Delaware's George Thorogood cancels 50th anniversary tour dates for 'very serious medical condition'

Two weeks before he was to start the next leg of his 50th anniversary tour, Delaware native and "Bad to the Bone" rocker George Thorogood recently announced he was pulling the plug after being "diagnosed with a very serious medical condition."

A statement posted to his website went on to say the diagnosis forced the 73-year-old Brandywine Hundred native to have "immediate surgery," which will be followed by "quite a few weeks of recuperation and healing."

The specific medical issue causing the surgery and concert cancellations was not revealed by his management when contacted by Delaware Online/The News Journal.

“He and the Destroyers will hit the road in July leading into the 50th anniversary of their very first tour,” they wrote.

The 50th anniversary tour

Eighteen Canadian and U.S. dates of the tour with his band the Destroyers ― from April 27 in Vancouver, British Columbia, to May 21 in Big Flats, New York ― were scrapped with ticketholders receiving refunds.

The rest of the 28 scheduled dates of the tour kick off July 14 in Wisconsin and wrap up Oct. 20 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

There are no concerts announced for Delaware, but there are two dates in Ocean City, New Jersey, on Aug. 28 and 29.

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The tour marks 50 years since the blues-based rocker and his band made their debut in 1973, playing on Main Street in Newark at spots such as the old First Presbyterian Church (known as the Rathskeller student bar at the time) and the Deer Park Tavern, less than a block away.

Born Feb. 24, 1950, Thorogood began as a solo acoustic act before forming the then-Delaware Destroyers with childhood friend, Brandywine High School classmate and drummer Jeff Simon, the only remaining founding member of the band.

In the years since, they have sold 15 million records worldwide and released nearly 25 studio and live albums over the past five decades.

His most recent release came six years ago, his solo debut "Party of One," featuring songs by everyone from the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan to Hank Williams and Robert Johnson.

Early Delaware shows before breaking big

Coming up in the state's then-vibrant music scene, Thorogood and the Destroyers honed their chops playing across northern Delaware, including gigs at the Deer Park and the former Buggy Tavern in Brandywine Hundred, not far from the home where he grew up.

After Thorogood and the Destroyers released their self-titled debut in October 1977, which contained his trademark cover of John Lee Hooker's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," he played a small number of hometown shows in Delaware.

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A show at the University of Delaware's Clayton Hall happened in 1978 and as his popularity grew, so did the venue sizes, taking the stage at Carpenter Sports Building on campus in 1981.

But once his 1982 album "Bad to the Bone" was released, featuring his most famous song of the same name, he had officially outgrown the First State and fans would travel to his Philadelphia concerts to see "Lonesome George" in person.

His early adoption of MTV and song placement in pop culture, like the iconic moment "Bad to the Bone" plays in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" in 1991, kept him an in-demand act.

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In a 2015 interview with Delaware Online/The News Journal, he pointed to one other reason for his longevity: His fans like to drink as he sings his songs, many of which are about, well, drinking.

"Our sax player said it perfectly a couple of years ago: 'We're successful because we sell a lot of beer.' Clubs, casinos and theaters make their profit off alcohol and beer, especially. And nobody moves beer like we do. That's why we're still here," he said at the time.

And even though "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" may help sell the most beer, it's the Thorogood-penned "Bad to the Bone" that changed his life. The ubiquitous bar song has been licensed for too many movies, television shows and commercials to count. If you've been at a live sporting event, you've probably heard it played there as well.

"That's what it's all about. Everybody wants to have that one song to hang their hat on. If you have one, you can work. If you have three, you have a career," he said. "If I didn't come up with 'Bad to the Bone,' I would have been in those bars forever."

Familiar First State face in recent years

After nearly 20 years of touring the country and the world after breaking out, the now California-based guitarist/singer/songwriter began playing Delaware again in 2000 when he accepted a show at the former Kahunaville on Wilmington's Riverfront.

The much-anticipated homecoming, followed by a 2003 show at the same venue, wasn't the glorious return he envisioned as he suffered from a migraine one night and fought rain another.

In 2009, he got it right when he performed at The Grand for the first time, delivering his high-energy show to a crowd of 1,200 filled with familiar faces in a room he first visited as a long-haired teenager.

When a fan began shouting song requests during a lull early in the show, Thorogood made it clear he wasn't quite done soaking in the moment, saying, "Listen friend, it took us 35 years to get up here. I'm going to enjoy every sweet second of it!"

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He loved the Market Street theater so much, he has returned four times (2011, 2015, 2019 and 2021) since.

"I'm not saying this because Wilmington, Delaware, is where I was born. I've been all over the world and played everywhere, but that is one of the top three best-sounding rooms. The sound is unreal," he said in the 2015 hometown interview. "I mean, I've played the Royal Albert Hall in London and the sound wasn't anywhere near as close as the sound at The Grand."

In fact, the only other Delaware venue he's played in recent years was a tour stop in Harrington for the Delaware State Fair in 2016.

When Thorogood turned 65, he told Delaware Online/The News Journal he was not one to wistfully look back or think about his legacy:

"I don't have time to do that. I'm too busy doing what it is I do. I think when he was being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Carl Yastrzemski was the one who said, 'Gee, if I knew I was all this, I would have enjoyed it more.’ Even you saying I have a legacy – I don't want to think about that because then I'll get lazy."

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and Twitter (@ryancormier).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware native George Thorogood diagnosis forces immediate surgery