Jerry McGeorge
Encyclopedia
Jerry McGeorge came to prominence in late 1965 as a guitarist
with the Chicago
rock
band The Shadows of Knight. He later joined acid rock
band H.P. Lovecraft on bass
in the summer of 1967, appearing on their debut album
, H. P. Lovecraft
.
in 1961. His early guitar influences included Scotty Moore
, James Burton
, Chet Atkins
, Charlie Byrd
, Les Paul
, and the Brazilian Bossa Nova
artist, Laurindo Almeida
. The folk music revival
of the early '60s was also influential, but, like many young Americans at the time he became most heavily influenced by the first Beatles-led British Invasion
. Particular favorites at the time were The Rolling Stones
and the original Byrds.
McGeorge was quoted in the 1980s: "My parents were adamantly against my listening to rock & roll
at home, so, from the time I was about eleven years old I'd sneak a small transistor radio
and an earpiece under my pillow at night. I'd tune in radio as diverse as the nearby Chicago
Jazz
& R&B
stations to WSM
in Nashville and the "Grand Ole Opry
". I've always felt that the negative pressure from my parents made me even more determined to love this music. Their over-protective upbringing was a complete failure: Within five years I was not only a touring rock musician, I was helping throw TV sets
out of hotel windows."
He found his initial footing playing high school dances with a small local band from Northwest Indiana, The Mystics. He subsequently played with the group, The Blackstones
, with Jeff Boyan (aka Geoff Bryan). Boyan would later lead Chicago's Saturday's Children
, and, in an odd twist of fate, replaced McGeorge on bass with H.P. Lovecraft in Spring 1968, appearing on their second album, H. P. Lovecraft II
.
, The Beau Brummels
and Herman's Hermits
. The band developed a significant following and, as a result, was invited to play at The Cellar
a teen dance club in Arlington Heights, Illinois
, home of house band The Shadows of Knight. There the Blackstones became a sensation, with McGeorge's guitar and vocal skills a major factor in their success. The Blackstones disintegrated in Fall 1965 after two members, bassist Tom Osborne and drummer David Blanchard, were drafted
into the US Army
.
Attempts to replace them were unsuccessful and McGeorge became interested in the sudden opening in the Shadows of Knight created by the loss of rhythm guitarist, Norm Gotsch, who was also drafted into the U.S. military. The Shadows of Knight's Joe Kelley gauged McGeorge's interest in joining the band and he made the difficult decision to part company with friend Boyan to accept The Shadows' offer. McGeorge's influence on the Shadows of Knight, and theirs upon him, were enormous. His high energy level, showmanship and inventive secondary role play behind the often brilliant guitar work of Joe Kelley
, intertwined with drummer Tom Shiffour's riffing, helped give the band its signature sound. McGeorge's insistence the band not stray from its unique sound resulted in the ground-breaking live studio recording
techniques employed in production of the band's late 1966 classic "I'm Gonna Make You Mine".
As the Shadows of Knight's short-lived run through 1966 and mid-1967 came to an end, McGeorge accepted a surprising invitation from H.P. Lovecraft's leader, George Edwards (aka Ethan Kenning
), to join that band on bass. With another difficult career decision behind him, McGeorge made the transition to not only a new group and a new genre
, but to a new instrument as well. With only a few days to learn his new band's songs and bass lines
, he appeared on their notable first album of the same name. McGeorge again succeeded in adding a unique dimension to this somewhat quirky band and its thematic repertoire.
After a short time, however, McGeorge confided to friends that the role proved not to be to his liking, and that he and the band were not a good fit. Financial pressures mounted due to the band's poor earning power, and he became increasingly at odds with Edwards, who in early 1968, along with the band's manager, the eccentric former Dunwich Records co-founder George Badonski, decided to replace him with Boyan. In January 1968 friend David "Hawk" Wolinski
confided that H.P. Lovecraft had been auditioning bass players. McGeorge confronted the band, who denied the rumors. He immediately made plans to resign and remain in Chicago, rather than undertake the band's planned relocation to Marin County, California
. However, these arrangements came undone and he was forced to agree to the ill-considered move. He would state in an April, 1968 interview with the Chicago Tribune
that he had only agreed to the California move because he had no other means of making a living.
