Six Strong Silver Bullet Band Work for Bob Seger

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band are a very successful band in American classic rock. In this article, I decided to feature six songs of theirs focusing on a contribution on each one from a Silver Bullet Band member. I will give my thoughts on the importance of their part/s in the song.

Robyn Robbins - Organ on Live Version of Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man (1976)

Keyboardist Robyn Robbins who was in the Silver Bullet Band in the 70s provides great rock organ playing in the live version of Bob Seger’s first US hit. He improves upon the instrument’s part in the original recording. Robyn’s organ is the lead instrument and gives a good musical base for this song. Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man gives a unique sound fusioning rock and soul.

David Teegarden - Double Drums on Hollywood Nights (1978)

Drummer David Teegarden plays two sets of drums on “Hollywood Nights”. This provides a powerful rock beat with it frequently having the drum effects where it sounds like it’s going up and then down. David’s drums work very well for this intense rock song which has a hard rock feel.

Bob Seger - Piano & Acoustic Guitars on Still the Same (1978)

I wanted to feature an instrumental contribution from Bob Seger himself. He’s on double duty on this ballad playing both piano and acoustic guitars. His acoustic guitars contribute to the musical texture of this song. I’m focusing specifically on his piano playing. Bob’s piano playing suits this ballad well. His piano has detail and is the song’s lead instrument. Bob gives us a nice piano solo.

Alto Reed - Saxophone on Old Time Rock & Roll (1978)

This is probably Bob Seger’s most popular song which pays tribute to 50s rock & roll music. It’s interesting as Bob recorded his vocals to the original demo of the song by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (a group of session musicians Bob worked with in the 70s & 80s). Silver Bullet Band saxophonist Alto Reed recorded his solo as an overdub. Alto’s sax part has a warm and soulful feel suiting a rock & roll song. It provides a good contrast to Forrest McDonald’s guitar solo which came earlier in the song.

Drew Abbott - Lead Guitar on Feel Like a Number (1978)

For this intense rock song, I’m focusing on original guitarist Drew Abbott. I don’t know if Drew is playing all the guitars, but he is definitely playing the lead guitar. There is an intense rock guitar which matches well with the piano. The opening guitar riffs are catchy. These riffs also appear throughout the song. Drew plays a powerful guitar solo which is recognisably his style. This solo is fast and has a lot of energy. This song showcases what a great rock guitarist Drew Abbott is.

Craig Frost - Piano & Organ on The Ring (1986)

Craig Frost who joined the Silver Bullet Band as the keyboardist in 1979 plays piano & organ on this song. His piano part is prominent, but his organ part is low in the mix. The Ring has a pop rock feel. The guitar parts are acoustic, which gives the keyboards more room to rock. Craig plays a powerful melodic heartland rock piano sound which Bob Seger uses in his songs. There are two incredible piano solos. When Craig’s piano rocks in this song, it’s in sync with the drums played by session drummer Gary Mallaber.

These songs show what a great rock band Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band are. They can rock very well and also deliver strong ballads. The songs above are musically diverse, reflecting their creativity.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Bob Seger & the Silver Band’s breakthrough. The Silver Bullet Band had toured with him for a few years and appeared on his albums, but it was in 1976 that they started being credited with Bob on his albums. The Silver Bullet Band haven’t made an album with Bob Seger since 1995. I would like Bob Seger to make a new album with the Silver Bullet Band again. I would want an album to have the melodic songwriting and great piano use of their 1978 album “Stranger in Town”.

Sadly, Alto Reed passed away in 2020. The only remaining band members other than Bob are Chris Campbell (bass) and Craig Frost (keyboards). I’d like to see former members Drew Abbott (guitar), David Teegarden (drums) and Robyn Robins (keyboards) come back for this. Bob Seger can produce this album with his manager Punch Andrews as they produced some of his best work in many Silver Bullet Band recordings in the 70s and 80s.

Singers & Sidemen Songs

Sidemen are backing musicians who play for singers. They could be members of a singer’s band and/or session musicians. I decided to write an article collecting a set of songs of singers and a song one of their sidemen sing. I paired it so that the sideman played on the singer's song. These pairs are set where the first song is by the singer and the second song is by the sideman. There are even a few cases where the singer appears on the sideman’s song. We’ll start by going back 50 years.

