Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Artists - L to Z»Artists - Z
    Artists - Z Music - 1970s Music - 1980s 3 Mins Read

    ZZ Top

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    This sturdy American blues-rock trio from Texas formed in 1969 in and around Houston, from rival bands The Moving Sidewalks (Gibbons) and The American Blues (Hill and Beard).

    Their first two albums reflected the strong blues roots and Texas humour of the band. Their third album, Tres Hombres (1973), peaked at #8 and gained them national attention with their hit La Grange, a signature riff tune to this day, based on John Lee Hooker‘s Boogie Chillen.

    Their success continued unabated throughout the 70s, culminating with the year and a half-long Worldwide Texas Tour.

    Exhausted from the overwhelming workload, they took a three-year break – during which, completely independently of each other, Gibbons and Hill grew their trademark beards – then switched labels and returned to form with Deguello and El Loco, both harbingers of what was to come.

    By their next album, Eliminator (1983), and its worldwide smash follow-up Afterburner (1985), they had successfully harnessed the potential of synthesizers to their patented grungy blue-groove, giving their material a more contemporary edge while retaining their patented Texas style.

    Now sporting long beards (except, ironically, for Frank Beard), golf hats and boiler suits, they met the emerging video age head-on, reducing their message to simple iconography.

    ZZ Top made videos for three tracks from Eliminator which, while not very politically correct, featured the randy band with an assortment of beautiful ladies in amusing situations.

    The videos made hits of all the songs (Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man and Legs), sent the album into the multi-platinum zone (it eventually became one of the best-selling albums of the decade), won the band a few MTV Music Video Awards and made them superstars.

    They moved with the times while simultaneously bucking every trend that crossed their path.

    Though the hit singles became less frequent, ZZ Top had another Top 10 album with 1990’s Recycler. After a switch to RCA Records, the band enjoyed another platinum record, 1994’s Antenna, and released an album of blues treatments that same year entitled One Foot In The Blues.

    As genuine roots musicians, they had few peers. Gibbons is one of America’s finest blues guitarists working in the rock arena, while Hill and Beard provided the ultimate rhythm section support.

    ZZ Top’s music is always instantly recognisable, eminently powerful and 100% American in derivation and style.

    They continued to support the blues through various means, perhaps the most visible when they were given a piece of wood from Muddy Waters‘ shack. The group members had it made into a guitar, dubbed the “Muddywood”, then sent it out on tour to raise money for the Delta Blues Museum.

    Bass player Dusty Hill passed away on 28 July 2021 at his home in Houston. He was 72.

    Billy Gibbons
    Guitar, vocals
    Dusty Hill
    Bass, vocals
    Frank Beard
    Drums

    Video



    Related Posts

    • George Thorogood & The Destroyers
      George Thorogood & The Destroyers
      George Thorogood never earned much respect from blues purists, and yet he became a popular favourite in the 1980s through…
    • Keith Christmas
      Keith Christmas
      Keith Christmas is more remembered for his name than for his work. Born Keith Peter Christmas on 13 October 1946…
    • Texas
      Texas
      Texas was formed in Glasgow, Scotland, by Johnny McElhone, a veteran of the Scottish rock circuit who had been part…
    • Living Colour
      Living Colour
      This American rock band was formed in 1984 by Vernon Reid, Muzz Skillings and William Calhoun. Reid had studied performing…
    • Taste
      Taste
      Not to be confused with the Rory Gallagher-fronted blues band of the early 70s, this Melbourne (Australia) band was an…
    • Deacon Blue
      Deacon Blue
      Scottish band Deacon Blue were named after the track Deacon Blues from Steely Dan's 1977 album, Aja. Frontman Ricky Ross (a youth worker by…
    • Ten Years After
      Ten Years After
      Nottingham-born Alvin Lee teamed up with Leo Lyons and a drummer in 1964 and the trio took themselves off to…
    • Steve Miller Band, The
      Steve Miller Band, The
      Steve Miller was born in Wisconsin in 1943 and raised in Texas where, at the age of 12, he formed…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleSpecials, The/Special AKA
    Next Article 2 Tone

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Gettysburg (1993)
      Gettysburg begins in June 1863 with a voice-over, map, and […]
    • Pat Boone
      Pat Boone was born Charles Eugene Boone – the […]
    • Mask of Satan, The (1960)
      For his directing debut, Italian cinematographer Mario Bava took […]
    • Man Alive
      1 9 6 5 – 1 9 8 2 (UK) 586 x 30 minute episodes The […]
    • Russell Morris
      Russell Morris joined Somebody’s Image in 1967. The band […]
    • Alfonso Bonzo
      1 9 9 0 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes Billy Webb (Scott Riley) is […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.