Congratulations to the Boogie People Fan of the Month for August 2022 Ed G! Learn more about Ed below!

Where are you from?: From Westminster, MA but living in Bradenton, FL for 22 years

How many years have you been a fan?: Since watched him open for the Stones on HBO back in 1981

What is your favorite George Thorogood song: Gear Jammer

How many times have you seen George Thorogood live? Not sure how many, been seeing George whenever I can since first time at Worcester Centrum in Mass after bought the new Maverick album, think it was 1985? Fave show might be one from early 90's in Pompano Beach, FL where he had Little Feat on the bill.

What’s one thing that sets you apart from other George Thorogood fans?: Back in 85 & 86 I tended bar at the Rathskellar in Coral Gables FL while going to school there, and every night that I worked I ran up to the DJ booth when we closed to spin the vinyl "Move it on Over" album while we all cleaned up, had a few more beers, sometimes a few more than a few.

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By Matt Wardlaw for UltimateClassicRock.com

George Thorogood and Sammy Hagar recently wrapped up the first leg of their Crazy Times summer tour, which will resume on Aug. 23 in Clarkston, Mich.

Both artists delivered high-energy sets under challenging conditions. Temps were in the low 90s as Thorogood walked onstage at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, sweating profusely before he and the band even played a note.

Yet the blues-rocker was in great form for the "Thursday night rock party," as he termed it. He spoke frequently to the crowd, even throwing a good-natured jab at Hagar. "Sammy's backstage mixing up some high-octane tequila, but we're gonna serve up a bourbon, scotch and beer," he teased, a song or two before the fan-favorite cover arrived in the set list.

The pair has shared some good times already, as a recent post on Hagar's Instagram demonstrated. "He came out and watched our entire set," Thorogood tells UCR. "That's impressive from a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer." He also commented on Hagar's stage attire. "Sammy has come a long way with his wardrobe. I saw him on TV once and he was wearing a hockey uniform," Thorogood says. "I thought, 'Man, are you a hockey player or a rock 'n' roll star, buddy?'"

We spoke with Thorogood on the afternoon following the Ohio date. His tour bus had already made its way to "somewhere in Canada" for the next part of the adventure, as he continues to play additional shows.

One of the songs that has long been a staple in your set is "Night Time." How did you first come across that one?
A friend of ours who lived in the neighborhood was in a band called Spectrum. They were doing a battle of the bands. His band did that, and I’d never heard the song before. It had just come out. I said, “Man, I’ve got to learn that song.” Every band I’ve ever been in since I was a kid, I made them learn the song “Night Time.” Actually, we cut it back in 1974 and we had a dynamite version of it. I wanted it to be our first single. I wanted it to be our initial thing, and then we’d follow it up with an album the next year. It ended up on a bootleg record, like five years later, on the Better Than the Rest album – a really terrible record – but the song did finally see the light of the day. Our bass player at that time hated the song because it's a heavy bass song. This guy was really lazy. [Laughs.] He didn’t want to do anything, but he was a huge J. Geils Band fan. I said, “Listen, we’ve got to do this tune before J. Geils gets a hold of it.” He goes, “J. Geils would never touch this song.” Out comes the Love Stinks album and guess what’s on the album? I think it was their first gold record. So I can pick ‘em, OK?

The guitar parts on that song are really fun. It seems impossible to be in a bad mood when you're playing stuff like that.
That’s the idea of our band; that’s what we’re about. Nothing more, nothing less. Our leadoff song is “Rock Party.” That says it all. J. Geils leads off with “(Ain’t Nothin’ But a) House Party,” I mean, that’s who we are. That’s what we are. To look beyond that, people would say, “You guys are like a bar band.” We’re more like a party band. That’s just evolved over the years. Jeff Simon, our drummer, he was the one who really inspired us. That was his input with our act. I was a little too serious. Jeff was trying to lighten me up a little bit, saying, “You know, George, there’s only one Taj Mahal. There’s only one John Hammond.” He said, “Be George. Be what you are.” He was the one who encouraged me and helped me to find myself as a performer.

How did you develop your version of John Lee Hooker's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" back in the day?
Well, it just kind of evolved. We were playing it in a three-piece in Boston. Jeff Simon and I had just been evicted from our house, and we didn’t really have any place to go. I’d been listening to just about everything that John Lee Hooker had ever done up until that point. Everybody was watching the World Series: There was about 15 people in the club, that’s about it, including our bass player and drummer. I went up to the stage, picked up the guitar and started doing “House Rent Boogie” by John Lee Hooker. As I was playing it, I started talking and magically, our bass player and drummer came up and just bam, kicked it into “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.” The connection was made and the bar emptied and the dance floor was packed. I said, “Aha! We’ve got something there. Let’s stay with it.”

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Congratulations to the Boogie People Fan of the Month for July 2022 Darrel H! Learn more about Darrell below!

Where are you from?: Mannum - South Australia

How many years have you been a fan?: From the moment in 1986 that my older brother played the live album at a party I was hooked.

What is your favorite George Thorogood song: Hello Little Girl

How many times have you seen George Thorogood live? 20-30 Times

What’s one thing that sets you apart from other George Thorogood fans?: My old school red ( white guitar ) signed t shirt and my dedication ranging from spending days at Adelaide airport to meet George and the band to meeting Jim outside Thebarton Theatre while sitting outside on a deck chair with drinks listening to the sound checks. Also going on tour around Australia being a groupie and driving from town to town or flying. Even went to New Orleans just to see George!

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