Elton John - (Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket (1975)

I chose this song as Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic” album is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. I recently listened to the very good Dolby Atmos version of the album on Blu-ray audio. This is a powerful rocker opened by Davey Johnstone’s guitar. Davey plays great guitar throughout. Elton rocks out on his piano and also plays a clavinet which gives quirky keyboard parts. Elton’s vocals are aggressive. The backing vocals of Elton’s band support him well. Davey gives one of his signature sounding guitar solos. Nigel Olsson rocks very well with his powerful drumming. This song shows what a great rock artist Elton John is.

Nigel Olsson - Showdown (1980)

This is a solo song by Elton’s drummer Nigel Olsson. Nigel and Elton’s roles are inverted here as Elton plays piano on this song. Elton’s original bassist Dee Murray is also on this song. Nigel sings soulfully in this rock song and his drumming is powerful. The castanets remind me of those instruments featured on Elton’s rock classic “Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding”. There are good synth parts featured in the song. This song has a good early 80s soft rock feel. Elton plays great rock piano especially at the end of the song.

Eric Clapton - Somebody’s Knockin’ (2016)

This is Eric Clapton’s version of an unreleased J.J. Cale song. It has a blues rock feel. Eric rocks out with his guitar in the opening section. Keyboardist Chris Stainton supports the song with his piano. A few minutes into the song, Chris gives a good piano solo. I like how he makes the notes go up and down. Following that, we get a bluesy organ solo by Paul Carrack. Paul’s organ has a good presence in the song following this solo. The song ends with Eric giving a powerful solo. In it, Eric’s guitar matches well with Chris’ piano and Paul interjects good organ parts in.

Ace (Paul Carrack) - How Long (1974)

This is a hit song Paul Carrack had with the band Ace. Paul has worked with Eric in the studio and been a member of his band for some tours. Paul wrote, sang and played keyboards on this song. It’s opened solely by its bass guitar part and Paul’s electric piano part soon joins in. Paul sings in a warm and melodic way. His electric piano matches well with the guitar solo. This is a 70s soft rock classic.

Jackson Browne - For Everyman (1973)

Jackson Browne’s folk rock song features a mix of guitars, piano and organ. The guitar part is mainly acoustic. Jackson and David Lindley both play that instrument, with David also playing electric guitar. Jackson sings in an intimate way. Craig plays a good piano part. The organ played by Jimmy Buffett’s keyboardist Michael Utley adds a lot of colour to the song. David plays a gentle electric guitar part near the end. This is an epic six minute long song.

Craig Doerge - Reno (1973)

This is a song from Craig Doerge’s solo album. Craig did a lot of work with Jackson Browne in the studio and has toured with him. He was part of Jackson’s hit album “Running on Empty” of original songs recorded on the road. Craig plays good rock piano and sings in a deep way. The backing vocals are strong and effective. The guitar comes in and out of the song with its strong parts. The guitar part at the end of the song goes well with Craig’s piano. This is a good mid-tempo rock song.

Michael Stanley - Sound of a Train (2015)

Michael Stanley is an American rock singer from Cleveland. I wish more people around the world knew about his work. This is a song he wrote with his guitarist Marc Lee Shannon. I had previously featured Marc’s version of the song in my article “Ten Train Songs”. This song features acoustic guitar, piano and organ. Michael sings in a warm and powerful way. The piano gives off a relaxing, warm feel and the organ adds to the song. It has an americana rock ballad feel, which reminds me of Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” album.

Marc Lee Shannon - I’m On It (2006)

Michael produced Marc Lee Shannon’s debut album, which sees them reverse roles. Michael played instruments on the album, and he wrote and provided backing vocals on this song. It opens with a powerful drum beat and gets into this great rock feel. The song features a good mix of guitar, piano and organ. Marc sings in a tough way with passion. His vocals are very effective. Michael’s backing vocals come in which are featured in sections of the song. They support Marc well. I like how Marc and Michael’s voices go together. There’s a creative country influenced guitar solo I’m assuming is by Marc. I like the ad-libbing Marc does towards the end of the song. This is a catchy, melodic country rock song.

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Little Drummer Boy (1987)

As we’re approaching Christmas, it’s fitting to feature a Christmas song. Bob sings this Christmas classic powerfully. Silver Bullet Band keyboardist Craig Frost provides a good piano part which gives a foundation to the song. Saxophonist Alto Reed provides nice sax parts. Alto mentioned that the Silver Bullet Band had recorded often with drummer Don Brewer, yet this is the only officially released studio track with him. Don was a touring drummer on most Silver Bullet Band tours from the 1980s to the 2010s. The guitar parts are played by Rick Vito and Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren. There is a great guitar part that comes throughout the song. It’s great to have a Christmas song given the Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band rock treatment.

