George Thorogood
Encyclopedia
George Thorogood is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 blues rock vocalist/guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 from Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, known for his hit song "Bad to the Bone
Bad to the Bone
"Bad to the Bone" is a song by George Thorogood and the Destroyers released in 1982 on the album of the same name. While it was not a major hit on initial release, its video made recurrent appearances on the nascent MTV, which was created a year before...

" as well as for covers of blues standards such as Hank Williams' "Move It On Over" and John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...

's "House Rent Boogie/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
"One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" or "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" is a call and response blues song written by Rudy Toombs and recorded by Amos Milburn in 1953. It is one of several drinking songs recorded by Milburn in the early 1950s that placed in the top ten of the Billboard R&B chart...

". Another favorite is a cover of Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...

's "Who Do You Love?
Who Do You Love?
"Who Do You Love?" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Bo Diddley. The record features Jody Williams, then a member of Bo Diddley's band, on lead guitar.-Legacy:...

".

George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers have released sixteen studio albums, including two that were certified Platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 and six that have been certified Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

. The band has sold fifteen million albums worldwide. The band is credited with the early success of Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...

.

Early life and family

Thorogood was born on February 24, 1950 and was raised in Naamans Manor
Naamans Manor, Delaware
Naamans Manor is an unincorporated community in New Castle County, Delaware, United States.- References :...

, a neighborhood in suburban Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

, where his father worked for DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...

. He graduated from Brandywine High School
Brandywine High School
Brandywine High School is a public secondary school located in Wilmington, Delaware. There were 1,157 students enrolled in the fall for the 2008-2009 school year.- Academics :Brandywine offers 17 Advanced Placement courses, and 22 Honors level courses....

 in 1968. The singer was born in the middle of five children; including two older brothers, John and Pete, and two younger sisters, identical twins, Liza and Anne. Thorogood played semi-professional baseball, but turned toward music after seeing John P. Hammond
John P. Hammond
John Paul Hammond is an American blues singer and guitarist. The son of record producer John H. Hammond, he is sometimes referred to as "John Hammond, Jr.".-Background:...

 perform in 1970.

Music career

Thorogood's demo, Better Than the Rest, was recorded in 1974 and released in 1979. In 1976 he recorded his debut album: George Thorogood & The Destroyers
George Thorogood & The Destroyers (album)
George Thorogood and the Destroyers is the self-titled debut album from George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It includes the cover of "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", a fan favourite that is still played today.-Track listing:...

with his band, The Destroyers (sometimes known as The Delaware Destroyers or simply GT and D) and issued the album in 1977. Thorogood released his next album titled Move It On Over in 1978 with The Destroyers, which included the Hank Williams remake "Move It On Over". "Please Set a Date" and their remake of the Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...

 song "Who Do You Love?
Who Do You Love?
"Who Do You Love?" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Bo Diddley. The record features Jody Williams, then a member of Bo Diddley's band, on lead guitar.-Legacy:...

" both followed in 1979. In the late 1970s, Thorogood played on a baseball team in Delaware in the Roberto Clemente League which was created in 1976. He was the second baseman and was chosen rookie of the year in the league. Soon after this achievement, The Destroyers forced him to quit playing the sport. In the 1970s, he and his band were based in Boston (see also Hound Dog Taylor
Hound Dog Taylor
Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer.-Career:Taylor was born in Natchez, Mississippi in 1915 . He originally played piano, but began playing guitar when he was 20...

).

Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers were friends with Jimmy Thackery
Jimmy Thackery
Jimmy Thackery is an American blues singer and guitarist.-Career:Thackery spent fourteen years as part of The Nighthawks, the Washington, D.C. based blues and roots rock ensemble...

 and the Nighthawks. While touring in the 1970s, the Destroyers and the Nighthawks happened to be playing shows in Georgetown (DC) at venues across the street from each other. The Destroyers were engaged at The Cellar Door
The Cellar Door
The Cellar Door was a music club at 34th and M Street NW in Washington, D.C. from 1965 through 1981. It emerged from The Shadows, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. It was one of the premier music spots in Washington and was the genesis as well as a tryout for larger markets...

 and the Nighthawks at Desperados. At midnight, by prior arrangement, while both bands played Elmore James
Elmore James
Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...

' "Madison Blues
Madison Blues
"Madison Blues" is a blues song recorded by singer/guitarist Elmore James. It appears on the albums The Sky is Crying and Whose Muddy Shoes? . The song was covered by George Thorogood and the Destroyers on their eponymous first album , on the 1986 album Thorogood Live and at the Philadelphia Live...

" in the key of E, Thorogood and Thackery left their clubs, met in the middle of M Street, exchanged guitar cords and went on to play with the opposite band. According to Thackery (in a 2011 exchange on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

), "A smart tech guy fixed us up with signal boosting cords to prevent a loss of signal due to the extraordinarily long guitar cables." The Nighthawks bass player Jan Zukowski supported Thorogood's set at the Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...

 concert in Philadelphia, PA on July 13, 1985.

