I was first exposed to the great George Thorogood and his band, the Delaware Destroyers, when a buddy of mine loaned me a copy of his 1982 album, Bad to the Bone. George had already released several other albums, beginning in 1977, but Bad to the Bone became his landmark release. Half the guys I knew, back in the day, claimed it as their personal theme song.
George and the band did a lot of great work. I saw them live, once, as I recall in 1986, in an old theater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was a great, rocking show. They opened with a darkened stage, illuminated only by a Bat-signal shining on the curtain, and a blasted recording of the 1966 Batman television theme. Then, after the intermission, we filed back into our seats and heard the band down there, on the stage, doing something in the darkness. Then, the big drum started:
Boom. Boom. Boom-boom ba-boom boom. Boom. Boom. Boom-boom ba-boom boom.
My buddy looked at me. “Are they going to?” I said, “I think so.”
We were right. The lights came up, and they started the second set with a rocking rendition of the theme song from George of the Jungle.
I have a lot of George and the boys’ work that I love, and I struggled to pick out six, but here we are. Enjoy.
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (1977): This fun tune was originally written in 1953 by Rudy Toombs and first recorded by Amos Milbuen as One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer. In 1966, John Lee Hooker covered the song, redubbing it One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer. It was John Lee Hooker who added the spoken lines about looking at the clock on the wall.
George Thorogood reworked the song again, adding a portion where the protagonist gets kicked out of his apartment for non-payment of rent, and as the song goes, “…so out the door I went,” to drown his sorrows. It’s a fun song with a long history, but George did things his own way.
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Who Do You Love? (1978): An old Bo Diddley tune from 1956, George again adapted this to suit his own style, but paid tribute to the great Bo Diddley with one lyric, associating the song with what he called “that Bo Diddley beat.” Side note: When George played Live Aid in 1985, he brought Bo Diddley on the stage to duet this song.
Just for fun, here’s the original, from the great Bo Diddley: Bad To The Bone (1982): This is the song that we all loved back in the day, and most of us claimed it as a personal theme. Unlike the previous two, this song is George’s own, although it carries a lot of blues influence, as does much of George’s work. It was based loosely on Bo Diddley’s song, I’m A Man, although George added his more robust, hammering guitar style to the song.Perhaps best of all is the official movie video, wherein George plays pool with Bo Diddly, as actual, real-life pool shark Willie Mosconi watches.
I Drink Alone (1985): Again with the blues influence, and another drinking song; it’s a common enough theme in George’s music, but in this one, he drinks alone – but weaves in many names of drinking companions, even so.The song takes a humorous tone, with the names of drinks garnishing the lyric with double meanings. For instance, he is drinking with his good buddy Wiser (Budweiser), his pals Jack Daniel's and Jim Beam, and the Walker brothers: Blackie and Red (Johnny Walker Black label and Red label). The only family member who will drink with him is his dear old granddad (Old Grand Dad whiskey).
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Gear Jammer (1985): This one, interestingly enough, is something of a departure for George. Instead of the usual themes of George’s blues-inspired style, this song centers around someone who is more often associated with country music: A truck driver.
Running my rig around ninety-five,
Rockin' and rollin' in overdrive
My heart's beating like a jackhammer,
It's the midnight ride for the gear jammer
Nine long days through twenty-three states,
I gotta see my baby soon you know I just can't wait
The police catch me I'll end up in the slammer,
'Cause the law don't want no gear jammer
If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave) (1991): And, back to the boozing theme. Another one of George’s originals, he reportedly intended to give the song to Tom Waits, but ended up keeping it. The song did generate some controversy, as some stated that the lyrics promoted alcoholism and emotional abuse. George later noted that he thought the song might stir some Schiff, but released it anyway.
George is pretty long in the tooth now. He’s 75, which shouldn’t surprise anyone, since he put out his first album almost half a century ago. But he is releasing dates for his 2026 tour, titled Baddest Show on Earth, and we have no doubt he can live up to it.
Any great memories or tunes from George and the Destroyers? The comments, again, are all yours.