Grand Funk Railroad (Don Brewer & Craig Frost) - We’re An American Band (1973) 

This #1 US hit is written and sung by Don Brewer who’s the drummer of Grand Funk Railroad. The song opens with a creative drumming part. Don sings loudly in a passionate way. He drums very well throughout this song, hitting the drums with intensity. The band’s keyboardist Craig Frost plays great electric piano. He does wonderful synth work in the choruses. Don and Craig would both end up working with Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band the following decade with Don as a touring musician and Craig an official member. Mark Farner gives a good guitar solo. This rock song is produced by Todd Rundgren.

These singers & sidemen songs feature a diverse range of rock songs. It’s interesting that the opening and closing pairs both feature a sideman song by a singing drummer. The singers in both pairs are my two favourite singers Elton John & Bob Seger. If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in my previous article “Ten Songs Featuring Elton John Sidemen Vol. 2”.

Bob Seger's You'll Accomp'ny Me Live

One of Bob Seger’s popular songs is “You’ll Accomp’ny Me”. It comes from his 1980 album “Against the Wind” which includes the hit single of the same name. I decided to write a blog post about the live version. The original version featured Bob Seger on acoustic guitar. He was accompanied by members of the Silver Bullet Band Chris Campbell (bass) & David Teegarden (drums) and Little Feat members Bill Payne (keyboards) & Sam Clayton (percussion). Little Feat is a southern rock band. This is an upbeat soft rock song with a jolly feel.

The live version is from 1981’s live album “Nine Tonight”. It was performed at the Boston Garden in October 1980 which is exactly 45 years ago. Silver Bullet Band members Drew Abbott and Alto Reed who weren’t on the original recording play on this version. Drew plays acoustic guitar and saxophonist Alto doesn’t play sax, but organ. Piano is played by keyboardist Craig Frost who joined the band for the “Against the Wind” Tour this performance is from.

The opening section has acoustic guitar with organ briefly appearing. Bob sings and soon the piano appears. Alto’s organ contributes greatly to the rich musical sound of this performance. Bob sings powerfully with passion. I think this version is better than the studio version. Craig’s piano is what elevates it in my view. I love the way he rocks on that instrument. The song concludes with Bob thanking the audience and saying “great to be back in Boston”. Even though this song is a ballad, it has a great rock energy. It showcases the power of Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band at their peak. Similar to how this performance is exactly 45 years ago, this month marks my 15th anniversary of becoming a Bob Seger fan in October 2010.

Bob Seger & the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section

Bob Seger has recorded many songs in the 1970s & 1980s with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (MSRS), a group of session musicians in the small town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The core members of the MSRS are Barry Beckett (keyboards), Pete Carr (lead guitar), Jimmy Johnson (rhythm guitar), David Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums & percussion). I’m writing about their work with Bob Seger covering many of the songs they recorded with him from 1975’s “Beautiful Loser” album to 1980’s “Against the Wind” album. They also did some recording with Bob in the few years before and after this. Bob during this period alternated recording with the MSRS and his own band the Silver Bullet Band (SBB). A few SBB members played with the MSRS as we’ll soon see.

We’re starting with the “Beautiful Loser” album in 1975. The MSRS on this album had a second keyboardist, Spooner Oldham. The title track is a warm melodic ballad. Barry Beckett’s piano has a strong presence. He gives a good piano solo and also plays synth parts. The electric piano rocker “Black Night” is a case where the MSRS is augmented by an SBB member, being lead guitar by Drew Abbott. The electric piano would be played by Barry or Spooner. Drew also played guitar with the MSRS on the rock & roll song “Katmandu”. Barry gives great rock & roll piano including glissandos near the end.

We’re now going to the 1976 “Night Moves” album. The rocker “Sunspot Baby” opens with piano and is joined by guitar. Barry’s piano and Pete’s guitar go well together in this song. Pete has two amazing guitar solos. Roger rocks well with his powerful drumming. Rock ballad “Mainstreet” has incredible guitar by Pete Carr throughout it. Barry is on both piano and organ. David’s bass guitar gives deep notes that enrich the song. The ballad “Ship of Fools” is led by Pete’s acoustic guitar and Barry’s piano. Silver Bullet Band guitarist Drew Abbott plays guitar licks on it.

