ZZ Top

Celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2009, ZZ Top formed in 1969 and played their first show in February 1970 at a Knights of Columbus Hall in Beaumont, Texas. The band members, Billy F Gibbons (lead guitar, lead vocals), Dusty Hill (bass) and Frank Beard (drums, percussion), have not changed in the intervening years: no other major band can make that claim.

ZZ Top toured extensively on the eve of the 40^th anniversary, co-headlining with country superstars Brooks & Dunn, and on their own in an intimate context that was called the ‘In Your Face Tour’ that recalled their roots.

To date, they have released 20 full-length albums. Their third album, ‘Tres Hombres’ (1973) hit the Top Ten and became the band’s first gold album. ‘Eliminator’ (1983) and stayed on the charts for over three years and became one of the biggest albums of the decade, selling more than 10 million copies and received the industry’s first Diamond sales award. Three of its songs – ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’ ‘, ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ and ‘Legs’ became major hits. Since the release of ‘Eliminator’, ZZ Top have been international superstars.

ZZ Top followed that album up with ‘Afterburner’ (1985), another multi-Platinum Top 5 album that yielded four Top 40 hits: ‘Sleeping Bag’, ‘Stages’, ‘Rough Boy’ and ‘Velcro Fly’.

Beginning with 1979 song ‘Cheap Sunglasses’ Gibbons and Hill are almost always pictured wearing sunglasses, similar clothing and chest-length beards. Ironically Beard usually sports just a mustache. In 1984, the Gillette Company reportedly offered Gibbons and Hill $1 million each to shave their beards for a television commercial but they declined, stating “We are too ugly without ‘em.”

At the first annual MTV Video Awards (1984), ZZ Top won in two categories: Best Group Video (for ‘Legs’) and Best Direction (‘Sharp Dressed Man’).

The band was named “Official Texas Heroes” by the state’s House of Representatives in 1986 and Texas governor Ann Richards declared May 4, 1991 ‘ZZ Top Day’.

ZZ Top released ‘XXX’ in 1999 to coincide with their 30th anniversary and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2004.

2009, their 40^th anniversary year, was a big year for ZZ Top: the band released their ‘Live From Texas’ DVD in June 2008;  they toured North America, UK and Eastern Europe; the ‘ZZ Top Double Down Live 2’ DVD was released; and Billy played Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25 Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden.

They now headline the first High Voltage Festival and are sure to draw a huge crowd from their extensive fanbase.

www.zztop.com