We were slowly developing our core audience around this time and the Midwest was one of our stronger areas. We played our set and got called back for an encore. From our limited experience at the time, encores by opening acts were not always embraced by the headliner so we went back on and made it short.

As we exited the stage, the crowd was insistent for one more encore and as we came down the steps offstage, there was the band pumping their fists for us to do another. I don’t think we ever did 2 encores as an opener and it spoke volumes about their class and consideration. We went away learning a valuable lesson from that and have always treated our opening acts with respect and encouragement. I will never forget that.

These stories remind me of how incredible it was to be able to tour and record as Seger’s guitarist/backing vocalist from 1983 to 1986. And my Jimmy Iovine moments.

Getting to stand behind Seger as we played Hollywood Nights, Get Out Of Denver, Fire Down Below, Against The Wind, Her Strut, Night Moves, Feel Like A Number and on and on – was an unforgettable powerful lifechanging time.

I could tell stories forever but I’ll try to keep it short. This is about meeting Jimmy Iovine for the first and second time. Before I was called to audition for Seger, I was called by an engineer friend of mine to go to the Captain & Tennille’s recording studio in Canoga Park called Rumbo Recorders.

His name was Hil Bren Swimmer and Hil was helping engineer the new Seger record The Distance with Jimmy Iovine producing. Hil knew I was a struggling Kansas boy in LA trying to make it in the biz.

My previous job other than playing LA bars a that time was guarding the ET creatures for Steven Spielberg at various locations around LA as a movie security guard. Spielberg always let me bring my guitar to the set so I could write while I worked.

Hil calls and says I can make 40 bucks if I want to drive to Rumbo to answer phones for Seger. So I did.

With a flat tire on the way on my 1976 Plymouth Scamp. I got there and answered calls from Don Henley because his house was on fire in Malibu – this was late 1982. I walked into the rec area and Jimmy Iovine was playing pinball. He handed me a 20 dollar bill and said "kid, go get me some quarters for the machines".

I ran over to the nearest Ralphs and came back and that was pretty much that. I felt like a schmuck. It was humbling. Ironically, I had recorded my first indie solo record there at Rumbo a few months earlier and here I was being a gofer to a guy who looked to be about my age. I went home with my 40 bucks and what was left of my pride.

A couple of weeks later, Hil called me and asked of I wanted to audition for Seger. I asked "to answer more phones? – You gotta audition for that? – Didn’t I do it right the first time?"

Hil says no, to audition for Seger as a guitarist for The Distance tour. I asked him how soon were the auditions – in a couple weeks? He says "in a couple months". He told me to go buy all Seger’s albums and that was that.

I was too broke to go buy a bunch of albums and figured in 2 months they would hire some famous guy who was on the insde circle of their Detroit friends.

Sure enough, 2 months went by and my friend Hil calls ans says "didya buy the albums?" I said "no, I can hardly feed my 2 little kids at the moment!!".

Hil says "I told them you know all the material and they’re gonna call you from Detroit in 5 minutes". Ironically, I had just finished watching myself on TV playing guitar for Clint Holmes and Ann Jillian on an NBC show called ‘Fantasy’ while my kids were down for a nap.

Hil says "Just tell em you know everything and go borrow some albums, schmuck!"
Sure enough, in 5 minutes, Seger’s office calls and they ask if I can fly out the next day to Detroit. I nonchalantly said "Sure, no problem". I call my wife at work and she hardly believes me.

So I called my neighbors and musician friends and borrowed all the Seger albums I could find and taped them and packed them away with my Walkman, got on the plane, flew to Detroit, arrived at the audition, played with Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, went back to the hotel and Seger calls me personally and says "Bailey…you be the one!!"

I was totally blown away to put it mildly. So after all the rehearsals, we head out on the road. We eventually played The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles and standing backstage before we went on, I saw Jimmy Iovine there. I walked over with my guitar strapped on and asked him if he needed any quarters before I went onstage.

He stood there for a second and it finally hit him and we both shared one of those stupid Mentos moments.

Anyway, long story even longer, getting to play with Seger & The Bullets (Don Brewer of Grand Funk was our drummer) was beyond amazing and I wish Bob and the band all the best as they prepare for their new album and tour. Bob was the best and sweetest boss I’ve ever had and the best singer you could hope to work for.