Sunspot Baby (1976)

Mainstreet (1976)

The following album is 1978’s “Stranger in Town”. The iconic “Old Time Rock & Roll” is written by George Jackson, Thomas Earl Jones III and Bob Seger in an uncredited capacity for re-writing the lyrics. Bob recorded his vocals over the original demo and added his saxophonist Alto Reed on it. The piano is played by Randy McCormick who was also involved with the MSRS and opens the song with its legendary intro. The guitars are played by different guitarists, Ken Bell and Forrest McDonald (lead).

A few members of the Eagles played guitar solos with the MSRS. Till it Shines featured the guitar solo by Glenn Frey. Don Felder played the guitar solo on the Frankie Miller cover “Ain’t Got No Money”. Barry gives great rock & roll piano notes near the end of that song. The popular ballad “We’ve Got Tonight”’s main instrument is Barry’s piano. Roger drums effectively where he alternates between playing softly and fully charged. David’s bass playing suits the song well. The Famous Final Scene is also a ballad with Barry on piano & organ and featuring orchestra. It’s more rock sounding than the previous song with Pete’s guitars throughout. All the instruments play strongly, matching well with Bob’s singing.

Ain’t Got No Money (1978)

The Famous Final Scene (1978)

On 1980’s “Against the Wind” album, the band is augmented by Randy McCormick of “Old Time Rock & Roll” on organ. The rocker “Long Twin Silver Line” is driven by Pete’s guitars. It opens with the guitars and is followed by Barry’s piano coming in via a glissando. Barry plays rock & roll piano notes which are louder in parts of the song such as the chorus. Pete plays a rocking guitar solo with subtle country influences. Randy’s organ has a stronger presence on the next two songs. They are both ballads with a soft rock feel. The guitars feature a good mix of acoustic and electric. I wonder if Jimmy is playing the acoustic guitar parts. Fire Lake features Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles on wonderful backing vocals. Barry’s piano and Randy’s organ go well together. Shinin’ Brightly is a positive, optimistic song. Throughout “Shinin’ Brightly”, Randy’s organ does great musical explorations. Barry does a bit of rock piano near the end.

Fire Lake (1980)

These songs are very well produced by Bob Seger and the MSRS. The MSRS are a great band who wonderfully support Bob Seger’s brand of American rock music. They are able to perform intense rockers, slow ballads and everything in between.The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section are an important part of the legacy of Bob Seger’s music. If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in my previous article “Bill Payne’s Keyboards for Bob Seger”.

Bill Payne's Keyboards for Bob Seger

Bob Seger has worked with keyboardist Bill Payne from 1978 onwards. Session musician Bill Payne is part of the southern rock band Little Feat. Bill first worked with Bob playing piano & organ on his 1978 hit “Hollywood Nights” from the “Stranger in Town” album. Bill’s keyboards are just organ at the start. During the first verse, he brings in his piano which adds depth to the song. The piano rocks well with some notable moments. A few years later Bill played all the keyboards (piano, organ & synth) on the ballad “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” from the “Against the Wind” album. This song opens with acoustic guitar and Bill soon brings in his piano & organ. His synth is hard to hear. The piano makes this song whole and there are strong organ moments. In both songs, Bill played with Bob who was the sole guitarist.

Hollywood Nights (1978)

You’ll Accomp’ny Me (1980)

On the next album “The Distance”, two songs Bill played piano include the country hit “Shame on the Moon” and the ballad “Love’s the Last to Know”. On the Rodney Crowell cover “Shame On the Moon”, the sole keyboards at the start are organ. After the first chorus, Bill brings in a memorable piano solo with piano continuing throughout the song. Bill’s piano elevates “Shame On the Moon”. Piano is the main instrument on the ballad “Love’s the Last to Know” giving Bill a stronger presence than the previous songs. He plays gently and melodically giving the power of a piano ballad. In these three songs, he played with Silver Bullet Band keyboardist Craig Frost on organ and would do the same on the songs in the next paragraph.

Bill played keyboards (piano & synth) on most tracks on the 1986 “Like a Rock” album. This is the most prominent presence he’s had on a Bob Seger album. I will describe what I consider to be his best contribution from that album. In the heartland rocker “American Storm”, his piano is driving the song. In the rock ballad title track, he was playing gently and supported Rick Vito’s slide guitar solos well. In the intense rock song “Sometimes”, he played a good supporting role and provided a memorable piano solo.

