By Craig Horleman

SELBYVILLE — George Thorogood has no direct ties to Delaware anymore.

There are no close family members living in his home state.

But he does have memories.

Boy, does he.

“I saw The J. Geils Band play at the Wilmington Armory in 1972,” the legendary blues rocker recalled last week during a phone interview from Los Angeles.

“One time, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins both played at Brandywine Raceway (in Wilmington). That was a big deal because that was right down the road from where I grew up. I remember my mother and my sisters went to see that concert.

“One of the greatest rock shows I ever saw — I think it was about 1974 — was at the Stone Balloon (in Newark). We saw Chubby Checker, and he was dynamite. He really blew the place apart.”

Mr. Thorogood will make some musical memories of his own this summer, as he visits Selbyville’s Freeman Arts Pavilion with the Destroyers for a sold-out show June 22.

The concert is part of his 50th-anniversary “Bad All Over the World” tour. In those five storied decades, Mr. Thorogood has recorded 16 studio albums, with six going gold and six platinum; covered songs by the likes of Hank Williams, Bo Diddley and John Lee Hooker; and busted out his own hits, including “Bad to the Bone” and “I Drink Alone.”

“We played all over (Delaware), and I wound up in one band or another before the Destroyers were formed. So, I know a little bit about Delaware history. And there are all these different places where George Washington slept. Where didn’t this guy sleep?” he joked.

When reminded that his gig in Selbyville is a little west of the beach area, another remembrance sprang to mind for the 1968 graduate of Brandywine High School.

“I played on Labor Day weekend in Rehoboth Beach with a band, and playing volleyball on the beach was Lyndon Johnson’s daughter, (Lynda Bird Johnson), and her boyfriend, the actor George Hamilton,” Mr. Thorogood recalled.

“This was 1967, and I was still in high school. It was a big deal. The Washington Post came and took our picture. That was our biggest claim to fame back then.”

Growing up in the First State, there is one recollection that isn’t so bright for him.

“One of the things that Delaware was famous for that was really kind of sad was, during the Vietnam War, (Dover Air Force Base) was where they shipped home the bodies from Vietnam. People were being killed, and it was on the news every day,” said the 74-year-old Mr. Thorogood.

“Some poor guy would be there, and his family would meet him. It would be on TV, and it was shown all over the world. Oh, my goodness. I used to think, ‘This is what Delaware’s going to get famous for?’ That was pretty sad.”

The war was still raging when George Thorogood and the Destroyers made an official debut Dec. 1, 1973, at Lane Hall on the University of Delaware campus.

“That was our first gig. What goes around comes around. It’s how things work out sometimes,” he said.

“In those days, as a band, there were places to play, but they were more or less (for) fraternity bands or cover bands, things like that. There wasn’t much a scene for us to play in Delaware. But Delaware has come a long way since then. There are major concerts there now. So, that’s very exciting.”

After having this past winter off, Mr. Thorogood will kick off his latest tour April 5 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He said he’s ready to hit the road again.

“Sometimes, you get a little apprehensive when you’ve been off for a while. But, once you get out there, and you get your feet wet and start rocking and rolling, it all starts to fall into place. So, yeah, just the idea that we’re still in demand. That’s a thrill in itself after all these years,” said Mr. Thorogood, who last performed in Delaware during the 2016 state fair in Harrington.

“People still want us. That’s something in itself to look forward to. I’m a guy that people still want to hire and people still want to come out and see. That’s a thrill-and-a-half right there. But to keep going and going and going, it’s kind of hard to believe I’m still here.”

So, why does he think he’s lasted all these years?

“I guess eating your vegetables, getting a lot of rest and taking your vitamins. That might have something to do with it,” he said plainly.

Plus, with experience comes wisdom.

“As you get older, you appreciate everything more. I don’t take things for granted. You appreciate just being alive, let alone being able to play the guitar and get work doing it,” he said. “You look at the Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are going to play this summer. They’re 80 years old. That’s how they must feel, too.”

Other Freeman shows

Mr. Thorogood joins Cole Swindell, Joe Bonamassa and EagleMania with sold-out shows at the Freeman Arts Pavilion this summer.

But plenty of other performances have been announced, with more on the way.

A limited amount of tickets still remain for Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls on Aug. 27; and Almost Queen: A Tribute to Queen on June 21.

Monday brought another slate of shows, including REO Speedwagon on July 29; Grace Potter on Aug. 7; Alabama on Aug. 8; Gin Blossoms and Toad the Wet Sprocket (with special guest Vertical Horizon) on Aug. 22; and Little Feat on Aug. 30.

Other shows announced Monday were Locals Under the Lights on June 7; The 19th Street Band on June 14; the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra on June 15; Elevate Vocal Arts presenting “Afro Beats” on June 19; the Back to the Eighties Show with Jessie’s Girl on June 29; Face 2 Face: Tribute to Elton John & Billy Joel on July 3; Lee Brice on July 6; ¡Movimiento!, a night of Latin rhythms with 123 Andrés, on July 13; Leslie Odom Jr. on July 19; Yächtley Crëw on July 20; Tartan Terrors on July 26; The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA on Aug. 9; the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on Aug. 10; the Arts & Jazz Festival on Aug. 14; Go Go Gadjet on Aug. 21; the First State Ballet Theatre on Aug. 29; the Changes in Latitudes Jimmy Buffett tribute show on Aug. 31; and the Bruce in the USA tribute show for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Sept. 6.

Tickets go on sale Thursday for some shows and Friday for others, at freemanarts.org. Patrons should check the site for exact sale times.

Previously announced shows with tickets still available include Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight on June 6; Michael Franti & Spearhead (with special guests Trevor Hall and Bombargo) on June 26; UB40 on July 7; Justin Hayward and Christopher Cross on July 10; and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue on July 15.

The outdoor venue — a program of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, a fundraising arts nonprofit — is presenting its 17th season in 2024, with a mix of dance, theater, children’s performances and live music.