It soon became apparent that he had been retained short-term simply to ensure the band could fulfill numerous California contractual obligations, among them a notable March 1968 appearance at the Fillmore Auditorium
with Traffic
. Ironically, recordings of those performances reveal McGeorge the artist at his absolute best.
His firing was very callously handled. McGeorge, feeling deceived and humiliated by this experience, suffered a crisis of confidence, becoming what he later described as "seriously withdrawn." He returned home to his native Indiana and began a long period of rehabilitation, which included a rigorous daily regimen of guitar study. Inspired by the talents of classically trained David Miotke of H.P. Lovecraft, for several years he stepped away from the popular music scene to turn to the formal study of music and the guitar. In 1969, he studied jazz guitar
at Boston
's Berklee School of Music
. In 1972, with his guitar skills well honed, he moved to the Southwest
and began playing country music
full time, long a personal favorite genre. In 1978, he finished his formal music education, graduating with honors from the prestigious jazz program at the University of North Texas
.
McGeorge's broad range of studies made him equally at home with rock, country, electric blues
, jazz & classical guitar
. As a result, he became a highly-sought session musician
. Throughout the 1970s, he performed on numerous radio & television commercials, as well as performing and recording with a series of prominent country artists, including Waylon Jennings
, Lawanda Lindsey
, Johnny Bush
, and Bucky Allred.
. He ultimately rose to executive positions with Volkswagen of America
, Ford Motor Company
's Jaguar Cars Division, and GeoNav Group International. At GeoNav Group he worked with famed GIS expert, Joey Grzyb.
In 1999 he made a surprise appearance in Arlington Heights, Illinois
at a reunion of bands and fans of The Cellar
teen dance club
, at which the Blackstones, Shadows of Knight and H.P. Lovecraft had performed in the 1960s. Teamed up again with original Shadows of Knight bandmate, legendary Chicago blues guitarist Joe Kelley, the pair stole the show with a rollicking set of improvised electric blues. McGeorge's latter day guitar work can be found on the obscure "Steve Vallence & The Dividers" CD of the same year. McGeorge retired
in 2000 to rural Southwest Colorado
.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
with the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Shadows of Knight. He later joined acid rock
Acid rock
Acid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream,...
band H.P. Lovecraft on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
in the summer of 1967, appearing on their debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft (album)
H. P. Lovecraft is the debut album by the American psychedelic rock band H. P. Lovecraft and was released in October 1967 by Philips Records. It blended psychedelic and folk rock influences and was marked by the haunting, eerie ambiance of the band's music, which itself was often inspired by the...
.
Early life
McGeorge began playing guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
in 1961. His early guitar influences included Scotty Moore
Scotty Moore
Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III is an American guitarist. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis' Hollywood years...
, James Burton
James Burton
James Burton is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 , Burton has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...
, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, Charlie Byrd
Charlie Byrd
Charlie Lee Byrd was a famous and versatile American guitarist born in Suffolk, Virginia. His earliest and strongest musical influence was Django Reinhardt, the famous gypsy guitarist. Byrd became the American guitarist who best understood and played Brazilian music, especially the Bossa Nova genre...
, Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
, and the Brazilian Bossa Nova
Bossa Nova
Bossa Nova may refer to:*Bossa nova, a style of music*Bossa Nova , a dance form associated with the music*Bossa Nova , a 2000 film*Bossa Nova - album by John Pizzarelli...
artist, Laurindo Almeida
Laurindo Almeida
Laurindo Almeida was a Brazilian virtuoso guitaristand composer who made many recordings of enduring impact in classical, jazz and Latin genres...
. The folk music revival
Roots revival
A roots revival is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly-composed songs with socially and politically aware lyrics, as well as a general modernization of the folk sound.After an...
of the early '60s was also influential, but, like many young Americans at the time he became most heavily influenced by the first Beatles-led British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
. Particular favorites at the time were The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
and the original Byrds.
McGeorge was quoted in the 1980s: "My parents were adamantly against my listening to rock & roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
at home, so, from the time I was about eleven years old I'd sneak a small transistor radio
Transistor radio
A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver using transistor-based circuitry. Following their development in 1954 they became the most popular electronic communication device in history, with billions manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s...
and an earpiece under my pillow at night. I'd tune in radio as diverse as the nearby Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
& R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
stations to WSM
WSM (AM)
WSM is the callsign of a 50,000 watt AM radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee. Operating at 650 kHz, its clear channel signal can reach much of North America and various countries, especially late at night...
in Nashville and the "Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
". I've always felt that the negative pressure from my parents made me even more determined to love this music. Their over-protective upbringing was a complete failure: Within five years I was not only a touring rock musician, I was helping throw TV sets
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
out of hotel windows."
