BEHOLD THE BENDER! September 25–29, 2014. Riviera Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas, Nevada. The Inaugural Big Blues Bender is no ordinary music festival! Featuring a Grammy winning line-up of music superstars, including the legendary B.B. King, this event is also a complete Las Vegas vacation experience! The Big Blues Bender will feature 4 days of music, 4 nights accommodation, and multiple stages all contained in one property! More than just music, Big Blues Bender will offer activities, a custom restaurant, pro jams, pro-am jams and the Las Vegas strip at your doorstep. We’re taking over the hotel for the weekend so you and your friends can experience all the music, gaming, food & drink we have to offer all just an elevator ride away. HAVE A FEW DRINKS ON US! Haven’t booked your package yet? Book now (while supplies last) and receive drink tickets up to $50 to be used in our main music venue bars upon check-in. Refresh with a soda, grab a cocktail or buy a new friend a beer; you won’t have trouble using the Bender Bar tab drink tickets! EXCURSIONS UPDATE Las Vegas has a lot of attractions to do both on and off the strip. While we plan to jam pack the 4 days with music and activities, we realize that some Benders are coming early or staying late and want to see a little more that Vegas has to offer. There are several tour operators that conduct business in Las Vegas and we are encouraging the Bender attendees to all book through our recommended partner that we will announce in the coming months. By booking through the same operator, you can be assured that any group excursions will be with fellow Bender attendees. We’ll also do our best to negotiate the best prices with group bookings. Whether you want to see the Grand Canyon, go on a helicopter ride, Take a spin on the new High Roller or go for a round of golf, our excursion coordinator can help add that outing to make your Vegas trip a little more special! BENDER BLENDER Want to plan to meet up with fellow Benders before the event? Need a forum to collaborate the festivities with other Benders? Looking for a roommate? We’ve got the place for you! We want to make sure you have checked out the Big Blues Bender Blender on Facebook! Click to join today and say hello to your fellow Benders! EXTEND YOUR STAY Do you want to extend your Bender holiday without having to check out and then check back into your room again? Starting today, you have the ability to book extra nights around your package and we will combine your order so that you can stay in the same room. Not only will you save time and hassle by not having to pack all your belongings for a short move, but keeping the same hotel portfolio also means that you don’t have to pay for the resort fee or hotel lodging taxes as we have included it in our costs for you! ASK BENDER SUPPORT Our Bender support specialists have been hard at work answering your questions and enquiries. We asked our team leaders what was the most common request that came through the last month. If you have Bender questions, stop in at http://support.bigbluesbender.com and get answers! Music Schedule We know that you are eager to know who is performing when. We want to share that with you as soon as we know. We are still adding artists to the lineup and there are always last minute shuffles. We want to make the schedule and release it only one time. We plan to do this before the festival and will make sure we post it and email it out to everyone as soon as its finalized. Arrival / Departure details and package inclusions About a month before the event (after the final name change deadline) we plan to send out an email confirming the names and check-in and check-out dates. Our standard packages have check in on Thursday the 25th at 4PM and checkout is on Monday the 29th at 11AM. Standard Packages sold include 1 room, Event wristbands for 2 people and accommodation for 4 nights! We don’t have any rooms remaining that allow for more than 2 people and there are a limited number of “Single King Bee” rooms if you want a room entirely to yourself. BIG BLUES BENDER LINEUP B.B. King Buckwheat Zydeco Ana Popovic Walter Trout Walter Wolfman Washington Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers   Guitar Shorty* The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band* Karen Lovely George Thorogood and the Destroyers Charlie Musselwhite Coco Montoya Tommy Castro and the Painkillers* Trampled Under Foot* Golden State - Lone Star Review with Mark Hummel, Little Charlie Baty and Anson Funderburgh Popa Chubby The Record Company* Lisa Mann Blind Boys of Alabama Tab Benoit* Otis Taylor The Holmes Brothers Carolyn Wonderland Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials*   Rick Estrin & the Nightcats Bob Corritore & Lil'Ed The Bender Brass (featuring: Jimmy Carpenter) * Artists playing multiple days.

