Billy Gibbons Reveals the Secret of ZZ Top's 40 Years Together

Spinner ^ | 6/11/09 | Steve Baltin

[pissant]

Being on the road this summer with ZZ Top puts Aerosmith in a unique position for the Boston rockers. As guitarist Joe Perry rightly told us of the little ol' band from Texas, "They've been together longer than us." Not many acts can claim to have outlived Aerosmith, and even fewer can last so long with the original lineup. Therefore, it's that much more amazing that 2009 marks the 40th anniversary for bandmates Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Dusty Hill.

Let that digest for a second -- 40 freaking years! Obama is the eighth president ZZ Top has recorded under, the Beatles hadn't broken up yet when they formed, most of today's pop stars hadn't been born yet, there was no hip-hop, it's their fifth decade of touring, and on and on. As most bands are celebrated for a decade together, we decided to ask Gibbons the secret of a happy band marriage. "I think first and foremost is the fact we still enjoy getting to do this more than anything we could imagine and somehow that translates into the nightly performance," Gibbons says. "Those two hours on stage, that's the real payoff. That's when we get together and we may not know what each other is gonna do. Some of it is because we're trying to outguess the next guy, trying to think of what he's gonna do next."

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Oh, the crazy life of Rock-n-Rollers, Eh? :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

They really were a creative bunch. Nothing cheers me up better than putting on their Greatest Hits CD. Their songs were SUCH a pert of my misspent youth, LOL!

[Clemenza]

Love Deguello and Tres Hombres, although I wish Dusty Hill would be a little nicer to his cousin Hank.

Fave Texas rockers of all time were the 13th Floor Elevators. Too bad Rocky Erickson was such a believer in "better living through chemistry."

[ClearCase_guy]

It's funny to think about "The Last Waltz" with The Band. As I recall, Robbie Robertson is seen shaking his head and marveling, "We've been doing this for fifteen years. That's a looooooong time. I can't imagine doing it longer than that. It's just time to get out."

I guess some folks just have more stamina.

[I Buried My Guns]

"...Still, ZZ Top, like Led Zeppelin...sucks live...

I saw ZZ at the Houston rodeo a few months back, and they did not suck at all. Jus' sayin'.

[Mariner]

I saw them booed off the stage at Winterland in SF.

They were the warm-up band for Steve Miller.

Of course, that was 1971...or 2.

[gathersnomoss]

In 1971 ZZ Top opened for Ten Years After in Baltimore. Tres Hombres was their only album at the time. They were well received, even without the beards.

[Brookhaven]

that’s a bold statement? The best in rock history?

---

Jimmie Hendrix at least thought so, and was on record saying as much.

A lot of guitar players have come on the scene since then, but Gibbons would probably be in the top 100 of any serious list. Considering how many rock guitar players there have been over the decades, that’s pretty darned good.

[pissant]

Can’t expect the hippies in SF to appreciate Texas boogie.

[Spktyr]

Newcomers - ZZ Top’s been around since 1969.

[Spktyr]

[a fool in paradise]

That lil’ ol band PING

[a fool in paradise]

Gibbons is the best guitar player in R&R history, IMNSHO.

Jimi Hendrix and Billy Gibbons jammed back at the hotel a few times when they shared bills (The Moving Sidewalks opening for The Jimi Hendrix Experience).

It made enough of an impression on Jimi that when he was on the Tonight Show and asked which up and coming American players he liked, he said Billy Gibbons.

Here's a link to audio snippets of Billy Gibbons' Moving Sidewalks:

All Music: Moving Sidewalks : Songs

99th Floor was their big "pop" hit, but the Flash album was more blooze jams and psychedelic riffs.

The original lineup of ZZ Top did not consist of Frand and Dusty (from Dallas' American Blues), instead there was another member of the Moving Sidewalks in the lineup. And it was heavy.

Check out "Salt Lick" for a taste of the original ZZ Top sound.

All Music Guide : ZZ Top : Songs (page 2)

Amazon : ZZ Top : Salt Lick

"Miller's Farm" was the flip.

[a fool in paradise]

2/3rds of ZZ Top used to play the Fillmore West backing up musicians like Jimmy Reed in the 1960s.

And Steve Miller Band (also from Texas) used to play the Fillmore West (there is a live Mercury album from the 1960s where they backed Chuck Berry).

[Mariner]

Dude, I was there and the sound was VERY sparse. They were not delivering tightly either.

Don't they now use some recorded tracks in their live shows to augment their sound...not unlike the Who?

[a fool in paradise]

It was that but much more. While he may have been chemically unbalanced before he was institutionalized, he was worse for the wear AFTER he was released from the mental institute where they'd subjected him to both chemical and electric shock treatments.

He's playing again, and Billy Gibbons is even working on some new material with him.

Here they are together on Austin City Limits from last year.

[pissant]

Saw them on TV recently playing Lagrange in some small venue. Nothing but a guitar, drums, and bass, played live. Saw them twice live myself in the late 70s early 80s. Whatever augmentation they had, if any, was minimal.

[a fool in paradise]

At that point in history, bands changed, music changed, the industry didn't lock the calendar on 1983.

Every couple of years, the Rolling Stones were asked if they think they'd be able to keep at this once Mick was 30, 40, etc.

The 1981 Stones tour was billed as the final tour.

That means they've been doing "final tours" longer than they did regular tours. They no longer call them the final tour, but Charlie Watts wants out of the rat race.

[Tucson Jim]

One band that still sounds great in concert is the only band from anywhere to have a top ten US single for six consecutive years, The Little River Band. Lead singer Wayne Nelson is better than ever!

[a fool in paradise]

Well there were some legendary Triple Texas bills in SF back in the day featuring The 13 Floor Elevators, Janis Joplin with Big Brother & The Holding Company, and Sir Douglas Quintet all on the same bill.