reached the peak of his popularity at that time, but he was not unknown. Born May 6, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, he was really only known in his hometown. He said his early music inspirations were Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and The Del Vikings. He would perform with a few other bands – The Decibels, The Town Criers, and The Omens. He had released the albums Heavy Music (1967) and Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man (1969) with the bands Last Heard and The Bob Seger System, respectively.
The Silver Bullet Band would act as a “session band,” sitting in and playing on a few songs on his new album, Seven (1974). Seger would then release the album Beautiful Loser (1975). The single on the album, “Katmandu,” would barely miss the US Pop Top 40 Chart, topping out at #43. This would be Seger’s biggest hit since “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man.”
Seger & The Silver Bullet Band then released the album Live Bullet (1976), which was a live album they recorded in Detroit’s Cobo Arena in September 1975. It would sell six million copies in the US and be regarded by some as the best live album of all time. The next album, Stranger In Town (1978), placed multiple songs on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The band’s cover of “Shame on the Moon” by Rodney Crowell would then earn them a No. 1 spot on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart.
On March 13, 1987, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2005, they were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. Seger continued to release albums sporadically until 2017, and went on his last tour in 2018-2019. He performed once more in 2023, at Patty Loveless’ induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN.
Their most recognizable song to many is probably the 1986 release, “Like A Rock,” which was used in a long-running Chevrolet ad campaign, a decision Seger made to support automotive workers in Detroit.
The timeless music of Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band is well known to Life 103.1 listeners!
(Wikipedia.com, Forbes.com, Spotify.com)