After nearly four decades, George Thorogood continues rocking the old-school blues in his own way.

George Thorogood has earned two platinum records, six gold records and sold more than 15 million records worldwide, and he’s done it mostly by performing tunes penned by other musicians – though he does have several originals including the mega-hit “Bad to the Bone.” At this point in his career, he has the whole thing down to a science.

“You don’t see Clint Eastwood doing Shakespeare or Woody Allen doing westerns,” Thorogood says. “I make sure [the songs] are something the fans are gonna dig and I’m always selecting material that’s 100 percent for entertainment purposes, not for making personal statements. Pleasure I share with the world. Pain I keep to myself.”

Whether it’s John Lee Hooker’s dark-humored, hardknock tale “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” or Bo Diddley’s rockabilly anthem “Who Do You Love?,” Thorogood consistently plucks classics from dust clouds of obscurity and reintroduces them as reimagined, unforgettable sing-a-longs.

“Let’s face it, there’s plenty of people who can sing better than me and a lot of better guitarists and a couple of better bands, but if we have an expertise, it’s choosing the right material,” he says. “Songs like ‘Movin On Over’ and ‘One Bourbon, One Scotch’ made me famous. I didn’t make the songs famous.”

Thorogood was Capitol Records’ obvious go-to guy for an album paying homage to Chess Records and the songs of the legendary bluesmen on the label.

“I wanted to make an album like Sgt. Pepper or Revolver but [Capitol] talked me out of it,” Thorogood says.

On George Thorogood and The Destroyers’ 16th studio album 2120 South Michigan Ave. (the original Chess Records address) released in 2011 – featuring guest spots from Buddy Guy and Charlie Musselwhite – he imprints trademark leather croons and weighty guitar licks on tunes like Willie Dixon’s “Seventh Son” and McKinley Morganfield’s “Two Trains Running.”

After nearly 40 years, the 63-year-old believes the secret to his longevity is “embracing the value of a good night sleep.” The continuous success may also be due to the fact the band’s music has been playing on the radio continuously since 1977 and their consistently high-energy live shows.

“If you want to feel lousy go see someone else,” Thorogood says. “If I can rock hard and be funny at the same time, I’m going to make a living at this.”

GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS and RED BEANS & RICE perform at 7:45pm, Friday, Sept. 13, at the Fox Theater, 241 Main St., Salinas. $37. 758-8459.

:~ Hear More Here ~:

• www.georgethorogood.com/
• /www.redbeans.com/