In the Top Ten At Least
He just exudes big smiles and good vibes, all the time.
According to Wikipedia he has sold 75 million records worldwide. Not bad, Bob, not bad!
My personal favorites are “Main Street” and “Night Moves” and “Beautiful Loser” with a bunch of others tied for second. The only complaint I had about his music in the 70s and 80s was being overplayed on the radio — being so popular with so many people will do that sometimes.
He’s not getting any younger and with so many of my musical idols dying off these last few years, I need to make sure I recognize guys like him while they’re still here.
“Main Street”
Still sounds fresh 50 years later. And for me it instantly brings up a mental picture of driving around town, listening to this tune on the car stereo, not a care in the world, age 17 or so, with my whole life in front of me.
Later as I reached my 40s, I grew to appreciate the melancholy looking back in “Night Moves”. So his music bookends my adult years, in a very subtle way.
Fun facts about Bob you may not know — I didn’t until just now.
- Ran track in high school (Ann Arbor)
- Co-wrote “Heartache Tonight” for the Eagles
- Took ten years away from music to spend time with his wife and two small children from 1996-2006
- Won the Port Huron to Mackinac race in 2001 and 2002 on his 52-foot sailboat
He’s not getting any younger and is clearly a legend in popular music and an American institution. Now I feel a sense of regret never having seen him live, and he just retired last year at 78 years old. Best we can do now is enjoy listening to him while he’s still here.