George Thorogood once said, "The first moment I picked up a guitar, it felt so right that it almost scared me."

For the Wilmington, Del., teenager who piled music gear into his band's Chevy van in 1973 to play their first gig at a University of Delaware dorm, the thrilling journey of George Thorogood & The Destroyers is the stuff of rock 'n' roll legends.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers present a concert on St. Patrick's Day at 7:30 p.m. March 17, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown, as part of his "Badder Than Ever" tour.

The band's first self-titled album was released in 1976. The next disc in 1978 included a remake of Hank Williams' "Move It On Over" and Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love." In 1982, he released "Bad To The Bone."

The group embodies powerhouse rock with bar-band roots, an attitude and a fierce love of country, blues and R&B.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers has played 8,000 concerts, released 16 studio albums (including six RIAA-certified Gold and two Platinum discs), sold 15 million albums worldwide, covered tunes by Hank Williams, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker and created its own electrifying originals.

"I was there in its infancy," says Thorogood of the rock era. "I saw the Doors perform. I saw [Frank Zappa's band] The Mothers of Invention. I saw the Jimi Hendrix Experience live at the Electric Factory [in Philadelphia]."

Thorogood says Philadelphia and the region's music scene there in the late 1960s was very influential. Thorogood frequented Philadelphia often as a youngster and lived there in 1968.

Thorogood also has a fondness for the Lehigh Valley, recalling that he once performed at an Allentown roller rink in the 1980s.

"The acoustics were terrible. But the ticket prices were good and everyone had a great time," Thorogood says in a phone interview from Burlington, Vt., hours before the kick-off of the "Badder Than Ever" tour.

He has a penchant for Pennsylvania where 27 years ago, Thorogood and his Destroyers brought down a sold-out house at Bethlehem's Stabler Arena.

Thorogood's longtime bandmates, Jeff Simon, drums; Bill Blough, bass; Jim Suhler, rhythm guitar, and Buddy Leach, saxophone, bring an incredible catalog of classics that include "Who Do You Love?" "I Drink Alone," "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," "Move It On Over" and "Bad To The Bone."

"We'll be performing 65 dates this year," Thorogood says.

As for the barrage of snow and frigid weather that greeted the start of his tour in New England, Thorogood says, "Rock and roll knows no temperature."

The "Badder than Ever" tour stops in Harrisburg, Allentown and Wilkes-Barre, continues on to West Virginia and California before heading back east to join the legendary Brian Setzer and his Rockabilly Riot. The tour travels overseas in July to Germany, Holland and Norway.

"We haven't played together since 1988," says Thorogood. "But [Setzer and I] have been talking about doing it for years. We'll play the Beacon Theater in New York this spring."

When asked what Thorogood attributes his longevity to in the music business, he says, "I asked Chuck Berry the same thing once. This lifestyle isn't for everybody. That's why people stop doing it.

"Never underestimate the value of a good night's sleep. It's all about good health."

Thorogood says eating right and exercising are keys to handling the demands of the road. He notes that other musicians of his era do the same, adding, "Look at Mick [Jagger.]"

Thorogood's most recent album is "2120 South Michigan Avenue," released in 2011. Asked to compare time spent in the studio to touring, he says, "That's like asking if you're more excited to get an invitation to a party or to be at the party.

"When I step out onto that stage, that's what it's all about," Thorogood says. "It never gets old."

Tickets: Miller Symphony Hall Box Office, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown; allentownsymphony.org; 610-432-6715