The raspy-voiced renegade from Lincoln Park, Bob Seger, has a thousand tracks we could feature for Throwback Thursday on Detroit Sounds Like This, but we’ve chosen the first track off of his debut album for not only putting Bob Seger’s name on the map, but also for it’s energy, authenticity, and organ riffs. The Bob Seger System was not Seger’s first gig on the Detroit music scene — prior to The Bob Seger System releasing their debut album in 1969, Seger played in The Decibels (his first band, a 3-piece outfit), then The Town Criers, then shortly after joined Doug Brown & The Omens, then finally The Last Heard. It was after leaving Doug Brown & The Omens to record a song called “East Side Story” (which Seger wrote for another band, The Underdogs, but didn’t garner any attention) that Seger tasted success around Detroit thanks to recording the song with Hideout Records. After getting attention from other record companies (and turning down a contract with Motown to record for Capitol), Bob Seger & The Last Heard became The Bob Seger System and recorded “2+2=?”, a song which carried a strong anti-war message and gained the band moderate success around Detroit, Canada, and New York. “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” was the next song released from The Bob Seger System, and it instantly gained the band even wider recognition and made it to #17 on the charts. The title track to the album was released as a single in 1968, and due to the success of it, the album was recorded shortly after and released in 1969. Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man put Bob Seger’s name out there as a genuine and distinctive voice in rock and roots music, and it was only the beginning of the legacy he is still continuing in Detroit and around the country.
Enjoy a video featuring The Bob Seger System’s biggest hit along with a performance by “Legs & Co.” on Top of The Pops…you’re welcome, guys!