Thorogood gained his first mainstream exposure as a support act for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

 during their 1981 U.S. tour. He also was the featured musical guest on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...

(Season 8, Episode 2) on the October 2, 1982 broadcast. During this time, Thorogood and the Destroyers also became known for their rigorous schedule, including the "50/50" tour of 1980, on which the band toured 50 US states
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 in the space of 50 days. After two shows in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...

, Thorogood and his band flew to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

 for one show and then performed a show in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 on the following night. The next day the band flew to Washington State, met their roadies who had their Checker car and a truck, and continued a one show per state tour for all fifty states in exactly fifty nights. In addition, they played Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 on the same day that they performed a show in Maryland.

This increased visibility occurred as Thorogood's contract with Rounder Records expired. He signed with EMI America Records
EMI America Records
EMI America Records was started in 1978 by EMI as a second US label next to Capitol Records. It absorbed Liberty Records in 1984. In the late 1980s EMI America was consolidated with Manhattan Records to form EMI Manhattan Records, which later became known simply as EMI in 1990, then part of EMI...

 and in 1982 released his best-known song, "Bad to the Bone
Bad to the Bone
"Bad to the Bone" is a song by George Thorogood and the Destroyers released in 1982 on the album of the same name. While it was not a major hit on initial release, its video made recurrent appearances on the nascent MTV, which was created a year before...

", and an album of the same name. The song has been used frequently in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

, including the sci-fi thriller Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...

, the comedies Problem Child, and Problem Child 2, Stephen King's Christine, and many episodes of the television sitcom Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...

. This track also was used during the intro to the movie Major Payne
Major Payne
Major Payne is a 1995 comedy film, starring Damon Wayans. The film is a loose remake of the 1955 film The Private War of Major Benson, starring Charlton Heston....

also used in the 1988 drama film Talk Radio
Talk Radio (film)
Talk Radio is a 1988 American drama film, starring Eric Bogosian, Ellen Greene and Leslie Hope. Directed by Oliver Stone, the film was based on the play by Eric Bogosian and Tad Savinar. Portions of the film and play were based on the assassination of radio host Alan Berg in 1984...

. The same song is also featured in the game Rock 'n Roll Racing. It is also played during football pregame festivities at Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...

 and at USHRA Monster Jam events to introduce Grave Digger
Grave Digger (truck)
Grave Digger is the name of a team of monster trucks currently racing in the USHRA Monster Jam series. There are several Grave Diggers being driven by different drivers to allow them to make appearances at more events, but their flagship driver is creator Dennis Anderson...

 (regardless of driver). "Bad to the Bone" was used for the 1984 Buick Grand National advertisements. Thorogood's version of "Who Do You Love?" is played in all Samuel Adams beer commercials.

The Destroyers

  • George Thorogood – lead vocals and lead guitar
  • Jeff Simon – drums, percussion (1974–present)
  • Billy Blough – bass guitar (1977–present)
  • Jim Suhler – rhythm guitar (1999–present)
  • Buddy Leach – saxophone, piano (2003–present)

Former members

  • Ron "Roadblock" Smith – rhythm guitar (1974–1980)
  • Hank "Hurricane" Carter – saxophone (1980–2003)
  • Steve Chrismar – rhythm guitar (1985–1993)

Studio albums with the Destroyers

  • 1977: George Thorogood and the Destroyers (Gold)
  • 1978: Move It on Over (Gold)
  • 1979: Better Than the Rest
    Better Than the Rest
    Better Than the Rest is the third album of songs by George Thorogood & The Destroyers, recorded in 1974 and released in 1979. At the time the songs were recorded, Thorogood was an unknown artist who was not signed to a record label. In 1979, after Thorogood had released his first two official...

    (Recorded in 1974)
  • 1980: More George Thorogood and the Destroyers
    More George Thorogood and the Destroyers
    More George Thorogood and The Destroyers is the fourth album released by George Thorogood and The Destroyers.-Track listing:# "I'm Wanted" – 4:05# "Kids from Philly" – 2:30# "One Way Ticket" – 4:33...

  • 1982: Bad to the Bone
    Bad to the Bone (album)
    Bad to the Bone is the 5th studio album by the American Blues-Rock band George Thorogood & The Destroyers. It was released in 1982 by the label EMI America Records and contains their best known song, "Bad to the Bone". The album also features The Rolling Stones side-man Ian Stewart on keyboards and...

    (Gold)
  • 1985: Maverick (Gold)
  • 1986: Nadine
    Nadine (album)
    Nadine is an album by George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Although it was marketed as a new release in 1986, Nadine is actually a repackaged version of the 1979 vinyl album Better Than the Rest that was reissued on compact disc...

    (CD Rerelease of Better Than the Rest
    Better Than the Rest
    Better Than the Rest is the third album of songs by George Thorogood & The Destroyers, recorded in 1974 and released in 1979. At the time the songs were recorded, Thorogood was an unknown artist who was not signed to a record label. In 1979, after Thorogood had released his first two official...

