Bob Seger ‘Turn The Page’ Profound Inspiration

This is the story behind Bob Seger "Turn The Page." Ken Settle, Detroit concert photographer sent me this story about the picture of Bob above:

"This is a shot of Seger onstage at Lakeview High School in April of 1973. In the shot, Bob is playing "Turn The Page" for one of the first times in front of an audience. The album, Back In '72, that "Turn The Page" came off of, was released roughly two months earlier. Bob and his band at that time, known as Bob Seger & The Borneo Band, had not been playing "Turn The Page" at their gigs. Seger introduced the song at Lakeview High School by saying, 'This is a brand new one for us and I hope you like it.'"

-Ken, thanks as always for your amazing stories and photos.

Bob Seger 'Turn The Page' is one of those few songs that no matter how many times I've heard it, I can't help but sing along. every. time. The verse that speaks to me the most:

The road can be a huge challenge for bands.  The temptations of the road and the drill: show, travel, show, travel. It can leave you feeling like you don't even know where you are.  The verse above really puts it in perspective as to the base challenges of a rock band on the road. In just a few words, Bob Seger paints a very clear picture and it is extremely identifiable: being bullied.

Bob pulled the curtain back to show us that it's not all glamour on the road. It can be lonely, exhausting, and frustrating.  Furthermore, Bob manages to paint this picture without sounding like he's complaining or asking for sympathy.  He's simply making a statement. This is his truth.

In a 1994 interview with Music Connection Bob Seger said, "I hardly ever wrote on the road. I was more of a field general, and there wasn't a lot of time for writing on the road back then."  Bob went on to say that "Turn the Page" and "Night Moves" were the only songs that he can remember writing on the road. "The songs weren't totally finished until I had a week or two off the road to really knuckle down on them."

Bob Seger has tinnitus.  It's a ringing in the ears caused by over-exposure to high volumes. "Later in the evening when you lie awake in bed with the echo from the amplifiers ringing in your head." Bob is not the only artist that has sung about the condition. Peter Frampton, The Raconteurs with Jack White, and Wilco have all mentioned the condition in their songs.  You can check out a full list at faithhearing.com.

landtradio.com talks about Bob Seger's famous quote, “Our first headline shows ever in a large (twelve thousand seat) hall were the two shows at Detroit’s Cobo Arena, September 4th and 5th, 1975. I remember while I was singing this how nice it was to have such good on-stage monitors. I had never heard my voice so well while performing.”

The two Cobo shows became Live Bullet. The only version of Bob Seger 'Turn The Page' you'll hear on the radio is the live version.  Seger's live performances have sold more than 53 million albums, per bobseger.com.

Our Detroit concert photographers have caught so many once-in-a-lifetime moments at shows. Here are some of my favorite Bob Seger pictures from Detroit.

We've got some amazing Bob Seger photos from our Detroit photographers, Tom Weschler, Ken Settle, and Frank Pettis.

Ken Settle's pictures of Bob Seger go all the way back to the Rock and Roll Farm (now US-12) in Wayne!  He was a teenager when he was coming into the Rock and Roll Farm to photograph shows. Tom Weschler has an amazing history with Bob Seger.  He was Seger's road manager for years and has a bunch of cool stage and backstage photos. Frank Pettis has a great early photo of Seger adding to the mix.

May 6th is Bob Seger's birthday.  Every year, in celebration of Bob, his music, and his legacy, Big Jim's House holds court over SEGER DE MAYO: all Bob Seger music and conversation on the Friday closest to Bob's birthday.  This gallery was originally created in celebration on Bob Seger's birthday.

Thanks to all three Detroit photographers for allowing us to share these photos with all of our WSCX friends and family.

Alto Reed

Bob Seger - 1974 Rock'n'Roll Farm ken settle

Frank Pettis

Bob Seger - 1971 Bob Seger and crew played a ballgame against the WRIF crew. ken settle

Bob Seger - 1974 Plymouth Cultural Center Ice Rink ken settle

Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, live, 1973 ,Ken Settle/atlasicons.com

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Bob Seger and Mr. Bruce Springsteen Photo by Tom Weschler

Bob Seger '75 Tom Weschler

Tom Weschler Bob Seger Bruce Springsteen Bob-Seger-Bruce-Springsteen-@-Pine-Knob-9.78

Courtesy of Bob Seger and Capital Records Tom Weschler

Bob Seger.11.13.11 Steve Galli

Ken Settle

Courtesy of Bob Seger and Capital Records Tom Weschler