PACKAGES Ready to Attend? Big Blues Bender is sold as "Packages" that include your accommodations as well as your event pass. Please note that this is the only way to attend the Bender. We want to protect your vacation investment, and Bender security will ensure only ticketed guests will enter our venues. Do not attempt to book accommodations at another hotel nor directly via the Riviera's website, as any reservation made elsewhere is not transferable to Big Blues Bender. All rooms are double occupancy. Prices below are PER PERSON. Smokestack Lightning $599.50/pp $1199/room VIP Upgrade $200/pp (Limited quantities available.) Book Now Wang Dang Doodle VIP $949.50/pp $1,899.00/room Book Now Boom Boom Room $649.50/pp $1299/room VIP Upgrade $200/pp (Limited quantities available.) Book Now Backdoor Man VIP $1,099.50/pp $2,199.00/room Book Now Hoochie Coochie $699.50/pp $1399.00/room VIP Upgrade $200/pp (Limited quantities available.) Book Now BIG DADDY BALLER SOLD OUT SOLD OUT Book VIP

BIG DADDY BALLER PACKAGES ARE SOLD OUT! We are now SOLD OUT of BIG DADDY BALLER PACKAGES. There are also only limited numbers of VIP packages and upgrades. These will be gone before you know it and if you want premium seating, VIP check-in and more, grab yours today. Book Now SINGLE TRAVELERS & KING BEES We understand that not everyone’s friends can get out of work or swing a trip to Vegas. We also understand that sometimes friends come in odd numbers! We have begun two initiatives to help accommodate those single or odd numbered travelers. We now have a facebook group where people can connect, make new friends, and find roommates for the event. Click here and join the group! For those of you that want a room that can normally hold two Bendees, but you want it all to yourself - we've got a very limited quantity of rooms at a marginally reduced rate. Our "King Bee" package features a King bed in the Monaco tower complete with a VIP Bender band set for the King that you are! $1399/1 person Book Now LOCALS TICKETS Good news, Clark County Residents! You can still attend the Bender without purchasing a package. (Tho honestly, it would be nice not to drive home after the shows, right?) The locals ticket is strictly for Clark County residents, and upon pickup you will be required to show an ID with a valid Clark County Address. NO EXCEPTIONS and no refunds will be available for anyone who purchases a locals ticket, but can not produce a valid Clark County ID. $350.00/per person Book Now

Rounder Records artist: George Thorogood and the Destroyers - Remastered release review

A second release from Rounder, the reissue and remaster of George Thorogood & The Destroyers first recording is on my desk today and all of the raw passion of a young Thorogood is apparent. Opening with Earl Hooker's You Got To Lose, Thorogood is romping right out of the gate. With raw energy and backed by Jeff Simon on drums, Billy Blough on bass and Ron Smith on second guitar occasionally, this is the beginning of the retro blues. Now memorable hit for Thorogood, Elmore James' Madison Blues was then a great rockin blues giving young Thorogood a chance to play slide like it wasn't heard since the likes of Hound Dog Taylor. Super track. On Mr John Lee Hooker's One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer Thorogood really captures a lot of the original feel laid down by Hook but with a little bit of modern flare. Love the foot stomp. Thorogood does an exemplary job on Robert Johnson's little remembered Kind Hearted Woman, possibly the best interpretation on the release. Keeping much of the feel of the original track, Thorogood really isn't as far from his roots as much of his music may sound to the general masses. Really cool stripped down slide work highlights this track. Another Elmore James track, Can't Stop Lovin', is really smokin with driving rhythm and hot hot slide riffs. Bo Diddley's Ride On Josephine follows the traditional Diddley rhythm and Thorogood has already developed his famous voice and understated guitar riffs. The first original track on the release, Homesick Boy, is a straight up blues rocker with fully developed style and taste. A really primitive version of the traditional John Hardy with Thorogood on harp, guitar and vocals is a nice addition to fill out his hand of cards, showing that he isn't confined to one style. Junior Parker's I'll Change My Style is a perfect R&B track to return to the more modern blues style. Thorogood demonstrated a great balance in singing and slide work on this classic track. Wrapping up the release is another Thorogood original track, Deleware Blues. With classic Rollin and Tumblin trigger lines, this is a terrific track with a lot of rhythm and flashy slide work. This is a classic album and one that is still fresh after so many years. Excellent!

