Johnny Bee Badanjek did some hot drumming on Alice Cooper's new EP "Bread Crumbs" and gave us a Bee review tonight! Thanks John! xoK
Johnny Bee: Someone told me that producer Bob Ezrin was trying to get in touch with me. When I came home there was a message from Bob saying to give him a call. I called him back. He was sitting in LA in a Hotel Room with Alice Cooper. He asked me If I knew of any good drummers in town, I said, I knew hundreds. But, there's only one who has that Detroit sound...that would be me.
They both cheered. He spoke of an upcoming project with Alice that dealt with his roots in Detroit that would include Mark Farner. I said, cool! He wanted to mix things up with players and add a little soul with Rock & Roll.
He said he wanted a solid soulful funky Bass player. I answered, Paul Randolph. Next, he wanted a young hot lead guitar player, I told him his name was Garrett Bielaniec. The final piece was Amp Fiddler, unfortunately, Amp was stranded in England. We also had Nolan Young on Saxophone and Allen Dennard Jr. on Trumpet.
The session was rounded out with Bobby Emmet (Sturgill Simpson) and Bob Ezrin on Keyboards. The fun began with the song selections.
Up first was a song I recorded when I was fifteen years old in Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels. Bob took Shorty Long's version of "Devil With A Blue Dress On" back to the original version (which we adored). and mashed it up The Dirt Bombs version of J.J. Barnes "Chains Of Love.'
Next, a song from a prolific teenager named Bob Seger, the classic "East Side Story," Some of the surprises was the re-working of Alice's "Detroit City" and the collaboration of Alice and Brother Wayne on "Go Man Go."
The Detroit train kept rolling with Suzy Quarto's song "Your Mama Won't Like Me," and finished off with Badass Fred Sonic Smith's song "Sister Anne" (MC5). And this is how Breadcrumbs came to be. It's great having Alice back home!...you can never leave Detroit! 😈
Just received this book and it is gorgeous! Packed full of Tom Weschler's behind the scenes photos and written with great care for proper detail. A must-have for all the legions of Seger fans out there!
The book offers a detailed, unbiased and accurate account of Seger's life and career as a true rock legend, with Tom Weschler (Bob's former road manager) providing the book's forward. Turn the Page, follows Bob from his earliest days emerging out of the Detroit music scene, just as fellow artists Kid Rock and Glenn Frey, up through, and including, his current 2019 national tour "Roll Me Away, the Final Tour."
It tracks Seger's entire music career, including the Silver Bullet Band - comparing the songs and stage shows, similar to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, and Bruce Springsteen's E-street Band.
The book features inside stories, interviews, Bob's composing, band personnel, recording sessions, tours, and his very private personal life. Turn the Page is a "must" for any true Bob Seger fan. This is the only Bob Seger biography written to date, with over 280 pages, 24 in color with over 60 images, and 224 documented footnotes. Many of the color images are from the distant past, including very rare photos - as a poster advertising a Seger concert headlining John Lennon.
The author, Edward Sarkis Balian, Ph.D. grew up in Detroit and was in a local band at the same time as Seger; in fact, they shared the same Detroit entertainment attorney for over four decades. Balian, himself a recording musician (the George-Edwards Group), put together Turn the Page with a steady eye toward accuracy and quality, in his words "Turn the Page summarizes the brilliant and astonishing career of a true Hall of Fame composer and entertainer.
Seger's body of over 50 years of work, coupled to his love of music and an almost unbelievable tenacity, led him to well-deserved fame and fortune. A career full of major challenges - a rock'n'roll roller-coaster to be sure." Balian is donating 30% of his royalties to charity, 50% to the Seger's favorite charity, Oakland County Children's Village. Visit https://bobsegerturnthepage.com for more info.
A few years ago, Deniz Tek was asked to go to Sugar Hill Studios in Houston, Texas and record a new version of the 1965 hit “Treat Her Right” with Roy Head. The version was true to the original in many ways. Andy “Mort” Bradley engineered and produced the session.
Now, the updated version of “Treat Her Right” is featured in the film trailer for the new Quentin Tarantino film “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood”
We here at DRNRM are thrilled with Tarantino's use of our Detroit Rock Icons in his film. Makes Tarantino cred even cooler in the D.
