George Thorogood | |
|---|---|
 Thorogood performing in 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Lonesome George |
| Born | George Lawrence Thorogood (1950-02-24)February 24, 1950 (age 75) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Labels | |
Spouse | |
| Website | georgethorogood |
George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter.[1] His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s US rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the Bone" and "I Drink Alone".[2] He has also helped to popularize older songs by American icons, such as "Move It on Over", "Who Do You Love?", and "House Rent Blues/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer".[3]
With his band, "The Delaware Destroyers" (often known simply as the "Destroyers"), Thorogood has released over 20 albums, two of which have beencertified Platinum and six have beencertified Gold. He has sold 15 million records worldwide. Thorogood and his band continue to tour extensively, and in 2024, the band celebrated their 50th anniversary of performing.
George Lawrence Thorogood was born on February 24, 1950 inWilmington, Delaware.[1] He was raised in a middle class family.[4] He attendedBrandywine High School where he met and became friends with future drummer and bandmate Jeff Simon.[5] Thorogood showed interest in baseball at a young age, playing semi-professional baseball as asecond andfirst baseman.[6] Thorogood first discovered slide guitar when a friend gifted him a slide for his birthday.[7]
Thorogood began his career as a solo acoustic performer in the style ofRobert Johnson andElmore James[2] in 1970, after being inspired by aJohn P. Hammond concert.[8][9] He traveled toSan Francisco, California and performed on the streets before a tape of one of his sets got into the hands ofBonnie Raitt's manager. He convinced Thorogood to come back to theEast Coast. There he started playing with blues artistsSonny Terry andBrownie McGhee.[5] Eventually,Robert Lockwood advised Thorogood to get an electric guitar,[5] and in December 1973, he formed a band, "the Delaware Destroyers", with high school friend and drummer Jeff Simon.[2][10][11] With additional players, the Delaware Destroyers developed its sound, a mixture ofChicago blues androck and roll.[8] The band's first shows were in theRathskeller bar at theUniversity of Delaware and atDeer Park Tavern, both inNewark, Delaware.[12][13] Eventually, the band's name was shortened to just "the Destroyers".
Thorogood recorded a 20-song demo in 1974;[14] 10 of those songs were eventually released asBetter Than The Rest byMCA Records.[15] John Forward discovered the band in 1975, and helped them secure a recording contract withRounder Records.[9] The band's major recording debut came with the albumGeorge Thorogood and the Destroyers, which was released on August 16, 1977.[16] The next year, Thorogood released his next album with the Destroyers titledMove It on Over, which included a remake ofHank Williams's "Move It on Over", and a reworking of theBo Diddley song "Who Do You Love", both released as singles in 1978 and 1979 respectively.[17][18] In 1980, rhythm guitarist Ron "Roadblock" Smith left the band, and was replaced by saxophonist Hank "Hurricane" Carter, who first played with the band on their fourth studio album,More George Thorogood and the Destroyers.[19] The band's early success contributed to the rise of folk labelRounder Records.[20]
During the late 1970s, Thorogood and his band were based inBoston. He was friends withJimmy Thackery of theWashington, D.C.–based blues band,The Nighthawks. While touring in the 1970s, the Destroyers and the Nighthawks were playing shows inGeorgetown at venues across the street from each other. The Destroyers were engaged at theCellar Door and the Nighthawks at Desperados. At midnight, while both bands playedElmore James's "Madison Blues" in the same key, 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 in the other club.[21] The connection with the Nighthawks was extended further when Nighthawks bass player Jan Zukowski supported Thorogood's set withBo Diddley andAlbert Collins at theLive Aid concert inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 1985.[22]
Thorogood gained his first mainstream exposure as a support act forthe Rolling Stones during their1981 U.S. tour.[22] During this time, Thorogood and the Destroyers became known for their rigorous touring schedule, including the "50/50" tour in 1981,[23] on which the band toured all 50 US states in 50 days.[24][25] After two shows inBoulder, Colorado, Thorogood and his band flew to Hawaii for one show and then performed a show inAlaska the following night. The next day, Thorogood and his band met his roadies in Washington and continued the one-show-per-state tour. In addition, he played Washington, D.C., on the same day that he performed a show in Maryland, thereby playing 51 shows in 50 days.[19]
With his contract with Rounder Records expiring, Thorogood signed withEMI America Records[26] and in 1982, releasedBad to the Bone, which wentgold.[27] The album'stitle track eventually became the band's most well-known song[28] through appearances onMTV and use in films, television and commercials.[29] Later that year he was the featured musical guest onSaturday Night Live (Season 8, Episode 2) on the October 2, 1982, broadcast.[30] The next year, the Destroyers embarked on their "Around the World in 80 Days Tour", during which they toured Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Europe and the US, but the tour had to be ended early because of a riot at a festival in Spain.[31][32] Later that year, Thorogood released his only Christmas song, "Rock and Roll Christmas".[33][34] It was written by Thorogood[35] as a holiday special forMTV, withJohn Lee Hooker appearing in the music video.[36] In 1984 Thorogood appeared in the music video for the song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" by American singer-songwriter and musicianHank Williams Jr.[37][38]
