Half a Boy/Half a Man

For the song by Nick Lowe, see Half a Boy and Half a Man.

Half a Boy/Half a Man is the eleventh studio album by American blues rock band George Thorogood and the Destroyers.^[2][3] It was released on April 13, 1999, on the CMC International label.^[4][5] The album failed to chart in any capacity. The band supported the album with a world tour.^[6]

Half a Boy/Half a Man
Studio album by George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Released	April 13, 1999
Recorded	1999
Studio	Compass Point Studios
Genre	Blues rock, boogie rock
Length	43:08
Label	CMC International[1]
Producer	Terry Manning the Delaware Destroyers
George Thorogood and the Destroyers chronology
Rockin' My Life Away (1997) Half a Boy/Half a Man (1999) Ride 'Til I Die (2003)
Singles from Half a Boy/Half a Man
"I Don't Trust Nobody" Released: 1999 "Be Bop Grandma" Released: 1999

Background

In 1997, the Destroyers released Rockin' My Life Away,^[7] which failed to chart on the Billboard 200. The next year EMI America dropped them,^[8] so they signed with CMC International.^[6]

Content

The album consists of eleven songs, nine covers and two originals.

"I Don't Trust Nobody" is the album's opening track, written by Eddie Shaw, and also the lead single.^[9] "Double Shot" was written by Don Smith and Cyril Vetter. This song, and many others, feature Hank "Hurricane" Carter on keyboards, alongside saxophone. "Half a Boy, Half a Man" was written by Nick Lowe, while "Just Passin' Thru", and the album's closer, "Not Tonight", were both written by Thorogood.^[10] "Not Tonight" was written by Thorogood almost 15 years earlier, but no record company wanted to record it. The song is more of a slower country ballad, compared to the rest of the album.^[11]

Release

CMC International released Half a Boy/Half a Man on April 13, 1999.^[4][5][8] Two singles were released from the album, "I Don't Trust Nobody",^[9] debuted at No. 35,^[12] and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts.^[13][14] "Be Bop Grandma" was also released as a single,^[15] but it failed to chart. "I Don't Trust Nobody" was the band's final single to chart.^[16]

Critical reception

Half A Boy/Half A Man received mixed reviews from critics.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[17]
Daily Vault	A[18]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[19]

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "Unfortunately, the album isn't blessed with the strong material that characterized Rockin' My Life Away, but that album didn't have the raw, visceral edge that this album does. And when it comes to rockin' blues, sometimes it's better to have better sound than better songs."^[8] Daily Vault critic Christopher Thelen wrote "Half A Boy / Half A Man is an album that reaffirms Thorogood and the Destroyers' ability to work the blues into a frenzy that you hope will never stop. It's an album that must be experienced - but good luck getting it out of your CD player."^[10]

Track listing

Half a Boy/Half a Man track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Don't Trust Nobody"	Eddie Shaw	5:02
2.	"Double Shot"	Don Smith, Cyril Vetter	3:12
3.	"99 Days in Jail"	Willie Dixon, L. P. Weaver	3:53
4.	"Half a Boy, Half a Man"	Nick Lowe	3:27
5.	"As Long as I Have You"	Willie Dixon	4:04
6.	"B.I.G.T.I.M.E."	Keith Sykes	3:07
7.	"Be Bop Grandma"	Solomon Burke, Delores Burke	3:58
8.	"Nothing New"	Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino, Jack Jessup, Murphy Maddux	3:24
9.	"Just Passin' Thru"	George Thorogood	4:43
10.	"Hellbound Train (Downbound Train)"	Chuck Berry	4:56
11.	"Not Tonight, I Have a Heartache"	George Thorogood	4:43
Total length:			43:08

Personnel

The following personnel were credited in the album liner notes:

Musicians

• George Thorogood – vocals, rhythm guitar, slide guitar
• Billy Blough – bass guitar
• Hank Carter – saxophone, keyboards, lead guitar, vocals
• Jeff Simon – drums and percussion

Technical

• Terry Manning – producer, engineer, mixing
• The Delaware Destroyers – producers
• C. J. Buscaglia, Osie Bowe – assistant engineers
• Ted Jensen – mastering
• Mark Weiss – photography