We were thrilled to find out Deniz Tek was on the new track of "Treat Her Right" and graciously he was on hand to take us behind the scenes at that session with Roy Head:
Deniz Tek photo by Anne Tek
Deniz Tek: Roy Head is Still Treatin' 'Em Right
Legendary recording engineer Andy “Mort” Bradley
Andy “Mort” Bradley was Radio Birdman’s soundman in 1977, before pursuing a career as a recording engineer and producer. He became chief engineer and owner at historic Sugar Hill Studios in Houston Texas - the oldest continually operating recording studio in America, and home to countless legendary recording stars. Lightnin’ Hopkins, Johnny Winter, ZZ Top, The 13th Floor Elevators, Doug Sahm. Archie Bell, Willie Nelson, The Stones, and The Who to name only a few.
Roy Head and the Traits
Back in 1965, Roy Head and the Traits recorded their monumental international hit “Treat Her Right” at Sugar Hill.
After receiving several Grammy nominations and making over 1000 albums, Andy decided to write a book to celebrate the studio’s 70th anniversary. Entitled “House Of Hits”, and published by the University of Texas Press, the fascinating story recounts the history of Sugar Hill.
To coincide with the book’s release, he compiled a double CD compilation of Sugar Hill recordings, many of which were re-recorded for the project with any of the original artists who were still alive and kicking.
One of these artists was Roy Head, and the task was to re-record “Treat Her Right” with Roy and the original bass player and songwriter Gene Kurtz.
I flew down to Houston to play guitar on the session, along with the extraordinary Houston drummer Stefanie Friedman, from the band Sugar Shack, and horn players from The Suspects.
The session for the backing track took place in Studio B with Gene Kurtz on bass, myself, and Stefanie on drums. Andy engineered and produced the session. We recorded the track live, under Gene’s guidance. He was very particular about how things should go. It turned out that I’d been playing the riff a little bit differently than the original for all those years, and I had to unlearn and relearn it on the spot. Gene said that the tempo had to be exact, and he had a little meter to measure the beats per minute to make sure that it was right on.
At least I was given the freedom to improvise the solos, and Stefanie killed on the drums! We were both a bit stressed, to say the least, being in the presence and under the direction of such greatness. But it all paid off.
Next, Roy arrived with his stunning wife. In his 70’s, he has not slowed down a bit, able to do backflips like a gymnast and dance like nobody else. In the riverboat casinos down around Shreveport where he was playing around then, he and Gene were still knocking out crowds with their high energy performances. Roy’s reputation as a wild man is well-founded. He was kicked off a James Brown tour for “being too wild” and for upstaging The Godfather of Soul (!). Legend has it that Elvis went to his grave bearing a scar on his ankle from Roy’s teeth marks.
Roy listened to the playback, and, Lord have mercy, he liked the track. He hung out in the control room while the horn players did their thing. Then Roy went out into the studio and sang his heart out. More gruff, perhaps, and deeper than in the ’60s, but the Voice has lost none of its power. In fact it has gained power. The screams, hey’s, and raw passion in that voice are almost scary. Seeing and hearing that go down on tape was a peak moment. “Living legend” is a word used too carelessly these days. This is one time that it fits.
The next day we had breakfast with Roy, and he told us some fascinating stories from the old days. We got along pretty well and he invited me out to his hunting camp. I have yet to take up that offer.
Now, Roy’s original track for “Treat Her Right” has been selected as the opening music on the soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood”, while the version that we recorded is being used in the TV trailer for the movie. I am just super pleased to have been able to help make that recording and to meet and work with the great Roy Head. Thank you to my dear lifelong friend, Andy Bradley for making that (and so many other amazing things) happen. Deniz Tek
★Deniz Tek, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a prolific guitarist, singer and songwriter currently based in Sydney, Australia. His career in music, grounded in late-60's Detroit, extends through several decades and across continents. He is best known as a founding member of the influential Australian independent rock band Radio Birdman.