He found his initial footing playing high school dances with a small local band from Northwest Indiana, The Mystics. He subsequently played with the group, The Blackstones
The Blackstones
The Blackstones are a United Kingdom-based reggae vocal trio formed in 1974, in the tradition of the Jamaican harmony-trio.The Blackstones comprised the brothers Leon, Byron, and Neville Leiffer. One of the group's early singles, "We Nah Go Suffer", was released on the Daddy Kool and topped the...
, with Jeff Boyan (aka Geoff Bryan). Boyan would later lead Chicago's Saturday's Children
Saturday's Children
Saturday's Children is a 1940 American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring John Garfield, Anne Shirley, and Claude Rains. It is a third-time remake of the original Maxwell Anderson play.-Plot:...
, and, in an odd twist of fate, replaced McGeorge on bass with H.P. Lovecraft in Spring 1968, appearing on their second album, H. P. Lovecraft II
H. P. Lovecraft II
H. P. Lovecraft II is the second album by the American psychedelic rock band H. P. Lovecraft and was released in September 1968 on Philips Records. As with their debut LP, the album again saw the band blending psychedelic and folk rock influences, albeit with a greater emphasis on psychedelia than...
.
Career
The Blackstones were a Beatles-influenced quartet who performed and recorded many original compositions penned by Boyan, with McGeorge as collaborator. The Blackstones performed with a number of high profile rock acts during 1965, including The ByrdsThe Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, The Beau Brummels
The Beau Brummels
The Beau Brummels were an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino , Ron Elliott , Ron Meagher , Declan Mulligan , and John Petersen...
and Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
. The band developed a significant following and, as a result, was invited to play at The Cellar
The Cellar (teen dance club)
Located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, The Cellar teen dance club provided live musical entertainment in the 1960s. Founded in 1964 by Paul Sampson , this music venue primarily featured Rock and Roll music acts, although some Blues acts performed as well. Original location is uncertain...
a teen dance club in Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 25 miles northwest of the city's downtown. The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census....
, home of house band The Shadows of Knight. There the Blackstones became a sensation, with McGeorge's guitar and vocal skills a major factor in their success. The Blackstones disintegrated in Fall 1965 after two members, bassist Tom Osborne and drummer David Blanchard, were drafted
Conscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
into the US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
Attempts to replace them were unsuccessful and McGeorge became interested in the sudden opening in the Shadows of Knight created by the loss of rhythm guitarist, Norm Gotsch, who was also drafted into the U.S. military. The Shadows of Knight's Joe Kelley gauged McGeorge's interest in joining the band and he made the difficult decision to part company with friend Boyan to accept The Shadows' offer. McGeorge's influence on the Shadows of Knight, and theirs upon him, were enormous. His high energy level, showmanship and inventive secondary role play behind the often brilliant guitar work of Joe Kelley
Joe Kelley
Joseph James Kelley was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who starred in the outfield of the powerful Baltimore Oriole teams of the 1890s.-Career:...
, intertwined with drummer Tom Shiffour's riffing, helped give the band its signature sound. McGeorge's insistence the band not stray from its unique sound resulted in the ground-breaking live studio recording
Studio recording
The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.-Studio cast recordings:...
techniques employed in production of the band's late 1966 classic "I'm Gonna Make You Mine".
As the Shadows of Knight's short-lived run through 1966 and mid-1967 came to an end, McGeorge accepted a surprising invitation from H.P. Lovecraft's leader, George Edwards (aka Ethan Kenning
Ethan Kenning
Charles Ethan Kenning is an American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed as George Edwards when he led 1960s acid-rock band, H. P. Lovecraft...
), to join that band on bass. With another difficult career decision behind him, McGeorge made the transition to not only a new group and a new genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
, but to a new instrument as well. With only a few days to learn his new band's songs and bass lines
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
, he appeared on their notable first album of the same name. McGeorge again succeeded in adding a unique dimension to this somewhat quirky band and its thematic repertoire.
