ZZ Top is known for their distinctive sound, beards, hotrod cars, spinning guitars, and magic keychain, which have earned them a dedicated fan following across the globe. The band was formed in Houston in 1969, when Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Dusty Hill came together to create the band’s signature sound.
Over the past five decades, ZZ Top has performed before millions of fans across four continents, making them one of the most enduring and successful bands of all time. Their roots blues skew was intact but added to the mix were tech-age trappings that soon found a visual outlet with such tracks as “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs” on the nascent MTV. It was one of the music industry’s first albums to have been certified Diamond, reflecting US domestic sales exceeding 10 million units.
Despite the passing of Dusty Hill, the band’s line-up of the bearded Gibbons and Hill and Beard, who ironically is clean shaven, remained intact for more than 50 years. Elwood has since stepped in to handle the bass duties for the band now and into the future.
As genuine roots musicians, ZZ Top has few peers. Their influences are both the originators of the form – Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and others – as well as the British blues rockers and Jimi Hendrix who emerged the generation before ZZ’s ascendance.
ZZ Top is true rock icons who have sold hundreds of millions of records over the course of their career. They have been officially designated as Heroes of The State of Texas, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and have been referenced in countless cartoons and sitcoms. The elements that keep ZZ TOP fresh, enduring and above the transitory fray can be summed up in the three words of the band’s internal mantra: “Tone, Taste, and Tenacity.”
With their Raw Whisky Tour, ZZ Top continues to do what they’ve always done, abiding and entertaining fans with their signature sound, iconic visuals, and unparalleled stage presence.
Central Texas Reporter 