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

Rounder Records artist: George Thorogood and the Destroyers - Move It On Over - New Release Review

I just received the new remastered recording of George Thorogood's Classic Move It On Over which will be released on July 30, 2013 and it sounds as fresh as the first time I heard it. Thorogood opens the release with a ripping rewrite of Hank Williams' classic Move It On Over. With reckless abandon, Thorogood plays his slide guitar and it was the sound that changed the face of rock/blues for a long time to come. Bo Diddly's Who Do You Love? follows and Thorogood does a great job in enhancing an already classic track. On Elmore James' The Sky Is Crying, Thorogood plays super primitive slide guitar style and with his fresh singing style does a terrific job of delivery on this superb track. A western attack of Cocaine Blues is a nice breather from the down and dirty giving the listener a finger pickin exhibition. On Chuck Berry's It Wasn't Me, Thorogood (and band, Jeff Simon on drums and Billy Blough on bass) delivers a fairly straight forward rendition of the track with flashy rock guitar riffs. On Willie Dixion's That Same Thing, Thorogood really has the deep grindy deep voice and cool slide work that he has become known for. Brownie McGee's So Much Trouble is done rockabilly style with a lot of spunk. Thorogood really hit on all cylinders with this entry release and it's no surprise listening to it over 30 years later and finding it still is fresh and invigorating. James Moore's I'm Just Your Good Thing is a strong R&B style blues track giving Thorogood a chance to sing in more of a ballad set up. Homesick James' Baby Please Set A Date is done Elmore James style with flaming slide guitar riffs but with Thorogood's trademark romp. Finishing up with Elmore James' New Hawaiian Boogie, Thorogood puts a flaming hot exclamation point on a really superb release! I personally have owned this recording since it's first release and sitting back and listening to it today for the first time in a decade it reminds me just how good it really is. More than a coup for existing Thorogood fans but a major find for any blues and rock listener who may not have recently or ever heard this fine set! Bravo Rounder!

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

George Thorogood's early Rounder albums to be reissued

 

ROUNDER RECORDS REISSUES FIRST TWO

GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS ALBUMS

 

Remastered recordings, set for release on July 30, 2013, are 1977’s

 George Thorogood & The Destroyers and 1978’s Move It On Over

 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — When George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers burst onto the national scene in 1977, roots rock music was all but absent from contemporary radio. Yet, the focus and excitement that George brought to the classic songs of his idols such as Chuck Berry, Elmore James, and Jimmy Reed was undeniable. Rounder Records had its first hit artist and the late 1978 release of his second album soon had Thorogood’s interpretations of Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?” and Hank Williams’ “Move It On Over” blanketing the airwaves.

 

On July 30, 2013, Rounder Records will re-release Thorogood’s first two albums, 1977’s George Thorogood and 1978’s Move It On Over.

 

The band’s stamina in its early years is legendary. In 1981, just before opening 11 dates for the Rolling Stones (and later their 1982 European tour), George and the band embarked on their “50 States in 50 Dates” tour, traveling in a Checker Cab (flying only to Alaska and Hawaii).