In 2007, Deniz was inducted into the Australian Music Hall of Fame, and in 2012 was voted number 7 in the top 100 Australian guitarists of all time.★
One of the few major streaming holdouts has folded. Bob Seger's music has just become available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Napster and Slacker Radio.
Up until now, his only songs on Spotify were the Christmas songs "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Sock It To Me Santa," but 13 of his albums are now there, including Ramblin' Gamblin' Man, Live Bullet, Night Moves and Against The Wind. He's also released 10 albums for digital download that weren't previously available. READ MORE ON ROLLINGSTONE PAGE
From The Film Archives: Very early Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band photo, taken on February 12, 1974 at a little bar in Wayne, Michigan called The Rock'n'Roll Farm. Admission was $3.00 at the door. The band that opened for Bob was called The Brooklyn Blues Busters, an outfit out of New York that had recently relocated to Ann Arbor. The singer and harp player was a guy named John Leslie, who would soon embark on a career in porn where he became one of the first male porn stars of the "Golden Age" of porn, acting in something like 300 films!!!!
The Rock'n'Roll Farm was an amazingly colorful little bar, which was also the hangout for a motorcycle club known as The Scorpions (they would kind of float between The Farm and a place down the street called The Dog House).
About a week before this Seger show, Iggy & The Stooges played The Farm, and Iggy squared off against one of the Scorpions right on the dance floor and was knocked out cold! That ended that gig, but it set the stage for the cacophonous end of the band five days later at Detroit's Michigan Palace, which was forever preserved on the Metallic K.O. album.
A suburban doctor named Leo Speer ran the Rock'n'Roll Farm, and he also ran the famous Michigan Palace in Detroit. So often times, Mr. Speer would showcase bands at The Farm that were also playing at The Michigan Palace. One such band was Aerosmith, who played at The Farm about a month after I took this Seger shot!!
Again, you could get in with three bucks at the door! Some of the other artists that played The Farm in its brief three years on the music scene was blues greats Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Luther Allison, James Cotton, as well as artists like Tim Buckley, Spooky Tooth, Spirit, Mitch Ryder and Wayne Kramer in The Knockdown Party Band, the earliest incarnation of the legendary Rockets, and local favorites like Salem Witchcraft and Stonebridge.
The Rock'n'Roll Farm eventually became a bar called Baby's. A bar called US-12 now resides at that address.
Photographed with a Canon rangefinder camera, 35mm 2.0 lens, one of those big 1950s era pan reflector flashes that took those huge bulbs, and Kodachrome X 64 ISO film.
Bob is releasing a new tune to radio just in time for the Woodward Dream Cruise but you can listen to Detroit Made HERE
In honor of Bob and the Dream Cruise...we'd like to share 10 of our very favorite tunes from the vault......Feel free to leave your favorites in the comment section below! I am certain to hear some protests but that's OK...send them in and we'll post your favorites too!
Live Bullet was recorded live at Cobo Arena, in front of a hometown audience spurring him into a great performance. But what really sold Live Bullet is how these terrific songs are delivered with a ferocious, committed intensity.
This might not be much more than a simple rock & roll album, but it's one of the best of its kind, establishing Seger, in the eyes of skeptics, as a first-rate performer and writer.
Here, "Heavy Music," "Get Out of Denver," "Turn the Page," and "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" all become hard rock classics, as does the band itself. It's a rare occasion when a double live album captures an artist at an absolute peak, while summarizing his talents, and that's exactly what Live Bullet does.READ MORE
Scott Campbell March 10, 2014
The Detroit original rock scene had fallen on hard times in the 70's. In the mid-60's, Mitch Ryder, Bob Seger, The Amboy Dukes, The Rationals, The MC5, and numerous other bands got record deals and radio airplay. By the mid-70's, new Detroit acts were frozen out of airplay with the death of underground radio and record labels weren't signing. A band could earn a living playing five 45 minute sets per night but they had to be AOL radio rock hits. Typically, a band would get a song list from the bar owner and NO original songs were allowed.
