ABOUT THE AUTHOR...

THE CITIZEN (newspaper; Clarkston/Ortonville/Brandon Twp)

By David Fleet
Editor

 

Ortonville, July 11, 2023 —  From Down On Mainstreet to Against the Wind, legendary rocker and Michigan native Bob Seger’s iconic raspy voice remains on the blue-color landscape for more than 50 years. From 6-7:30 p.m., July 11, the Brandon Township Public Library, 304 South St., will host “Turn the Page,” a biography of  Bob Seger written by Edward Balian. Registration required.The book follows Seger’s half-century music career, from his earliest days playing Detroit area high schools and gymnasiums (admissions of $2) up through and including his final 2019-20 national tour.“Everybody I’ve met in Michigan has a Bob Seger story,” said Balian, a Ph.D, grew up in Detroit and was in a local band at the same time as Seger. “We’ve done more than 50 shows on the book and the audiences have been excellent.”

 

A recording musician, Balian’s band, Andromeda and the George-Edwards Group, opened for Seger’s band many times and even shared the same entertainment attorney for several decades.“Seger is a very strong Michigander, he has the resources to live anywhere he wants, but still chooses to live in the Middle Straits Lake area in the Bloomfield area,” he said. “Many of his songs have roots in Michigan.”

 

Balian discusses Seger’s work at the Hideout clubs venue around metro- Detroit which played a heavy influence on the instrumental side of his music. In addition, Bob’s lyrics written through his high school and college girlfriends also are reflected in his music.“the hard rock in the mid-1960s sparked by the MC Five, the Frost, the Amboy Dukes (Ted Nugent, Grand Funk Railroad, a plethora of Detroit talent that all comes through his music,” he said. “In the book, I make a case for Detroit being the epicenter for hard rock in the 1960s.”

 

The book features inside stories, interviews, Bob’s composing, band personnel, recording sessions, tours, and his very private personal life. Balian came to know Seger in the late 1960s when he was with his early band The Last Heard.”

 

A long-time motorcyclist, Seger incorporated his Michigan roots and his long rides in the lyrics. Such as included in his song, Roll Me Away: “twelve hours out of Mackinaw City, I stopped in a bar to have a brew. Met a girl and we had a few drinks, And I told her what I’d decided to do.”
“How much of the facts are fact or fiction he does not say, rather leaves it up to the audience to figure out,” said Balian. 

“Turn the Page,” is available on Amazon, eBay, Kindle, and at the book’s website, www.BobSegerTurnThePage.com  A portion of the book proceeds support Children’s Village of Oakland County.

Note from the author: Bob Seger--Turn the Page  (Biography) website was founded by a group of music lovers who wanted to create a space for people to come together and share their passion for music. We started with a small community and have grown into a thriving platform for music enthusiasts everywhere. ROCK ON!