For me, the highlight is when I step on that bandstand. The fans came to hear us and we’re ready to rock. Every night I play for people can be the biggest night of my life.
Mercy! We’ve been at it for more than 50 years now spanning 6 decades. Words don’t seem enough to express how grateful I am to be able to do what I love to do, and make a living at it. It’s only possible because of the support of our awesome fans…so thank you! My family’s support and sacrifices give me the ground to walk on. I’m not stopping until someone tells me that I have to…Rock On!!!”
Performing live never gets old. We’ve always strived to give the best show possible to our fans around the world. It’s been a thrill and an honor to perform for over 50 years!”
When I joined the Destroyers as guitarist back in 1999, it was a dream come true. I'd been listening to the albums for years and I had seen them with the Rolling Stones in New Orleans in 1981. Since then, it's been a wild and exciting ride and the dream continues. Let's rock!
I had several years of formal school training and was taught to follow the rules of music theory. Since joining The Destroyers, I have also been taught how music with raw energy, emotion and passion can bring so much happiness to so many people. For that, I’m very grateful.
Courtesy: Chris Barilla | People.com
"If they're not happy, I'm not happy. That's why we do it," the rocker shares of fans' energy propelling him to continue to deliver stellar live performances
George Thorogood has been in the music business for over half a century, and as a result, knows exactly what he wants and what he doesn't.
Despite his defined perspective, the iconic rocker, 75, tells PEOPLE in conversation ahead of the unveiling of his new exhibit at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, titled the "Baddest Show on Earth," that seeing the totality of his stardom laid out before him is "strange. Really strange."
"It terrifies me to see that," Thorogood says with a tinge of jest, adding, "When you’re this busy doing what I’ve been doing all these years, you don’t really have time to sit back and focus on it. It’s kind of a shock."
On display as a part of the "Baddest Show on Earth" exhibit is Thorogood's iconic 1960's Gibson ES-125TDC: "Old Red," used on the recording of "Bad to the Bone," as well as a variety of other amplifiers, instruments and stagewear donned by the legendary artist.
Indeed, Thorogood's career has been one that has continued rolling on, rather unobstructed, for the better part of decades. With more than 8,000 live shows and more than 15 million albums sold under his belt alongside The Destroyers, the singer has literally seen it all — and as he admits, not fully made the time to reflect on his unique accomplishments.
"When you’re voted unanimously in high school as the least likely to succeed, and then you pull off things like this, it’s strange," Thorogood shares of his perspective, looking back on his successes.
Though he may not have fully taken stock of the impact his music has had until coming face-to-face with his own exhibit on Tuesday, Feb. 10, Thorogood is quick to note that he manifested stardom from a young age.
"Everybody in the neighborhood knew what I wanted to do for a living, and everybody in my family," he recalls.
In the years that followed, Thorogood became known for his striking image, laced in leather with snakeskin galore, entertaining thousands of fans a night on stage. Interestingly enough, however, he initially opposed that aspect of the theatrics of rock.
The singer notes, "My mom came, and she was into fashion, and she saw a mannequin there with snakeskin shoes and a snakeskin vest. I'm wearing black. And she said, 'I could see you with that.' I said, 'Mom, are you kidding me? I wouldn't be caught dead in that.' And then a girl I was seeing at that time had bought me a snakeskin shirt. So the key is to listen to the women. They show the way."
Today, Thorogood proclaims that one of the greatest driving forces compelling him to continue touring and delivering the same caliber of rock and roll to fans is recognizing that "life itself takes tolls on you," and as a result, prioritizing health and happiness.
"Stay healthy and be good to your fans," the artist shares as a defining mantra in his life currently. "If they’re not happy, I’m not happy. That’s why we do it."
Even after thousands of live performances and over 20 albums released with The Destroyers, Thorogood maintains a kid-in-a-candy-store mentality to fame, saying, "If the chill is gone, then I’m gone."
Simultaneously, he hopes that the music he and his group have released over the years will continue to catalyze fans, new and old alike, to come out and see the group perform live, saying, "The records are like a calling card to the party."
Ultimately, Thorogood surmises that "hard work is its own reward," and jokes, "Can you imagine Keith Richards doing anything but what he does? I never had a doubt, from when I was 15, [about] what I was going to do for a living for my life."
