George Thorogood, Buddy Guy play the Pav

By JEDD FERRIS Daily Progress correspondent
Published: August 8, 2008

By Jedd Ferris
Daily Progress correspondent
Loud guitars, sweat and perseverance — three things embody the musical spirit of George Thorogood and Buddy Guy. The two longstanding icons combine forces for a double bill at the Charlottesville Pavilion on Tuesday night.
Buddy Guy has been lauded as one of the most influential bridges between the blues and rock and roll. He relocated from his native Louisiana to Chicago in the late ’50s, and he immediately jumped into the city’s electric blues scene, backing the likes of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. By the ’60s he was recording for the venerable Chess Records, and he started to become known for an aggressive style of guitar, which would rub off on the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.
At age 72, he is still known for his charismatic live shows, which
often finds Guy wandering into the audience with a long guitar cord to solo among the crowd.
“He was for me what Elvis was probably like for other people,” Clapton said at Guy’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2005. “My course was set, and he was my pilot.”
Guy’s discography features more than 60 recordings. He is currently touring behind “Skin Deep,” a contemporary blues album that was released just a few weeks ago and features guest appearance by Clapton, Robert Randolph, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.
Thorogood has been pumping out barroom rockers and amped-up takes on blues classics with his band the Destroyers since 1973. The blue-collar Delaware outfit is known for an addiction to touring, once playing 50 different states on 50 consecutive days.
On the group’s 1977 self-titled album, they released one of their most well-known singles, a cover of John Lee Hooker’s “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” but it was the title track from their major label debut, 1982’s “Bad to the Bone,” that would linger as a ubiquitous anthem, adopted by too many movies and TV shows. The band’s latest album, 2006’s “The Hard Stuff” crept into the top 30 on Billboard Music Charts.

Five Fast Facts

George Thorogood

Thorogood is an avid baseball fan, and he actually player semi-pro ball in his native Delaware in the late 70s.
Last year marked the 25th anniversary of the release of Thorogood’s most popular album, “Bad to the Bone.” The disc and its popular title track were celebrated with a special reissue that featured seven bonus tracks.
The ’80s were a good decade for Thorogood. Starting with “Bad to the Bone,” he released four gold records in a row.
Known for rigorous touring, Thorogood played all 50 states in 50 days straight in 1981.
Thorogood has never been shy about covering his idols. His 1978 take on the late Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?” still can be heard on the radio today.

Five Fast Facts

Buddy Guy

Guy was born in Louisisana in 1936. At age 7 he made himself a makeshift guitar with two strings and a piece of wood.
Through his career Guy has acquired a number of accolades, including five Grammy Awards, 23 W.C. Handy Blues Awards, the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement and the Presidential National Medal of Arts.
Guy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 by Eric Clapton and B.B. King.
Guy owns a blues club in Chicago called Buddy Guy’s Legends.
Guy made an appearance this year in Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Stones concert film, “Shine a Light.”