GEORGE THOROGOOD CREDITS LONGEVITY TO THE FANS
69 years young, hard rocking blues and boogie guitar guru George Thorogood has been on the road for nearly 45 years. The Delaware native first popped unto the scene back in 1974, with his band the Destroyers, selling over 15 million records during his more than four decade run.
Their self titled debut (1977) went gold and quickly introduced fans to Thorogood's love of old school blues, giving us the popular remake of John Lee Hooker's 'One Bourbon, One Scotch, & One Beer' as well as 'Kind Hearted Woman' by Robert Johnson. All totaled, Thorogood and the Destroyers have released 16 studio albums, earned six gold records, including two earning platinum certification.
Epiphone's New Signature White Fang is Bad to the Bone
Courtesy GuitarPlayer.com
The introduction of Epiphone’s George Thorogood White Fang ES-125 TDC is a long-overdue tribute to the slide-wielding blues rocker whose badass-to-the bone guitar tone is one of the most recognizable around. Based on the vintage Gibson ES-125s that Thorogood has been slinging for decades, the White Fang ($899 street) has been optimized for the Delaware-born guitarist via a custom neck profile, Wilkinson Deluxe tuners, Epiphone ProBucker P-90 pickups, a wooden bridge and an eye-catching Bone white finish.
Far from being just a sweet-looking signature model, however, the White Fang was born out of necessity. “I was kind of forced into it due to the fact that I had worn out all my old Gibson 125s,” Thorogood says. “They’re frail and they just kept breaking down, and we were spending thousands of dollars trying to rebuild them. Finally, the people in my organization told me I couldn’t play them anymore because it was costing us a fortune. They asked me to try some Epiphone guitars.
“I picked one up and it sounded good, but I physically couldn’t play it because the neck was too wide and thick. Epiphone said that was the least of my worries, because they could alter the neck and frets and all that to my specs. It took a little time to make the changes I wanted, but ever since they turned me on to this instrument, I can’t put it down. And I think that’s the way it should be with a musical instrument. It’s like having really good food on your table that you can’t stop eating.”
George Thorogood Talks Upcoming Show At Town Hall, Guitars, The First Record He Bought, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams And A Lot More
BY: Joe Rock WBAB 102.3
George and I had a great chat about the show.
We talk about how you can help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by buying one of the shirts George and I are wearing in the picture above.
We also discussed his influences of Robert Johnson and Hank Williams. Plus we talked the first record he bought and the first time he heard himself on the radio.
Give a listen below and then make sure you catch George at Town Hall September 25th.
George Thorogood Remembers Playing 50 States in 50 Days
BY: Matt Wardlaw - Ultimate Classic Rock
When George Thorogood launched his ambitious 50/50 tour on Oct. 23, 1981, in Honolulu, he took on what would be a Herculean task for almost any performer: aiming to play concerts in 50 states in 50 days.
Flying by plane to Hawaii and Alaska, the rest of the journey found Thorogood and his band traveling between 200 to 500 miles a day in a converted Checker Taxi that had been accessorized with sleeping space.
“We’re playing some places that maybe have never seen a live band,” Thorogood told Ottawa Citizen that year. They had small club dates slotted in places like Mandan, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn. He planned to bring his show to the Wyoming State Prison. But as the 50 States in 50 Dates blog notes, the tour schedule ran up against issues in some of the markets and, occasionally, venue problems that caused a number of the planned performances to be moved.
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