    )
  • 1988: Born to Be Bad
    Born to Be Bad (album)
    Born to Be Bad is a studio album released by George Thorogood. It was released in 1988 on the EMI label. The album peaked at #32 on the Billboard 200.- Track listing :# "Shake Your Money Maker" - 3:29...

    (Gold)
  • 1991: Boogie People
    Boogie People
    Boogie People is a studio album released by George Thorogood. It was released in 1991 on the EMI label. The album peaked at #77 on the Billboard 200.- Track listing :# "If You Don't Start Drinkin' " - 4:11...

  • 1993: Haircut
    Haircut (album)
    Haircut is a studio album released by George Thorogood. It was released in 1993 on Capitol Records. The album peaked at #120 on the Billboard 200.- Track listing :# "Get a Haircut" - 4:12...

  • 1997: Rockin' My Life Away
    Rockin' My Life Away
    Rockin' My Life Away is a studio album released by George Thorogood. It was released in 1997 on Capitol Records. The album peaked at #5 on the Billboard Top Blues Album chart.- Track listing :# "Get Back into Rockin'" - 4:16...

  • 1999: Half a Boy/Half a Man
    Half a Boy/Half a Man
    Half a Boy/Half a Man is a studio album by George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It was released on April 13, 1999 on the CMC International label...

  • 2003: Ride 'Til I Die
  • 2006: The Hard Stuff
    The Hard Stuff
    The Hard Stuff is a studio album by George Thorogood & The Destroyers. It was released on May 30, 2006 on the Eagle Records label. The album peaked at #27 on the Billboard charts.-Track listing:...

  • 2009: The Dirty Dozen
    The Dirty Dozen (album)
    The Dirty Dozen is a studio album from blues rock artist George Thorogood. The album was released on July 28, 2009. The Dirty Dozen reached #1 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums and was on the chart for 11 weeks....

  • 2011: 2120 South Michigan Ave.
    2120 South Michigan Ave.
    2120 South Michigan Ave. is a studio album by George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It was released on June 14, 2011 on the Capitol Records label. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. The title refers to the address of the offices and recording studios of Chess Records...


Live albums

  • 1986: Live (Platinum)
  • 1995: Live: Let's Work Together
    Live: Let's Work Together
    Live: Let's Work Together is the second live album by George Thorogood & the Destroyers. It was recorded on December 2-3, 1994 at Mississippi Nights in St. Louis, Missouri and December 5, 1994 at Center Stage in Atlanta, and released in 1995 on the EMI Records label...

  • 1999: Live in '99
  • 2004: 30th Anniversary Tour: Live
    30th Anniversary Tour: Live
    30th Anniversary Tour: Live is the fourth live album by George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It was recorded on May 4, 2004 at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, England, and on October 19, 2004 on the Eagle Records label...

  • 2010: Live in Boston 1982

Compilations

  • 1992: The Baddest of George Thorogood and the Destroyers (Platinum)
  • 2000: Anthology
  • 2003: Who Do You Love?
  • 2004: Greatest Hits: 30 Years of Rock (Gold)
  • 2005: The Best Of George Thorogood and the Destroyers
  • 2007: Taking Care of Business (double disc of Ride 'Til I Die (w/ 2 bonus tracks) and 30th Anniversary Tour)

Baseball

A baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 fan for most (if not all) of his life, as well as playing semi-pro baseball as a second baseman during the 1970s (drummer Jeff Simon played center field on the same team), when asked about his rigorous touring schedule - specifically his "50/50" Tour (50 states in 50 days) - his immediate response was "Well, it was in the off-season. So, it was nothing. Didn't have to miss a single game".

He took his daughter to Chicago for her first major league game (Cubs vs. Rockies), during which he sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song. The song is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch of...

". With obvious excitement in his voice, he said, "I told her, 'You'll see a stadium where Babe Ruth called his shot
Babe Ruth's Called Shot
Babe Ruth's called shot was the home run hit by Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, held on October 1, 1932 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. During the at-bat, Ruth made a pointing gesture, which existing film confirms, but the exact nature of his...

, Ernie Banks
Ernie Banks
Ernest "Ernie" Banks , nicknamed "Mr. Cub", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and first baseman. He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the Chicago Cubs . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.-High school years:Banks was a letterman and standout in football,...

 hit his 500th
500 home run club
In Major League Baseball , the 500 home run club is a term applied to the group of batters who have hit 500 or more regular-season home runs in their careers. On August 11, 1929, Babe Ruth became the first member of the club. Ruth ended his career with 714 home runs, a record which stood from 1935...

 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

, and Milt Pappas
Milt Pappas
Milton Steven "Milt" Pappas is a former professional baseball pitcher...

 threw a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...

!'"

In a 2011 Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...

interview, he stated "I'm a Mets fan. There aren't many of us, but you know, that's me."

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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