 

The Destroyers went on to continued and greater success after leaving Rounder, when the label entered a joint venture with EMI for George’s fourth album, Bad to the Bone, but their first two albums are the essence of everything that makes the band great. Recorded live in the studio, George Thorogood & the Destroyers and Move It On Over capture perfectly the energy of their live shows. There’s not a wasted note, and if George never aimed for the pyrotechnics of later blues rockers such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, the directness of his approach cuts straight to the heart of each song.

 

Thirty-five years later, these performances still ring true. Mastered from new digital transfers of the original analog tapes, these albums have never sounded better, and if you’re a George Thorogood fan, it doesn’t get any better than this.  

George Thorogood & The Destroyers

1. You Got To Lose
2. Madison Blues
3. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
4. Kind Hearted Woman
5. Can’t Stop Lovin’
6. Ride On Josephine
7. Homesick Boy
8. John Hardy
9. I’ll Change My Style
10. 10. Delaware Slide

Move It On Over  

1. Move It On Over
2. Who Do You Love
3. The Sky Is Crying
4. Cocaine Blues
5. It Wasn’t Me
6. That Same Thing
7. So Much Trouble
8. I’m Just Your Good Thing
9. Baby Please Set A Date
10. 10. New Hawaiian Boogie

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer - George Thorogood And Destroyers

