GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 – COUNT BASSIE THEATRE
Rock Scene Magazine
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK “WEISSGUY” WEISS
George Thorogood and the Destroyers offered their wisdom and insight to young musicians from the Rockit Live Foundation on September 27, 2019 at The Count Basie Center in New Jersey. This is an ongoing event for the Foundation and George as he and the band met teens who are interested in the music industry. The fun began with a thunderous soundcheck and closed with a Q&A from one of Rock’s best. Thank you, George and staff! A big thank you to the Guitar Center Music Foundation.
George Thorogood and The Destroyers Return to Wilmington
The Delaware-born rocker comes home to celebrate 45 years of a legendary career in a sold-out show at The Grand on Oct. 1.
The fourth time’s the charm for one of Delaware’s favorite sons, George Thorogood.
Alongside his longtime band the Destroyers, Thorogood’s oh-so-appropriately named Good to Be Bad: 45 Years of Rock Tour hits Wilmington for a sold-out show at The Grand Opera House (a.k.a. The Grand) Oct. 1.
The historic venue has been quite good to Thorogood in recent years, as the Wilmington born-and-bred rocker sold out his three previous performances there in 2009, 2011, and 2015.
In an exclusive interview with Delaware Today, Thorogood—best known for perennial hits like “Bad to the Bone,” “I Drink Alone,” and “Move It on Over”—reveals that he considers The Grand to be one of the best venues he’s ever played in.
“If I had to list one of the top three sounding rooms I’ve ever worked in, in the world, that’s one of them,” Thorogood confirms. “In fact, it might be the best-sounding room I’ve ever played in. It’s pretty close—and I play a lot of them.”
Thorogood, who attended Brandywine High School from 1964-68 and is a former resident of Newark, naturally gravitated towards playing guitar as a kid. “I had a Harmony, like every other kid in America,” he admits. “I knew the guitar was going to catch an audience’s ear more than my voice would.”
Blues man George Thorogood wants to ‘keep rocking’
George Thorogood’s most recent album, 2017’s “Party of One,” was something altogether new for the blues rocker — a solo acoustic set, his first recording without his hard-charging band, the Destroyers. Thorogood talks about that album with pride and calls it “long overdue.” But when asked if he will do any solo acoustic numbers during his show at the Ferguson Center on Thursday night, he laughs. “No, man, I had a hard enough time doing it in the studio,” he said. “I’d have a really hard time pulling it off on the bandstand. We want to keep rocking, keep the spirit of youth alive.”
He is 69 years old, but feels good and sounds energetic. Forty years after he emerged on the scene playing electrified covers of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and John Lee Hooker, he still stays true to his roots.
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.