One of my favourite memories of sitting on a hillside listening to music outdoors is of George Thorogood & The Destroyers in the late 80s and possibly 1990 as well. I’m pretty sure I saw them at least twice at Mariposa in Barrie, Ontario. It was expectedly Ba-ba-ba-ba-baad, Bad to the Bone.

The band has been playing music for a long time and they’re still in demand. They’re currently touring the United States, Canada and multiple cities in multiple countries in Europe.

Since 1976, George Thorogood & The Destroyers have sold over 15 million albums and played over 8,000 live shows. They broke records with their 50 Dates/50 States Tour, delivered landmark performances at Live Aid and on SNL and became mainstays of radio, TV and stages worldwide. Consider yourself lucky if you get to see them play live. 

The blues-based, rock infused sound of George Thorogood & The Destroyers has filled many halls, bars and outdoor spaces. They’ve released 20 studio and live albums, achieved platinum and gold success with eight of them. 

The slide guitar playing Thorogood has won acclaim as an inspired interpreter of timeless classics by masters like Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Hank Williams. He has taken inspiration from B.B. King. Over the years they’ve crafted a sound and style that is instantly identifiable.  

Thorogood writes songs about partying and being bad, like Bad To The Bone, Born To Be Bad, or If You Don’t Start Drinkin’ (I’m Gonna Leave), which he delivers in the storytelling style of the blues.

The band is currently touring with The Destroyers on their acclaimed Good To Be Bad: 45 Years Of Rock Tour after last week’s release of The Original George Thorogood album on April 15.

“You try to spread yourself out as a songwriter,” says George, “and I’ve always tried to do my best. We’ve been playing a lot of these songs for a long time, and some haven’t been performed live at all. I hope fans are surprised by the ones they’ve never heard before.” 

I can still hear Thorogood’s guitar wailing and the audience singing Bad to the Bone.

by Cherryl Bird – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Twitter @ladycbird | Instagram @cherrylbird