Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Coming up, a tale of one of the most misjudged, underrated, and overlooked tracks that came from the strangest of circumstances… Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. This song was sent to Hall of Fame rocker Bob Seger by a legendary group of session musicians searching for the perfect performer to bring it to life. When Seger recorded Old Time Rock and Roll, he says he rewrote all the verses and only kept the chorus, but refused a writing credit because he thought it would be a deep track. Seger never thought it would be a hit or even be released as a single. The problem is Old Time Rock and Roll became a hit after his band played it to standing ovations in concert and the song skyrocketed in popularity thereafter due to the iconic movie scene with Tom Cruise in Risky Business but despite the song making Millions in royalties Bob Seger didn’t receive any of the money.. In fact, he likely lost millions upon millions of dollars. Because he refused a writing credit even though he deserved one but he turned it down because he didn’t think the song would be much of a hit.
And the craziest part of the story is that Old Time Rock and Roll featured a ripping guitar solo by a guy named Howie McDonald. And here’s the kicker—McDonald wasn’t a studio regular. He’d literally wandered in off the street hoping for a shot. Bob Seger was no stranger to Muscle Shoals. When he wasn’t working with his own Silver Bullet Band, he’d often cut tracks with the seasoned session players down in Alabama. That’s where he first heard the demo for “Old Time Rock & Roll.” Bob liked it—especially the punchy chorus—but didn’t care for the verses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Moon Comix, Scratchers J Scratcherton esq, fakeaorta, Mark Thompson, skymech9
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: bit.ly/444h8MO
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patreon: bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com
Instagram: bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #70smusic #vinylstory #70srock
They didn’t quite hit home. So Bob took matters into his own hands. He rewrote the verses, giving them a little more edge, a little more attitude, channeling the spirit of Chuck Berry’s “Rock and Roll Music.” He wanted to create a classic rock’n’roll feel—something that wasn’t just nostalgic, but a celebration: When he brought the reworked song to the Silver Bullet Band, though, the response was lukewarm at best. They just didn’t hear it. That’s when the story took a turn—and in walked the kid…Howie McDonald. Howie wasn’t a pro. In fact, he WAS literally a stranger off the street. Howie rolled into the studio parking lot with his mom and dad in tow. Howie was just visiting his parents from out of town and thought it would be cool to see the studio. SO he and his parents pulled up, Howie hopped out, guitar in hand, and found backup singer Jimmy Easley taking a breather on the back porch.
He introduced himself, said he could play a little, and that he wanted to learn how to be part of a real recording session. Jimmy looked him over and asked, “Well, you got your guitar with you?” “Yes sir,” Howie replied. And that was all it took…. Jimmy waved the 21 year old in and introduced him to Bob and the rest of the crew. While Howie plugged in and wailed, his parents sat quietly in the car out front, with the air conditioning running, waiting to see if their son would get his shot. And he sure did! Howie’s improvised guitar licks, with no setup whatsoever, made it on the final version of Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock n’ Roll. He wasn’t credited on Stranger in Town, but they did pay him a little somethin.’ Forrest Howard McDonald was later credited for his masterful spontaneity on Old Time Rock n’ Roll on Seger’s Greatest Hits LP.
Since that magnificent moment at Muscle Shoals, Howie has written over 200 songs, headlined and played tons of blues music festivals and has fans around the world. Howie is also a 3 time Just Plain Folk blues award winner, and his album Finger Lickin’ Blues was voted Best Southern Blues Album by Real Blues Magazine in 2001. Meanwhile, “Old Time Rock n’ Roll” is one of Bob Seger’s most iconic hits, that turned into a pop culture sensation when it was used for the famous dance scene with Tom Cruise in the movie Risky Business in ’83. Back in ’79, the single peaked at #28 on the Hot 100. And one that Seger wrote a lot of but didn’t get a writing credit. It cost him
Coming up, a tale of one of the most misjudged, underrated, and overlooked tracks that came from the strangest of circumstances… Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. This song was sent to Hall of Fame rocker Bob Seger by a legendary group of session musicians searching for the perfect performer to bring it to life. When Seger recorded Old Time Rock and Roll, he says he rewrote all the verses and only kept the chorus, but refused a writing credit because he thought it would be a deep track. Seger never thought it would be a hit or even be released as a single. The problem is Old Time Rock and Roll became a hit after his band played it to standing ovations in concert and the song skyrocketed in popularity thereafter due to the iconic movie scene with Tom Cruise in Risky Business but despite the song making Millions in royalties Bob Seger didn’t receive any of the money.. In fact, he likely lost millions upon millions of dollars. Because he refused a writing credit even though he deserved one but he turned it down because he didn’t think the song would be much of a hit.
And the craziest part of the story is that Old Time Rock and Roll featured a ripping guitar solo by a guy named Howie McDonald. And here’s the kicker—McDonald wasn’t a studio regular. He’d literally wandered in off the street hoping for a shot. Bob Seger was no stranger to Muscle Shoals. When he wasn’t working with his own Silver Bullet Band, he’d often cut tracks with the seasoned session players down in Alabama. That’s where he first heard the demo for “Old Time Rock & Roll.” Bob liked it—especially the punchy chorus—but didn’t care for the verses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Moon Comix, Scratchers J Scratcherton esq, fakeaorta, Mark Thompson, skymech9
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: bit.ly/444h8MO
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patreon: bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com
Instagram: bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #70smusic #vinylstory #70srock
They didn’t quite hit home. So Bob took matters into his own hands. He rewrote the verses, giving them a little more edge, a little more attitude, channeling the spirit of Chuck Berry’s “Rock and Roll Music.” He wanted to create a classic rock’n’roll feel—something that wasn’t just nostalgic, but a celebration: When he brought the reworked song to the Silver Bullet Band, though, the response was lukewarm at best. They just didn’t hear it. That’s when the story took a turn—and in walked the kid…Howie McDonald. Howie wasn’t a pro. In fact, he WAS literally a stranger off the street. Howie rolled into the studio parking lot with his mom and dad in tow. Howie was just visiting his parents from out of town and thought it would be cool to see the studio. SO he and his parents pulled up, Howie hopped out, guitar in hand, and found backup singer Jimmy Easley taking a breather on the back porch.
He introduced himself, said he could play a little, and that he wanted to learn how to be part of a real recording session. Jimmy looked him over and asked, “Well, you got your guitar with you?” “Yes sir,” Howie replied. And that was all it took…. Jimmy waved the 21 year old in and introduced him to Bob and the rest of the crew. While Howie plugged in and wailed, his parents sat quietly in the car out front, with the air conditioning running, waiting to see if their son would get his shot. And he sure did! Howie’s improvised guitar licks, with no setup whatsoever, made it on the final version of Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock n’ Roll. He wasn’t credited on Stranger in Town, but they did pay him a little somethin.’ Forrest Howard McDonald was later credited for his masterful spontaneity on Old Time Rock n’ Roll on Seger’s Greatest Hits LP.
Since that magnificent moment at Muscle Shoals, Howie has written over 200 songs, headlined and played tons of blues music festivals and has fans around the world. Howie is also a 3 time Just Plain Folk blues award winner, and his album Finger Lickin’ Blues was voted Best Southern Blues Album by Real Blues Magazine in 2001. Meanwhile, “Old Time Rock n’ Roll” is one of Bob Seger’s most iconic hits, that turned into a pop culture sensation when it was used for the famous dance scene with Tom Cruise in the movie Risky Business in ’83. Back in ’79, the single peaked at #28 on the Hot 100. And one that Seger wrote a lot of but didn’t get a writing credit. It cost him
