ZZ Top

ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound based on Gibbons' blues guitar style and Hill and Beard's rhythm section. They are popular for their live performances, sly and humorous lyrics, and the matching appearances of Gibbons and Hill, who wore sunglasses, hats and long beards.

ZZ Top formed after the demise of Moving Sidewalks, Gibbons' previous band, in 1969. Within a year, they signed with London Records and released '' ZZ Top's First Album'' (1971). Subsequent releases, such as '' Tres Hombres'' (1973) and ''Fandango!'' (1975), and the singles " La Grange" and " Tush", gained extensive radio airplay. By the mid-1970s, ZZ Top had become renowned in North America for its live act, including the Worldwide Texas Tour (1976— 1977), which was a critical and commercial success.

After a hiatus, ZZ Top returned in 1979 with a new musical direction and image, with Gibbons and Hill wearing sunglasses and matching chest-length beards. With the album ''El Loco'' (1981), they began to experiment with synthesizers and drum machines. They established a more mainstream sound and gained international success with '' Eliminator'' (1983) and ''Afterburner'' (1985), which integrated influences from new wave, punk, and dance-rock. The popularity of these albums' music videos, including those for "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and " Legs", gave them mass exposure on television channel MTV and made them prominent artists in 1980s pop culture. The ''Afterburner'' tour set records for the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour of 1986.

After gaining additional acclaim with the release of their tenth album '' Recycler'' (1990), and its accompanying tour, the group's experimentation continued with mixed success on the albums '' Antenna'' (1994), '' Rhythmeen'' (1996), '' XXX'' (1999), and ''Mescalero'' (2003). They most recently released ''La Futura'' (2012) and ''Goin' 50'' (2019), a compilation album commemorating the band's 50th anniversary. By the time of Hill's death in 2021, ZZ Top had become the longest-running band with an unchanged lineup in the history of popular music. Per Hill's wishes, he was replaced by their longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis on bass.

ZZ Top has released 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million albums worldwide. They have won three MTV Video Music Awards, and in 2004, the members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2015, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Gibbons the 32nd greatest guitarist of all time. The band members have supported campaigns and charities including Childline, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and a fundraiser for the Delta Blues Museum.

History

Early years (1969–1972)

The original line-up was formed in Houston and consisted of Gibbons, bassist/organist Lanier Greig, and drummer Dan Mitchell. The name of the band was Gibbons' idea. The band had a small apartment covered with concert posters and he noticed that many performers' names used initials. Gibbons particularly noticed B.B. King and Z. Z. Hill and thought of combining the two into "ZZ King", but considered it too similar to the original name. He then figured that "king is at the top" which gave him the idea of naming the band "ZZ Top".

ZZ Top was managed by Bill Ham, a Waxahachie, Texas, native who had befriended Gibbons a year earlier. They released their first single, "Salt Lick", in 1969, and the B-side contained the song "Miller's Farm". Both songs credited Gibbons as the composer. Immediately after the recording of "Salt Lick", Greig was replaced by bassist Billy Ethridge, a bandmate of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Mitchell was replaced by Frank Beard of American Blues. Due to lack of interest from the major American record companies, ZZ Top accepted a record deal from London Records, the American affiliate of the British Decca Records label. Unwilling to sign a recording contract, Ethridge quit the band and Dusty Hill, Frank Beard's American Blues bandmate, became his replacement in late 1969. At this moment, all three members of the band were 20 years old. After Hill moved from Dallas to Houston, ZZ Top signed with London in 1970. They performed their first concert together at a Knights of Columbus Hall in Beaumont, Texas, on February 10, 1970. The show was booked by KLVI radio personality Al Caldwell, who was also instrumental in broadcasting the band's first recordings.

In addition to assuming the role as the band's leader, Gibbons became the main lyricist and musical arranger. With the assistance of Ham and engineer Robin Hood Brians, '' ZZ Top's First Album'' (1971) was released and exhibited the band's humor, with "barrelhouse" rhythms, distorted guitars, double entendres, and innuendo. The music and songs reflected ZZ Top's blues influences. Following their debut album, the band released '' Rio Grande Mud'' (1972), which produced their first charting single, " Francine".

First decade and signature sound (1973–1982)

ZZ Top released '' Tres Hombres'' in 1973, which reached the No. 8 position on the ''Billboard 200'' albums chart by early 1974. The album's sound was the result of the propulsive support provided by Hill and Beard, and Gibbons' "growling" guitar tone. Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the album "brought ZZ Top their first Top Ten record, making them stars in the process". The album included the boogie-driven " La Grange" (written about the Chicken Ranch, a notorious brothel in La Grange, Texas, that also inspired the musical ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas''). On the subsequent tour, the band performed sold-out concerts in the US. During this tour, ZZ Top recorded the live tracks that would fill one side of their 1975 album, ''Fandango!''. ''Fandango!'', which also contained one side of new studio songs, was a top-ten album; its single " Tush" peaked at number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

ZZ Top began the Worldwide Texas Tour in May 1976 to support ''Fandango!'', and the tour continued through 1977 with 98 shows over 18 months. '' Tejas'', recorded during a break in the tour and released in November 1976, was the final ZZ Top album under their contract with London Records. It was not as successful or as positively received as their previous two efforts, but reached number 17 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The singles from ''Tejas'', " It's Only Love" and " Arrested for Driving While Blind", both failed to crack the Top 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Exhausted following the Worldwide Texas Tour, the band needed a break. Frank Beard started by completing a 30 day detox program to kick his drug addiction, which had included a growing heroin problem. "Somewhere during that time I got a check for $72,000, my first big money, and I probably spent it all on drugs." Gibbons traveled to Europe, Beard went to Jamaica, and Hill went to Mexico. Hill also spent 3 months working at DFW Airport, saying he wanted to "feel normal" and "ground himself" after years spent performing. In order to help him blend in, he wore a nametag that just said "Joe". The band's break would eventually last almost 2 years. In 1979, when the group returned to record a new album, Gibbons and Hill were now sporting chest-length beards. ZZ Top signed with Warner Bros. Records and released the album '' Degüello'' in late 1979. Their hit singles from this period, "Cheap Sunglasses" and " Pearl Necklace", showed a more modern sound.

While the ''Degüello'' album went platinum, it only reached number 24 on the ''Billboard'' chart. The album produced two popular singles: " I Thank You", a cover of the David Porter/ Isaac Hayes composition originally recorded by Sam & Dave, and the band original "Cheap Sunglasses". The band remained a popular concert attraction and toured in support of ''Degüello''. In April 1980, ZZ Top made their first appearances in Europe, performing for the German music television show ''Rockpalast'' (later included on the 2009 DVD '' Double Down Live: 1980 & 2008'') and the BBC
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