Writer: George Thorogood
Producers: Terry Manning and the Delaware Destroyers
Recorded: Late 1984 at Dimension Sound in Boston
Released: Early 1985
| Players: | George Thorogood — vocals, guitar Bill Blough — bass Hank Carter — sax Jeff Simon — drums |
| Album: | Maverick (Rounder)) |
“I Drink Alone” is one in a series of George Thorogood drinking songs, along with “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” and “If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave).”
The song's defining characteristic is that Thorogood assigns human roles to famous liquor brands such as Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker (black and red), and Old Grandad Whiskey.
Though never a charting single, “I Drink Alone” is a fan favorite and one of Thorogood's most frequently played songs on radio.
Thorogood has described his meat-and-potatoes approach this way: “I can understand someone writing about John Lee Hooker, James Brown, or the Beatles — people who've made an incredible impact on rock history. But the Destroyers? We're like a burger joint… Then again, there's nothing wrong with selling cheeseburgers, as long as they're quality cheeseburgers. And that's the way I like to think of us.”
The Maverick album peaked at Number 32 on the Billboard 200, sharing honors as his highest charting effort along with 1988's Born To Be Bad — although Maverick stayed on the chart nearly twice as long. Both were certified gold.
Thorogood's only platinum records are Live, which was released in 1986, and The Baddest Of George Thorogood & the Destroyers compilation, which came out in 1992.
