ZZ TOP
Who doesn’t like ZZ Top? It seems no one. When I recently interviewed Dusty Hill, the bassist/vocalist for the Texas blues-rock trio, everyone seemed to think that was cool, from suited-up lawyers to suburban moms to recent graduates. Even I was excited. As a person who interviews musicians for a living, I rarely feel that way. But this was ZZ Top!-two long-bearded old-timers and one guy actually named Beard (but doesn’t have one) whose songs and videos are legendary. What male hasn’t uttered the phrase, “She’s got legs/She knows how to use them,” and what girl didn’t have a crush on the guy from “Sharp Dressed Man?” These disguised desert dudes weren’t very telegenic, but they parlayed that new medium into stardom with their custom hot rods, leggy girls, and synchronized gestures. Their 1983 album, Eliminator, sold ten million copies, and the follow-up, 1985’s Afterburner, five million.
Fourteen studio albums later, and ZZ Top is still going strong. Next year, Hill, guitarist/lead vocalist Billy Gibbons, and drummer Frank Beard celebrate their 40th year together, and one can be sure they’ll have something big planned. They’re already building momentum. Their first ever DVD, Live From Texas, released June 19, entered the Canadian Music DVD charts at #1 and is now certified gold. Later this summer, the band will join country duo Brooks & Dunn on tour, proving yet again they have a strong and varied audience.
IMAGE
Courtesy of Warner Brothers