George Thorogood & The Destroyers

Channelling Chicago's blues greats and the back catalogue of the legendary Chess Records label, George Thorogood's searing guitar riffs and joyous grooves have been a staple part of America's blues rock scene for over 40 years. Originally a minor league baseball player, Thorogood picked up the guitar after seeing John Paul Hammond play in 1970 and with backing band the Destroyers (Jeff Simon drums, Billy Blough bass, Hank Carter saxophone and Ron Smith guitar) released their eponymous debut album in 1977. Their raucous, good-time rock'n'roll drew from Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker and Hound Dog Taylor and their reputation grew from the bar-rooms of Boston to a wider audience when they supported The Rolling Stones in 1981 and performed at the Philadelphia leg of Live Aid in 1985. Albums Move It On Over (1978), Maverick (1985) and Born To Be Bad (1988) notched up sales of over 15 million and their signature tune, the growling blues rock stomp Bad To The Bone, became a big hit on MTV and was used in Miami Vice, Terminator 2 and a host of advertising campaigns. Still a hugely popular live act, the band released sixteenth studio album 2120 South Michigan Ave in 2011, paying tribute to their musical heroes with guest appearances from Buddy Guy and Charlie Musselwhite.