ZZ Top Essentials

ZZ Top started out in Houston, Texas, in 1969, making rhythm and blues that reflected the tough terrain from which they’d sprung. Known for their chunky guitar riffs, hook-filled choruses and the iconic long beards worn by singer-guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill (ironically, drummer Frank Beard was usually seen in only a mustache), the trio would straddle a line between serious blues music and modern, synthesiser-backed rock as they transitioned into the ’80s. Their humorous videos for “Gimme All Your Lovin’”, “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs” (all from 1983’s Eliminator) became MTV classics and cemented their image in the firmament of popular culture. As Southern rock experienced an indie revival in the ’90s and 2000s, ZZ Top were revered as patron saints of the genre while continuing to tour and record through the 2010s. Bassist Hill died on 28 July 2021.