ZZ Top

ZZ Top came out of Houston in 1969 with a lineup that stayed put for five decades: Billy Gibbons on guitar and vocals, Dusty Hill on bass and vocals, and Frank Beard on drums. They took shape after Gibbons' band the Moving Sidewalks broke up, signed with London Records, and built their sound on his greasy blues licks and a rhythm section that could boogie all night. Tres Hombres gave them "La Grange", a hypnotic, grinding shuffle, plus "Jesus Just Left Chicago" and "Waitin' For The Bus", and Fandango! added the strutting "Tush". Both songs became classic rock radio staples, and their live act made them a legend across North America.

In 1979 they came back from a break with a new look, Gibbons and Hill hiding behind sunglasses and chest-length beards, and Degüello sharpened the wit with "Cheap Sunglasses" and "I Thank You". Then came the synthesizers and drum machines, and with Eliminator in 1983 they fused Texas boogie with new wave, punk and dance-rock pulse. "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" rode their videos into heavy MTV rotation, their sly, funny lyrics intact, and ZZ Top were suddenly international stars.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted them in 2004. Hill died in 2021, and Elwood Francis, their longtime guitar tech, took over on bass as Hill had wanted. Beard died in 2026.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.