By early 1977, new bands such as The Sillies, The Romantics, and a new MC5 fronted by original singer Rob Tyner were looking for anywhere to play original sets of their own music. The Sillies rented The Kramer Theater on Michigan Avenue east of Livernois to do a real concert with themselves in between the new MC5 and an opening set by Destroy All Monsters with Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton and original MC5 bassist Michael Davis. The show drew 1,000 people but most of the money was mysteriously missing from the till, leaving Sillies founder Scott Campbell $1,000 in the hole.
Much as bars were a step down from theater concerts, a nightclub that would host original concerts in the style of NYC's Max's Kansas City or the Whiskey A Go Go in LA was needed for Detroit. The trick was finding a place and making it successful.
The "The Sounds of Birmingham: A Community of Music" exhibit will be kicked off by an evening with Ken Calvert, rock and roll historian (with special emphasis on Detroit area rock and roll) and WCSX/WRIF radio personality. Ken will share his memories of local rock and roll, for instance, introducing Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger to each other. Calvert will be interviewed by WCSX's Peter Werbe. Explore the Sounds of Birmingham exhibit before and after the program. The event takes place Thursday, March 6 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm at the museum. Tickets are $25 and include refreshments. Spots are limited.
Call 248-496-3378 to reserve your ticket.
The Birmingham Historical Museum & Park is opening an exhibit called "The Sounds of Birmingham: A Community of Music." The exhibit will focus on local musicians and the role music has played in the community. Stories and artifacts of note include: CREEM magazine (whose offices were in Birmingham from 1972-1984 ) and Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who grew up in Birmingham. Major components will include a vignette depicting the CREEM office and Smith’s drums and awards. Other stories include Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary), Bob Seger,Scot Richard Case/SRC, Mike Posner, and We Came as Romans plus a Townsend Hotel Celebrity List and Autographs. Kids' hands-on activities included free!
Designer John Varvatos is from Allen Park originally...he is one of the very biggest supporters of DETROIT ROCKNROLL...We are buying his book today!
John's fashion designs THINK RATIONAL....
In John Varvatos, the legendary designer reveals his perspective on how rock & roll music and style have influenced his own designs and fashion worldwide. Varvatos’s personally curated collection of more than 250 images are some of the most provocative ever shot by top rock photographers from the late 1960s to today, from the Rolling Stones to the Kings of Leon.
The featured photographers are among the world’s finest, including Mick Rock, Bob Gruen, Elliott Landy, Danny Clinch, Lynn Goldsmith, and more. Also included are select images from Varvatos’s own advertising campaigns, featuring artists such as Slash, Iggy Pop, Scott Weiland, and Miles Kane.
Varvatos’s captions and incisive commentary on the artist and his or her look accompany each image. Every chapter also contains numerous quotes from the musicians themselves, including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Iggy Pop, Jack White, Pete Townshend, Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, and Patti Smith.
An extraordinary anthology of some of the finest images in rock & roll and the most influential rock looks in fashion and popular culture, this volume will delight music lovers, and fans of music photography, fashion, and fashion history.
From the film archives: Here's a shot I took from sidestage of Bob Seger onstage with Marcy
Levy as he played with The Borneo Band at Lakeview High School in St Clair Shores, Michigan in April, 1973. Seger brought legendary Skip VanWinkle onstage to sit in on the Hammond B-3 for a couple songs. They were having so much fun, Skip stayed onstage and banged a cowbell for the rest of the show when Borneo Band organist Dick Sims came back to the keyboard.
Seger was just brought back out for the third encore. The high school auditorium was getting rowdy and when Bob stepped up to the microphone onstage, a lady, I'm guessing a teacher or principal, came out and touched Bob's arm and said, "I think we better stop now"!!!! lollll Seger said, "We're doing one more," and called a funky guitar version of Jackie Wilson's, "Higher and Higher," with Marcy and Stoney Reese (aka Shaun Murphy) trading lead vocals with Bob!
I just regret not getting Shaun in this shot!! Not too long after this shot, The Borneo Band broke up, and Marcy, Dick Sims on organ, and Jamie Oldaker on drums joined up with Clapton for the next decade or so. Percussionist, Sergio Pastora joined on with Carol King. Of course, Drew, Alto, and Shaun Murphy stayed on for years with Seger. Alto and Shaun, of course are still with him! four or five months after this show, Seger formed the Silver Bullet Band.
