Frank Beard (drums), Billy Gibbons (vocals and guitar) and Dusty Hill (bass, vocals and keyboards) formed an American musical ensemble in Houston, Texas in 1970. They are perhaps the longest-lived trio in rock and roll. history, and as a "space age blues band", they have earned a rightful place in that history. The ZZ Top combine rural primitivism and urban image in such a way that they have given rise to a perfect synthesis between regional rock'n'roll and high technology, very much in the style of the state of Texas where they originate.
Only one rock band, U2, ranked above ZZ Top on Forbes magazine's list of the world's highest-earning entertainment industry celebrities in the late 1980s. arranged to avoid the circus of rock'n'roll high society and the "rock messiah" syndrome that tends to plague other artists of their caliber. The description of them when they started, "that little old band from Texas", still fits them like a glove. In nearly thirty years, they've roamed the globe, though they've never ventured too far from their base in South America for long.
The Moving Sidewalks, a 1960s "garage" band with psychedelic overtones and a debut number one single in "99th Floor", featured Billy Gibbons, a graphic arts student, who took up guitar. Five weeks in 1967 saw Texas on the charts. For their part, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard received their titles from The American Blues, a Dallas band that was known more for its members' blue hair dye than anything else.
The agreement the three made when they first met in 1970 has stood the test of time with incredible strength. The three men have hit every note and beat on everything on their records, even if they had to. On one of his first albums, only a brief contribution of guitar accompaniment was included by an unknown person. They even need to learn to play the saxophone or a section of three brass instruments, as is the case with some of the songs on their Degüello LP. They have never added additional musicians to their live shows, nor have they recorded or collaborated with other bands.