Artist Playlists
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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. - While these blues-rock heroes had their own killer sound, many artists before them helped shape it. In their blustery swagger, you can hear the country strains of George Jones and Gram Parsons, the classic hard rock of Jimi Hendrix and Cream and the classic blues of John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson. There are even hints of Elvis Presley and old Texas rocker Sam the Sham.
- With their Texas-bred bad-boy attitudes and modern take on Southern rock, ZZ Top became one of the most successful bands of the '80s. Billy Gibbons' dry blues guitar playing style and Dusty Hill's naughty lyrics have inspired many musicians of today, like Kid Rock, Scratch Acid, The Butthole Surfers and The Queens of the Stone Age.
- ZZ Top's live recordings prove that beneath the iconic costumes and the flashy moves is rock solid musicianship. These three friends have been entertaining rowdy crowds since the '60s—they know what it takes to stoke a party. Simultaneously loose and tight, they get a big sound cooking and get down to business. You might say it stings, you might say it swings—just don't call it clean.
- ZZ Top may be boogie-grooving beasts, but that doesn't mean they can't rock a slow song every now and then. Two of their most moving hits are “Hot, Blue and Righteous” and “Old Man”, in which Billy Gibbons infuses the band's muddy blues-rock with dramatically tender vocals and sparse fretwork inspired by Southern soul. “Leila” is one of their most uncharacteristic gems—a glassy, shimmering soft-rock ballad that sways like a sailboat.