''2120 South Michigan Ave.'' is the fifteenth studio album by

George Thorogood and the Destroyers George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s US rock radio, with hits like his original songs " Bad to the Bone" and " I Drink ...

. It was released on June 12, 2011 by the label

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. The album peaked at No. 2 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Top Blues Albums chart. The title refers to the address of the offices and recording studios of

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock an ...

in Chicago. The album itself is a tribute to Chess Records.

Background

Recording of this album started sometime in 2011, Capitol Records approached Thorogood with the idea for the album and selected most of the songs.

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...

and

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American blues harmonica player and bandleader who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal figure in helping to revive the Chicago ...

perform on the album, although their work was added after primary recording was complete. The album was produced by

Tom Hambridge Thomas Jay Hambridge (born December 20, 1960) is an American rock, country, and blues, producer, songwriter, musician drummer and vocalist. Hambridge has received two Grammy Awards, an ASCAP award, seven Grammy nominations, seven Boston Music A ...

Release and content

released ''2120 South Michigan Ave.'' on June 12, 2011. The album peaked at No. 2 on the ''

'' Top Blues Album chart. "Going Back" was the lead single from the album. The album contains ten covers of songs recorded on Chess Records by artists such as

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

, and

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

; plus a cover of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' instrumental "

2120 South Michigan Avenue "2120 South Michigan Avenue" is an original instrumental by the Rolling Stones, recorded for their second EP ''Five by Five''. It was also released on their second US album ''12 X 5'' in 1964. Composer credit goes to Nanker Phelge, a title givin ...

" and two original songs about Chess Records artists.

Critical reception

''2120 South Michigan Ave.'' received positive reviews from critics.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote "George Thorogood & the Destroyers have never made their debt to Chess Records a secret, so an album-length tribute to the home of

Howlin’ Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...

, and

is a logical move for the rough and tumble blues-rockers." Daily Vault's Christopher Thelen says "''2120 South Michigan Avenue'' will be a treat to not only that fanbase, but to students of classic blues music – and, if the listener learns something while enjoying this disc, all the better." William Pinfold of

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine focussing on rare and collectable records, and the bands who recorded them. It was founded in September 1979 and distributes worldwide. It is promoted as "the world’s leading authority o ...

wrote "That said, from the slightly cheesy influence-referencing Going Back to the final Stones cover, it’s a wholly enjoyable album with heart and soul to spare. Blues artists have usually gotten better with age and it seems that George Thorogood is following that tradition."

Track listing

Personnel

The following personnel are credited on the album:

Delaware Destroyers

*George Thorogood – lead guitar, rhythm guitar and

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

, vocals *Bill Blough – bass *Buddy Leach – saxophones *Jeff Simon – drums *

Jim Suhler Jim Suhler (born December 30, 1960, in Dallas, Texas, United States) is an American Texas blues guitarist. Suhler has been playing professionally since the 1980s and has performed with a variety of blues musicians that include George Thorogood, ...

– rhythm and lead guitar

Additional musicians

– lead guitar (track 2) *

– drums, percussion,

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

*Tommy MacDonald – bass *

Kevin McKendree Kevin Yates McKendree (born April 27, 1969) is an American electric blues pianist, keyboardist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to having a lengthy and varied career as a session musician, McKendree has released two solo albums. Li ...

– piano,

Hammond B3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

– harmonica (tracks 10, 13) *Marla Thorogood – background vocals *Rio Thorogood – background vocals

Technical

*Tom Hambridge – producer *Mike Donahue – executive producer *Harry Gale –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

*Mike Tholen – engineer *Shawn Berman – engineer *Susan Lavoie – art direction *Mark Holley – design *Brian To – photography

References

{{Authority control George Thorogood and the Destroyers albums 2011 albums Capitol Records albums Albums produced by Tom Hambridge 2010s covers albums Boogie rock albums