On February 24th, 1950, George Thorogood was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Thorogood is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist most famously known for his hit, “Bad to the Bone”. What some people may not realize is that Thorogood actually started his music career here in Delaware, also being born in Wilmington.
Thorogood even lived in Newark on Chestnut Hill Road. He first purchased the house the same year he went on tour with the Rolling Stones. He ended up selling the house to a fan who didn’t want to see the rock legend’s house go to developers.
According to his website, “December 1st, 1973, George and his future bandmates went to the University of Delaware’s Lane Hall to set up their gear on the bandstand. They had only rehearsed once or twice together, playing mostly covers. The gig paid $150, so they were all in, whether it sounded good or not. A week prior to the gig, Thorogood didn’t even own an electric guitar. He was only playing acoustic at the time. He started with a Gibson ES-125 that he bought from a pawn shop.
Not to mention…the band didn’t even have a name. How they got the gig, who knows? They called themselves the Delaware Destroyers, after a pianist credited as ‘Destruction’. During the gig, people randomly went from standing awkwardly to dancing wildly on the hall floor.
After that one gig, they knew they had something and thus the band was officially born. George Thorogood and the Destroyers went on to sell over 15 million albums and become infamous performers.