G-G-G-George

Remember that weird time in the '80s when white people doing blues was all cool? What was up with that? Perhaps the most well-known of the top-40 bluesmen was George Thorogood, who was, indeed, quite thorough when it came to diggin' out some old-school Delta inspiration and even better at translating traditional licks into zingy modern guitar work. Thorogood's popularity was due in part to his taste in influences and his straight-ahead approach; rather than pop-ify his songs (both originals and covers), a tack taken by once-grimy bands such as ZZ Top, who by then had succumbed to that decade's shiny production values, Thorogood merely stepped on his distortion pedal and turned up his tube amp on songs such as "Move It on Over," "Bad to the Bone" and, of course, "I Drink Alone," which featured the gem of a lyric, "You know when I drink alone/I prefer to be by myself." Well, who doesn't, George, who doesn't? Have a bluesy drink with him Friday when he plays Billy Bob's Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza in Fort Worth. Tickets are $12 to $24. Call 817-624-7117.
Fri., April 27