2120 South Michigan Avenue, home of Chicago’s Chess Records, may be the most important address in the bloodline of the blues and rock ‘n’ roll. That address – immortalized in the Rolling Stones’ like-named instrumental, recorded at an epochal session at Chess in June 1964 and included on the band’s album 12 X 5 – serves as the title to George Thorogood’s electrifying Capitol/EMI salute to the Chess label and its immortal artists. Thorogood has been essaying the Chess repertoire since his 1977 debut album, which included songs by Elmore James and Bo Diddley that originated on the label. He has cut 18 Chess covers over the years; three appeared on his last studio release, 2009’s The Dirty Dozen. On 2120 South Michigan Avenue, he offers a full-length homage to the label that bred his style with interpretations of 10 Chess classics. The album also includes original tributes to the Windy City and Chess’ crucial songwriter-producer-bassist Willie Dixon, penned by Thorogood, producer Tom Hambridge, and Richard Fleming, plus a cranked-up version of the Stones’ titular instrumental. Chess Records had been making musical history for a decade before it moved into its offices on Michigan Avenue, in the heart of the Windy City’s record business district, in 1957. Leonard and Phil Chess, sons of a Polish immigrant family and South Side nightclub operators, bought into a new independent label called Aristocrat Records in 1947. The brothers bought out their partners in 1950 and gave the label the family name; by that time, they had racked up blues hits by Muddy Waters, Sunnyland Slim, Robert Nighthawk, and St. Louis Jimmy. Chess’ studio spawned timeless ‘50s and ‘60s recordings by Waters, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Howlin’ Wolf, which served as inspiration for the Stones and their blues-rocking brethren, and then lit a fire under their successors George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Thorogood recalls, “I remember as a teenager reading about Mick Jagger meeting Keith Richards on a train. Jagger had a Chuck Berry record, and he said he wrote to Chess Records and got a catalog sent to him. Just out of curiosity, I took out one of my Chess records, got the address, and I wrote to Chess Records. And they sent me a catalog of the complete Chess library, and I started buying up these Chess records. I bought every single one of them I could possibly get. “And I remember reading the backs of those Chess records and seeing the address, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, and I said, ‘That’s the same address as the Rolling Stones’ instrumental!’ And I started putting one and one together and coming up with a big two.” Over time, Chess’ catalog and artists became the sources of Thorogood’s higher education in music. “That was my school, the college that I had to learn my trade in,” he says. “I had to figure out how these people did these things.” The new album also celebrates the performers who shared stages with Thorogood and the Destroyers and encouraged them when they were just coming up on the East Coast blues scene. He says, “The people who helped me out were all the guys in Muddy Waters’ band, all the guys in Howlin’ Wolf’s band. They were wonderful to me, and they wanted to help me. They saw what I was trying to do.” 2120 South Michigan Avenue isn’t just Thorogood’s salute to a great record label – it also pays homage to the tough, larger-than-life men who made the music. “It was a lifestyle as well as an art form, as far as music goes,” Thorogood notes. “They were singing about what their life was like on a daily basis. Sonny Boy Williamson and Wolf and Muddy Waters – they didn’t think they were the baddest cats in the world, they knew they were the baddest cats in the world. They had to be, or they wouldn’t have survived. There’s nothing glamorous in it – that’s just the facts. They had to fight their way through on a daily basis just to keep their heads above water. That’s very clear in a lot of their songs.” Some of the songs from the Chess catalog heard on 2120 South Michigan Avenue were staples of the Destroyers’ live repertoire; Thorogood says, “A lot of the things I recorded I was doing 25 or 30 years ago, and I had stopped doing them.” He adds that since many Chess recordings have become linchpins of the rock and blues repertoire, both on record and in concert, some careful winnowing had to be done for the album: “We did a lot of research and said, ‘Wait a minute, the Rolling Stones did that song, John Hammond did that song.'" Producer Tom Hambridge is the ideal collaborator for 2120 South Michigan Avenue. A veteran of tours with Chuck Berry, Roy Buchanan, the Drifters, and other stars, Hambridge won a 2010 Grammy for his work on Buddy Guy’s Living Proof, and wrote the album’s Guy-B.B. King duet “Stay Around a Little Longer.” He received Grammy nominations for Guy’s Skin Deep (2008), Johnny Winter’s I’m a Bluesman (2004), and Susan Tedeschi’s Just Won’t Burn (1998). He also fronts his own band, Tom Hambridge & the Rattlesnakes. The special guests on 2120 South Michigan Avenue sport direct connections to Chess and Chicago’s blues scene. Guitarist Buddy Guy made his Chess label debut 51 years ago. Thorogood remembers, “I went to [the Austin blues club] Antone’s for the first time in 1977, and I saw Buddy Guy play. It was the first time I saw him, and I never forgot that he led off with [Chess artist Tommy Tucker’s] ‘High Heeled Sneakers.’ I thought that was just unbelievable. Buddy just tore it apart, like he does everything – that’s his style.” Harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite is heard on two of the album’s tracks, a cover of Little Walter’s hit “My Babe” and the Stones’ “2120.” “Memphis Charlie” haunted Chicago’s South Side clubs in the ‘60s, learning at the feet of Chess titans like Little Walter Jacobs and Sonny Boy Williamson and hanging out with such like-minded contemporaries as Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, and Elvin Bishop of the pathfinding Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Thorogood says, “I don’t play harmonica. Little Walter plays harp, and Sonny Boy Williamson plays harp, and Howlin’ Wolf plays harp. So I said, ‘Well, what am I gonna do about this?’ It’s an easy choice. I said, ‘There’s only one cat we can get to play ‘My Babe’ by Little Walter, and that’s Charlie.’ He’s the last cat!” Through the entire project, Thorogood and the Destroyers attempted to put their own distinctive spin on the Chess material while maintaining fidelity to the originals’ attack. “When you do Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, when you play Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, there’s no experimenting,” Thorogood explains. “That’s a religion, and you’ve gotta do it right.” The historic music heard on 2120 South Michigan Avenue didn’t merely change George Thorogood’s life, as he himself notes. “It’s not a musical phenomenon, it’s a social phenomenon. The man who created rock ‘n’ roll was Chuck Berry, and he listened to Muddy Waters. Bo Diddley went to the same school and listened to the same people. Rock ‘n’ roll changed the whole world. That never would have happened if it hadn’t been for Chess Records. It’s the source of the whole thing.” If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

2120 South Michigan Avenue - George Thorogood New Recording review

I just got the chance to listen to the new release from George Thorogood and I really like it. He goes thorough the old Chess standards and does it with intent. There are some great riffs there and overall I could listen to it all day.