After a short time, however, McGeorge confided to friends that the role proved not to be to his liking, and that he and the band were not a good fit. Financial pressures mounted due to the band's poor earning power, and he became increasingly at odds with Edwards, who in early 1968, along with the band's manager, the eccentric former Dunwich Records co-founder George Badonski, decided to replace him with Boyan. In January 1968 friend David "Hawk" Wolinski
Hawk Wolinski
David J. "Hawk" Wolinski is an American keyboardist, songwriter and record producer probably best known for his work with the funk band Rufus and their lead singer Chaka Khan....
confided that H.P. Lovecraft had been auditioning bass players. McGeorge confronted the band, who denied the rumors. He immediately made plans to resign and remain in Chicago, rather than undertake the band's planned relocation to Marin County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. However, these arrangements came undone and he was forced to agree to the ill-considered move. He would state in an April, 1968 interview with the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
that he had only agreed to the California move because he had no other means of making a living.
It soon became apparent that he had been retained short-term simply to ensure the band could fulfill numerous California contractual obligations, among them a notable March 1968 appearance at the Fillmore Auditorium
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
with Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
. Ironically, recordings of those performances reveal McGeorge the artist at his absolute best.
His firing was very callously handled. McGeorge, feeling deceived and humiliated by this experience, suffered a crisis of confidence, becoming what he later described as "seriously withdrawn." He returned home to his native Indiana and began a long period of rehabilitation, which included a rigorous daily regimen of guitar study. Inspired by the talents of classically trained David Miotke of H.P. Lovecraft, for several years he stepped away from the popular music scene to turn to the formal study of music and the guitar. In 1969, he studied jazz guitar
Jazz guitar
The term jazz guitar may refer to either a type of guitar or to the variety of guitar playing styles used in the various genres which are commonly termed "jazz"...
at Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's Berklee School of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
. In 1972, with his guitar skills well honed, he moved to the Southwest
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
and began playing country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
full time, long a personal favorite genre. In 1978, he finished his formal music education, graduating with honors from the prestigious jazz program at the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
.
McGeorge's broad range of studies made him equally at home with rock, country, electric blues
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
, jazz & classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
. As a result, he became a highly-sought session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. Throughout the 1970s, he performed on numerous radio & television commercials, as well as performing and recording with a series of prominent country artists, including Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, Lawanda Lindsey
Lawanda Lindsey
LaWanda Lindsey is a country music singer. She began her career at age 14 and had her first nationally charted record at age 16 with "Partly Bill". She was one of several quite young artists recording country music for Chart Records during this period...
, Johnny Bush
Johnny Bush
Johnny Bush, born February 17, 1935 as John Bush Shinn III in Houston, Texas, is a country music singer, songwriter, and drummer. Bush, nicknamed the "Country Caruso," is best-known for his distinctive voice and as the writer of "Whiskey River," a top-ten hit for himself and Willie Nelson's...
, and Bucky Allred.
Later career
In the late 1970s concerns over an accelerating hearing loss and disenchantment with the musician's lifestyle caused McGeorge to abandon his music career and enter the auto industryAutomotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
. He ultimately rose to executive positions with Volkswagen of America
Volkswagen of America
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. , is the North American operational headquarters, and subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group of automobile companies of Germany. VWoA is responsible for five marques: Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Volkswagen cars. It also controls VW Credit, Inc...
, Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
's Jaguar Cars Division, and GeoNav Group International. At GeoNav Group he worked with famed GIS expert, Joey Grzyb.
In 1999 he made a surprise appearance in Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 25 miles northwest of the city's downtown. The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census....
at a reunion of bands and fans of The Cellar
The Cellar (teen dance club)
Located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, The Cellar teen dance club provided live musical entertainment in the 1960s. Founded in 1964 by Paul Sampson , this music venue primarily featured Rock and Roll music acts, although some Blues acts performed as well. Original location is uncertain...
teen dance club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, at which the Blackstones, Shadows of Knight and H.P. Lovecraft had performed in the 1960s. Teamed up again with original Shadows of Knight bandmate, legendary Chicago blues guitarist Joe Kelley, the pair stole the show with a rollicking set of improvised electric blues. McGeorge's latter day guitar work can be found on the obscure "Steve Vallence & The Dividers" CD of the same year. McGeorge retired
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
in 2000 to rural Southwest Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.