ZZ Top, also known as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas", was created in the year 1969. Guitarist and Houston TX native Billy Gibbons had been in the psychedelic band The Moving Sidewalks since 1967, playing in and around Southeast Texas, including the Town House in Groves. The Moving Sidewalks enjoyed success with local radio hit "99th Floor" and opening for the Doors Texas tour and Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1968. They disbanded as a result of the Vietnam War draft. Gibbons met future manager Bill Mack Ham of Waxahachie on the Doors tour. Dallasites Frank Beard (drums) and Dusty Hill (bass) were from rival psychedelic band American Blues. The band cites Jimi Hendrix, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Elvis Presley as early influences.
Although a Lone Star favorite, the band failed to break into the main stream with their debut LP, ZZ Tops First Album (1970) and their 1972 follow up, Rio Grande Mud. It was during this time that Gibbons began to perfect his unique and distinctively dirty electric guitar sound. The band opened for the Rolling Stones' 1972 tour and became nationally known by the time they released Tres Hombres in 1973 thanks in part to constant touring, favorable radio exposure and fan based word of mouth. It was their first platinum album and "La Grange" was a top 40 hit.
By the mid 70's, they were on top and released Fandango! which stayed on the charts for 83 weeks and sold more than a million copies. Their first tour as headliners in support of their fourth release for London Records, Tejas (1976) took Texas to the world, literally. ZZ Top's Worldwide Texas Tour: Takin' Texas To The People featured a Texas shaped stage, rattlesnakes, a pure bred Longhorn, a 2,000 lb. black buffalo, two buzzards and cactus. At the time it was the largest in rock history, playing close to one hundred major stages in the U.S. as well as dates in Europe, England, Australia, Mexico and Japan. The one and a half year long tour paid off grossing more than $11.5 million. They released Best of ZZ Top in 1977, concluded their contract with London and took three years off while manager Bill Ham negotiated with Warner Bros.
They returned from their hiatus with a new record label and new beards for Gibbons and Hill. ZZ Tops first two albums for Warner, Deguello (1979) and El Loco (1981) expanded the trio's sound to reflect new trends of the changing decade. They took a short break from their touring and recording schedule during which Billy Gibbons built the now famous custom Hot Rod, Eliminator. The 1933 Ford Coupe was then used as an icon in launching the next two albums, Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985). The use of synthesizers and the new music video medium on MTV propelled them into international superstardom. ZZ Top videos, with their images of bearded bad boys in cheap sunglasses and long legged women, became MTV staples and icons of the age. They released three more albums for Warner and sailed into the 90's with a dedicated legion of fans across the globe.
The group abandoned the synthesized sound and returned to their roots with RCA and their 1994 release, Antenna, followed by One Foot in the Blues (1994) and Rhythmeen (1996). XXX, released in 1999, marked the bands thirty year history in rock and roll. They went on two world tours and released Mescalero (2003). The genius of ZZ Top lies in their ability to adapt and evolve without losing sight of their Texas blues roots. It's this that landed them in the Rock & Roll Hall of fame in 2004.
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