In February 1970, the now-legendary Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Dusty Hill played their first show as ZZ Top at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Beaumont, Texas. From that modest debut, “That Little Ol’ Band from Texas” would earn its place in music history and ultimately be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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The group formed the year before, when Houston native Billy Gibbons (guitar), formerly of the psychedelic band The Moving Sidewalks, joined forces with Dallas musicians Frank Beard (drums) and Dusty Hill (bass), who had previously played in the rival group American Blues. ZZ Top built an early following at teen clubs and dance halls across southeast Texas. Their first two albums drew regional popularity but failed to reach wider audiences. Beaumont and Port Arthur radio stations championed the band when major Houston and Dallas stations would not, and KLVI personality Al Caldwell helped secure their first gig at the K.C. Hall. As their fan base expanded, ZZ Top even performed at several local high school proms.

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Their fortunes turned with the release of ZZ Top’s First Album, which had at least one major admirer—Mick Jagger. The Rolling Stones later invited them to open shows on their 1973, 1981, and 2003 tours. The band’s third album, Tres Hombres (1973), became their first gold record, and its hit single “La Grange” introduced ZZ Top to a national radio audience.

With Tejas (1976), ZZ Top launched the ambitious Worldwide Texas Tour: “Takin’ Texas to the People.” The massive production featured a Texas-shaped stage, live rattlesnakes, a 2,000-pound buffalo, buzzards, and cactus. At the time, it was the largest tour ever mounted in rock history, covering nearly 100 major venues across the United States, Europe, Australia, Mexico, and Japan.

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In the early 1980s, Billy Gibbons constructed his iconic hot rod, the Eliminator—a 1933 Ford Coupe that became a visual trademark. It served as a central image for the albums Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985). The band’s blend of blues-rock, synthesizers, and high-energy MTV music videos catapulted ZZ Top into global superstardom, cementing their image as the bearded, sunglasses-wearing kings of cool.

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The trio returned to a more roots-oriented sound with their RCA releases Antenna (1994), One Foot in the Blues (1994), and Rhythmeen (1996). In 1998, ZZ Top was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast’s Music Hall of Fame. Their 1999 release XXX marked the band’s 30th anniversary, and following two world tours and the album Mescalero (2003), the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

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Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Dusty Hill remained bandmates for an extraordinary 52 years until Hill’s passing in 2021—a record in its own right. ZZ Top’s story continues, carrying forward one of the longest and most distinctive legacies in American rock.