– IN MEMORY OF CRAIG MACGREGOR –
Craig “Thunderfingers” MacGregor 09/13/49-02/09/18
We sadly lost our brother, friend and Foghat member Craig MacGregor, who passed away on February 9th, 2018. Craig was an integral part of the Foghat family and we will always honor, remember and carry his spirit with us each night out on that stage. Rest easy, Mac. We miss you, brother.
– Love your Foghat Family
“The greatest thing is you walk out there, you don’t know, somebody in that audience could have had a really bad day, something really major could have happened to them that wasn’t good, but they are there at the show. Our responsibility, to me, is we need to give them an hour and a half of a lot of fun and take away whatever problems they have and really just give them a good time. There’s so much going on with everybody, you know? And I really think about that a lot. You look out there and you go, I really hope some people out there are enjoying this. I hope we are helping somebody. That means a lot to me, it really does.”- Craig “Thunderfingers” MacGregor
Foghat: 1975 -1992, 2005-2018
Birthday: September 13th
Band Affiliations:
– Swan
– Randy & the Radiants (Memphis Stax Musicians)
– Kneetremblers
– Nosmo King
– Buck Darhma
– Davis/MacGregor
– Foghat
– Various Projects
Background:
“I guess I started playing music when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I began with piano, tried trumpet and then moved on to drums. I stuck with that for about three years, but I wanted to be out front, so I took up the bass. It was the best of both worlds. I played in some local Connecticut bands that did pretty well. One in particular, Swan, turned out some great players. Like Bobbi Torrello and Joe Kelly who went on to play with Johnny Winter and Ike and Tina Turner. We toured the country and had a great time. Then in ’75 I joined up with Foghat and I’ve been rockin on and off with them since then. Playing in a great rhythm section just can’t be beat, because you gotta capture the groove, or nothing else counts. Over the course of the last 30 years, I have achieved a wide range of styles and capabilities. I’ve been fortunate enough to work fairly extensively with some of the world’s best players covering a range of styles including blues, rock, country and R&B.”
“Today, I live in the greater Philadelphia area with my wife. I have a 22 year old son who is currently enrolled in college majoring in Film and Film Editing. I had the time of my life mentoring my son’s middle school rock band, Comic Book Heroes from 2005 until 2011 when they went their own separate ways. When I’m not out with Foghat, I go out and play with some great local musicians. “
Musical Influences:
James Jameson, Barry Oakley, Larry Graham and Willie Dixon “I place a strong emphasis on capturing the right groove for whatever type of tune I’m playing. You’ve got to lay the road down before you can drive on it.”
Performance Experience:
Significant live performance experience, averaging 150- 200 shows per year in venues ranging in size from nightclubs to stadiums.
– Performed live with Foghat for MTV’s first full-length concert video.
– Recorded well known live broadcasts, such as “Live from the Chicago Amphitheater” and “The King Biscuit Flower Hour.”
– Opened and closed shows with everyone from Aerosmith to ZZ Top.
– Featured in numerous videos and live and recorded television broadcasts and special events.
Played with:
Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Elvin Bishop, Johnny Winter, Leslie West, Rick Derringer and The Memphis Stax Musicians, to name a few.
Toured with:
Aerosmith, Beach Boys, Blue Oyster Cult, BTO, Heart, J. Geils Band, Journey, Kansas, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, Ted Nugent, Outlaws, Joe Perry Project, Queen, REO Speedwagon, Rush, Bob Seger, Styx, Sweet, Van Halen, Johnny Winter, Whitford St. Holmes, ZZ Top, and many more.
Craig MacGregors Discography:
Night Shift 1976
LIVE 1977
Stone Blue 1978
Boogie Motel 1979
Tight Shoes 1980
Girls to Chat 1981
Buck Dharma 1982
Best of Vol1 1991
Best of Vol2 1992
King Biscuit 1999
Decades Live 2003
NOT Live at the BBC 2007
LIVE II 2007
Under the Influence 2016
“Ill never forget it…. I can close my eyes and I can see it, on the stage, the lights… I can see the whole nine yards….”- Craig MacGregor (When asked about his first moments on stage with Foghat by Jeb Wright)