0
Frank Beard
Frank Beard
American musician
1
Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
American musician
2
Moving Sidewalks
Moving Sidewalks
band
3
Dusty Hill
Dusty Hill
bassist and co-vocalist with the American rock group ZZ Top
4
Tim Montana
Tim Montana
American singer songwriter
5
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen
American musician and record producer
6
Nickelback
Nickelback
Canadian rock band
7
American Blues
American Blues
American band
8
The 13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators
American rock band
9
The Red Devils
The Red Devils
10
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
American rock band
11
The Nightcaps
The Nightcaps
12
Def Leppard
Def Leppard
British rock band
13
Point Blank
Point Blank
American rock and roll band hailing from Texas
14
The Box Tops
The Box Tops
American rock band
15
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
American rock band
16
The Sword
The Sword
American band
17
Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill
American blues guitarist
18
The Offspring
The Offspring
punk band from the United States
19
Yes
Yes
English rock band

ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. The group consists of founder Billy Gibbons (vocals, guitar), Dusty Hill (vocals, bass), and Frank Beard (drums). Initially rooted in blues, the band's style has evolved throughout their career, with a signature sound based on Gibbons' blues guitar style and the rhythm section of Hill and Beard. Their lyrics, often embellished with sexual innuendo, focus on their Texas roots and sense of humor. Popular for their live performances and the identical physical appearances of Gibbons and Hill—who are rarely seen without their long beards, sunglasses, and Stetson hats—the group has staged several elaborate tours.

ZZ Top formed after the demise of Moving Sidewalks, Gibbons' previous band. Within a year, they signed with London Records and released ZZ Top's First Album (1971). Subsequent releases, such as their first top-ten album Tres Hombres (1973) and the singles "La Grange" and "Tush", gained extensive radio airplay. By the mid-1970s, they had become renowned in North America for their live act, highlighted by their performances during the Worldwide Texas Tour from 1976 to 1977, which was a critical and commercial success.

Following a two-year break in response to creative stagnation and exhaustion, ZZ Top reinvented themselves in the late 1970s with a new musical direction and their now-famous public image. Beginning with their albums Degüello (1979) and El Loco (1981), they experimented with instruments including clavinets, saxophones, and synthesizers. They established a more mainstream sound and gained international favor with the records Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985), which integrated influences from new wave, punk, and dance-rock. The popularity of their music videos, including those for "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs", helped propel them onto the television channel MTV and made them one of the more prominent artists in 1980s pop culture. Their Afterburner Tour set records for the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour of 1986. After additional acclaim with the release of their 10th album Recycler (1990) and its accompanying tour, their experimentation continued with mixed successes on the albums Antenna (1994), Rhythmeen (1996), XXX (1999), and Mescalero (2003). The group most recently released La Futura (2012) and Goin′ 50 (2019), the latter of which is a compilation album commemorating the band's 50th anniversary.

ZZ Top has released 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million albums worldwide. They have won three MTV Video Music Awards, and in 2004, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked Gibbons number 32 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have supported several campaigns and charities, including Childline, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and a fundraiser for the Delta Blues Museum.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).