Gear Jammer
1985 single by George Thorogood & The Destroyers
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"Gear Jammer" is a rock song by American blues rock band George Thorogood and the Destroyers, released on their 1985 album Maverick by EMI America Records.[1] It was written by George Thorogood.[2] The song is often considered one of their best, and is often played live.
| "Gear Jammer" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by George Thorogood & The Destroyers | ||||
| from the album Maverick | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:33 | |||
| Label | EMI America | |||
| Songwriter | George Thorogood | |||
| Producer | Terry Manning | |||
| George Thorogood & The Destroyers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Lyric Video | ||||
| "Gear Jammer Lyric Video" on YouTube | ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Gear Jammer Audio" on YouTube | ||||
Writing and recording
Gear Jammer started out as an instrumental jam session, both Terry Manning[3] and the Destroyers liked the song, so Thorogood came up with the lyrics for it.[4] Thorogood later said that "Gear jammer is a slang term for a trucker, and it had a kind of cool vibe about it. I started putting some words together in my head, and I came up with the riff at the start."[5]
Thorogood said the title "Gear Jammer" came from a Johnny Cash song.[4]
Release
Gear Jammer was released as the lead single from their sixth studio album Maverick,[6] as a 12-inch single.[7] The song debuted at No. 46,[8] and peaked at No. 26 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[9][10] The song was included on several live and compilation albums.[11]
Critical reception
Personnel
- George Thorogood – vocals, guitar
- Billy Blough – bass guitar
- Jeff Simon – drums
- Hank Carter – saxophone
Chart performance
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks[9] | 26 |