American Storm (1986)

This album also has songs with the combination of him on piano and Craig Frost on synth. The two keyboards went well together on “The Aftermath” with Bill rocking out well. The two instruments were used in a different way on the ballad “Somewhere Tonight”. Somewhere Tonight has gentle sections driven by Bill’s piano and rockier sections driven by Rick Vito’s guitar. On the following 1991 album “The Fire Inside”, he played on two Tom Waits covers. One of them was the jazz song “New Coat of Paint” which brings a completely different sound to what Bob normally does. Bill does incredible piano playing including having two piano solos. The other one was the country song “Blind Love” with his prominent gentle country playing.

We’re now going back to a Bob Seger original. Bill played piano on the 2006 rock ballad “Wait for Me” which is a very Bob Seger song. Bill gives warm melodic playing. He backed Bob Seger’s guitar solo. I didn't like how the “Face the Promise” album this song is from had a lack of keyboards on it. I wanted there to be more piano on the album. I wish Bill could have played on more tracks. His presence would have elevated the material like how he did on “Hollywood Nights” as that song was recorded as a band without the keyboards first. I’m imagining how great the title track could have sounded with Bill’s piano & organ.

Wait for Me (2006)

On Bob’s last album “I Knew You When” in 2017, Bill played on three songs. The “I Knew You When” songs featured unreleased songs, most of which had been updated as well as a few covers and newly written songs. These songs Bill played on were from the unreleased “Blue Ridge” album recorded in the late 1990s. On the piano ballad “I Knew You When”, Bill plays in a relaxed, gentle way. In aggressive rocker “Forward Into the Past”, Bill plays a supporting role. He gives good rock piano moments throughout the song. The song “Blue Ridge” opens with real drums and steel drums. I suspect these steel drums are played by Craig Frost on keyboards as I didn’t see any steel drums in the credits. Soon, Bill’s piano appears. It gives a good presence in this melodic rocker. Bill accompanies Bob on his rocking guitar solo.

Blue Ridge (2017)

These songs showcase Bill Payne’s contributions to Bob Seger’s work. He is one of the key session musicians Bob has worked with over the years. Bill contributed to the iconic Bob Seger sound and brought vibes from americana & southern rock. The Bob Seger songs he played on are rockers & ballads and also other genres like country & jazz. Bill showed the power of the piano as a rock instrument. I hope to see Bill Payne reunited on the next Bob Seger album.

Five Great Moments in Rock Music

In this post, I am compiling five great moments in rock music based on the music I like which has been discussed on this blog. It is a collection of songs where I give a brief description for each one. All but one of these songs have been featured in articles of mine which I link to. This isn’t a serious analysis and won’t include the popular rock music moments frequently spoken about. It’s just a fun way to enjoy rock.

Elton John’s Sci-Fi Hit - 1972

As a fan of both Elton John & sci-fi, I love the fact that one of his most popular hits is the epic sci-fi song “Rocket Man”. This is one of the songs in my article “Sci-Fi Elton John Songs”.

Elton John Playing on a Jackson Browne Song - 1973

Elton John plays piano on the Jackson Browne song “Red Neck Friend”. He offers great rock & roll piano including playing with Jackson Browne sideman David Lindley on slide guitar who sadly passed away earlier this year. I featured this song in my article “Ten Great Jackson Browne Songs by Ten Different Piano Players”.

Bob Seger Plays Rock Piano - 1981

Bob Seger rarely plays rock piano so it was a nice surprise to hear him play it on the live version of “Brave Strangers”. The piano is prominent in this epic rocker. Bob doesn’t do the moving of the notes up the scale and the great gliding of the keys which Doug Riley did in the original version due to his limitations as a pianist, but he does play it well.

Elton John’s Guitarist Playing on a Bob Seger Song - 1982

I had heard that Elton John’s guitarist Davey Johnstone played on a Bob Seger song before I started listening to Bob Seger music, but since being a Bob Seger fan, it became something special. Davey plays acoustic guitar on the powerful ballad “Love’s The Last To Know”. This song is featured in my article “Ten Great Bob Seger Songs by Ten Different Piano Players”.

Elton John & Eric Clapton Duet - 1992

Elton John and Eric Clapton teamed up for the epic blues rocker “Runaway Train”. Eric’s guitar really shines and Elton plays an organ solo overdubbed over his piano. I discussed this song in “Ten Great Elton John Songs by Ten Different Guitarists”.

Hope you found this interesting and liked the songs if you listened to them. The unifying theme on these songs is they all feature piano as the piano is my favourite instrument. There were three rock songs and two ballads. I like how the rock songs are quite different from each other.