His sixth studio album wasMaverick, released in January 1985.[39] The album featured Thorogood's only song to reach theBillboardHot 100, a remake ofJohnny Otis's "Willie and the Hand Jive", which peaked at number 63,[40] and his concert staple "I Drink Alone". During this time Thorogood became heavily interested incountry music. He intended to record a country album, but never did.[41] EMI America released Thorogood's first live album, titledLive, in August 1986.[42] The album was one of Thorogood's most successful, eventually being certified platinum by theRIAA.[27] In 1988, rhythm guitarist Steve Chrismar joined the band, and was featured on their next album,Born to Be Bad, also released in 1988.[19] That summer he also toured with American musicianBrian Setzer.[43] Thorogood and the Destroyers were at the height of their popularity during the 80's, with their 4 albums with EMI selling a combined total of 3.5 million copies.[44]
Thorogood's popularity began to decline in the 1990s. His eighth studio album,Boogie People, only sold around 300,000 copies,[45] but it did contain the song "If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave)", which eventually became a concert staple.[19] That year he also toured withElvin Bishop in support of Bishop's albumDon't Let the Bossman Get You Down!.[46] The next year,The Baddest of George Thorogood and the Destroyers was released,[19] it was the band's second and final album to be certified platinum by the RIAA.[27] His next album,Haircut, contained the song "Get a Haircut", which peaked at No. 2 on theBillboardAlbum Rock Tracks,[47] and was the No. 1 most played song on Canadian FM radio.[48] In April 1995, EMI released the Destroyer's second live album,Live: Let's Work Together.[49] After the release of the album the Destroyers embarked on a summer tour, after which they began preparing material for their next album.[50] The Destroyers' next album was 1997'sRockin' My Life Away. It was their first studio album to miss theBillboard 200 since their debut in 1977, although it was their first to chart onBillboard's Top Blues Album chart.[51]
In 1998 EMI America dropped the Destroyers, so they signed withCMC International.[52][53] The next year, they releasedHalf a Boy/Half a Man.[19] The album failed to chart in any capacity, and its single, "I Don't Trust Nobody", was their final single to chart, peaking at number 24 on theBillboard Mainstream Rock chart.[51] The same year they were the featured musical guest onLate Night with Conan O'Brien on the June 8 broadcast.[54] CMC International also released their third live album,Live in '99.[55] Their next albums all charted high onBillboard's Top Blues Album chart.[51]
George Thorogood signed a three-album deal withEagle Records in 2002,[56] and releasedRide 'Til I Die the next year.[9]Ride 'Til I Die was the final Destroyers album to feature Hank "Hurricane" Carter, he was replaced by Buddy Leach.[19] In 2004,Greatest Hits: 30 Years of Rock was released,[19] it was the band's final album to be certified gold by the RIAA.[27] Eagle released their fourth live album,30th Anniversary Tour: Live, also in 2004,[57] andThe Hard Stuff in 2006.[58]
The Destroyers toured with Buddy Guy in the summer of 2008,[59] before returning to EMI/Capitol in 2009 to release their next studio album,The Dirty Dozen.[9] It was their first studio album sinceHaircut to reach theBillboard 200, peaking at number 169.[60] In 2011 they released their most recent studio album,2120 South Michigan Ave., which was a tribute toChess Record artists.[6] In 2012, Thorogood was named one of the "50 Most Influential Delawareans of the Past 50 Years".[61] The next year the Destroyers celebrated their 40th year anniversary with a national tour.[62][63] Thorogood released his first proper solo album in 2017, titledParty of One,[64] which was his best selling album in a long time.[10] On April 21, 2018,[65] the Destroyers released the single "Shot Down" forRecord Store Day.[66]
On March 14, 2020, Thorogood was inducted into the Mississippi Music Project Hall of Fame in Biloxi, Mississippi, and was awarded the MMP Music Award for his lifelong commitment to the music industry,[67] by Joseph W. Clark.[citation needed]
Hank Carter, who served as the saxophonist for Thorogood's band from 1980 to 2003, died on September 14, 2021, at the age of 71.[68]
On April 11, 2023, Thorogood's social media pages announced that he was seriously ill, although the nature of his illness was not disclosed. Tour dates from April 27 to May 21 were all cancelled.[69]
In February 2025, just before Thorogood's 75th birthday, the band launched their "Baddest Show on Earth Tour", which would take them across several states and then to Australia.[70]
George Thorogood married Marla Raderman on July 16, 1985.[71] She died from ovarian cancer in 2019.[72] They have one daughter, Rio Thorogood.[73]
Thorogood has been a baseball fan[24] for most of his life, playing semi-pro ball as a second baseman during the 1970s (drummer Jeff Simon played center field on the same team). 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". In a 2011Guitar World interview, he stated "I'm aMets fan. There aren't many of us but you know, that's me."[6]
In April 2023, Thorogood had to cancel the first leg of his 50th anniversary tour due to a serious medical condition.[74]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
