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Maybe I’m listening in the wrong places these days, but I don’t hear much about George Thorogood anymore. Oh, you hear a few of the songs on the radio, but he is sixty now and the bluesy sound he plays is probably not relevant to the young folks these days.
I first saw him and his band, The Delaware Destroyers, on some long forgotten TV program. It may have been Soundstage on PBS, now that I think about it.Maybe not. I just remember it was a nightclub setting and the band hadn’t been playing but a couple of minutes before the crowd was up dancing among the tables. I know my foot had begun to tap and, likely, if I’d had a partner at the time, we’d have been dancing as well. And let me tell you, me dancing is not a pretty sight. Just ask the lady with which I used to hit the local dance club floors.
The music certainly had an energy and George Thorogood’s fingers flew over the strings in a manic frenzy that brought out beautiful solos while he strutted across the stage.
I immediately went out and looked for a record by them. And I mean record. It was that far back. 1978. Their current release at the time was MOVE IT ON OVER, the second from Rounder Records, a small blues label. No original material, all covers, it was the album that put him over. The band never attained the level of a major band. He played the arenas and did well, but the band always seemed more at home in that night club setting that I first saw them.
George has recorded some memorable songs(Bad To The Bone, I Drink Alone, Get A Haircut(and Get a Real Job), One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer). Two other songs you still might hear on the radio came from this release: Move It On Over, the Hank Williams tune, and Who Do You Love?, from Bo Diddley.
and probably his best known song: BAD TO THE BONE. George is joined in the video by Bo Diddley.
They play George on the classic rock station down here a fair amoutn. I drink alone, and Bad to the bone. I’d like to hear some other stuff at times.
I’ve got the “Baddest of George Thorogood” on CD in my collection. It’s a great set. I especially love One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer but the rest of his stuff is thoroughly enjoyable as well.
I loved it when “Bad to the Bone” showed up in TERMINATOR 2.
“Bad to the Bone” is probably my favorite of these songs, but I never listen to them, they make me want to drink and smoke and that stuff, and I gave that up. Great songs though.
Cool. Thorogood’s great, and I haven’t heard this one.
George is still out there. We’ve seen him in the blues tent at Jazzfest in 2007 (a great venue for him!) and at the Hammerstein Ballroom and Nokia Times Square theaters the last two years. And he still can play.
Very good stuff. He’s been on the edge omy vision since I was a teenager-Madison Blues, I think, was the UK hit- and this is cracking.