Nice job!

Iconic Bluesman George Thorogood Salutes His Chess Records Heroes, Including Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, & More

New York - George Thorogood and the Destroyers salute the legendary Chess Records musicians on their 17th studio album, 2120 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE, now available everywhere today (Courtesy of Capitol/EMI). Named for the address of Chess Records' Chicago headquarters, the album is masterfully produced by Tom Hambridge, a four-time GRAMMY Award nominee and 2010 GRAMMY winner for Best Contemporary Blues Album (For Buddy Guy's Living Proof) and ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award winner. The album's featured guests include 2010 GRAMMY Award winners Buddy Guy and Charlie Musselwhite. 2120 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE features Thorogood's raw, rocking turn on blues classics by Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter and other Chess greats, as well as two original songs written by Thorogood, Hambridge, and Richard Fleming.

Also in support of the release, George Thorogood has launched a new webisode series, appropriately titled 2120 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE. Featuring commentary from Tom Hambridge and Thorogood himself, the series will give fans an in-depth look at the inspiration behind the album and how they went about reinterpreting these classic blues standards. Every day, a new webisode will premiere on George's official YouTube and Facebook profiles. Be sure to check regularly for the latest installment here: www.facebook.com/GeorgeThorogood

On July 31, George Thorogood and the Destroyers are set to kick off a stretch of U.S. tour dates at Los Angeles' renowned Greek Theatre. See the full list of tour dates below.


2120 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE
[Official Tracklisting & Credits]

1. Going Back [written by Tom Hambridge and George Thorogood]
2. High Heel Sneakers (featuring Buddy Guy)
3. Seventh Son
4. Spoonful
5. Let It Rock
6. Two Trains Running
7. Bo Diddley
8. Mama Talk To Your Daughter
9. Help Me
10. My Babe (featuring Charlie Musselwhite)
11. Willie Dixon's Gone [written by Tom Hambridge, George Thorogood, and Richard Fleming]
12. Chicago Bound
13. 2120 South Michigan Avenue (featuring Charlie Musselwhite)

George Thorogood - Guitars & Vocals
Jeff Simon - Drums
Bill Blough - Bass
Jim Suhler - Rhythm & Lead Guitar
Buddy Leach - Saxophone

Produced by Tom Hambridge
Executive Producer: Mike Donahue

George Thorogood and The Destroyers - Tour Dates
July 31 - Los Angeles - Greek Theatre
August 3 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
August 5 - Tulalip, WA - Tulalip Amphitheatre
August 6 - Shelton, WA - Little Creek Casino
August 7 - Portland, OR - Oregon Zoo Amphitheater
August 9 - Spokane, WA - Knittting Factory Concert House
August 11 - Missoula, MT - Wilma Theatre
August 12 - Billings, MT - Magic City Blues Festival / Downtown Billings
August 13 - Sturgis, SD - Sturgis Rally - The Legendary Buffalo Chip
August 16 - Moorhead, MN - Bluestem Center For The Arts
August 17 - Apple Valley, MN - Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater
August 18 - Milwaukee, WI - Nothern Lights Theater
August 19 - Detroit, MI - Rockin' On The River / Renaissance Center
August 24 - Verona, NY - Turning Stone Casino
August 27 - Rama, ON - Casino Rama Entertainment Centre
December 1-5 - Miami, FL - Rock Legends Cruise / ZZ Top
Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer - George Thorogood

George Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is a blues rock vocalist/guitarist from Wilmington, Delaware known for his hit song "Bad to the Bone" as well as for covers of blues standards such as Hank Williams' "Move It On Over" and John Lee Hooker's "House Rent Boogie/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer". Another favorite is a cover of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?". George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers have released 16 studio albums, including two that were certified Platinum and six that have been certified Gold. The band has sold 15 million albums worldwide. The band is credited with the early success of Rounder Records.

Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE