|
This sturdy American blues-rock trio from Texas consists of Billy Gibbons
(guitar), Dusty Hill (bass), and Frank Beard (drums). They were formed in 1970
in and around Houston from rival bands the Moving Sidewalks (Gibbons) and
American Blues (Hill and Beard). Their first two albums reflected the strong
blues roots and Texas humor of the band. Their third album (Tres Hombres) gained
them national attention with the hit "La Grange," a signature riff tune to this
day, based on John Lee Hooker's "Boogie Chillen." Their success continued
unabated throughout the '70s, culminating with the year-and-a-half-long
Worldwide Texas Tour.
Exhausted from the overwhelming work load, they took a three-year break, then
switched labels and returned to form with Deguello and El Loco, both harbingers
of what was to come. By their next album, Eliminator, and its worldwide smash
follow-up, Afterburner, they had successfully harnessed the potential of
synthesizers to their patented grungy blues-groove, giving their material a more
contemporary edge while retaining their patented Texas style. Now sporting long
beards, golf hats, and boiler suits, they met the emerging video age head-on,
reducing their "message" to simple iconography. Becoming even more popular in
the long run, they moved with the times while simultaneously bucking every trend
that crossed their path. As genuine roots musicians, they have few peers;
Gibbons is one of America's finest blues guitarists working in the arena rock
idiom -- both influenced by the originators of the form and British blues-rock
guitarists like Peter Green -- while Hill and Beard provide the ultimate rhythm
section support. The only rock & roll group that's out there with its original
members still aboard after three decades (an anniversary celebrated on 1999's
XXX), ZZ Top's music is always instantly recognizable, eminently powerful,
profoundly soulful, and 100 percent American in derivation. They have continued
to support the blues through various means, perhaps most visibly when they were
given a piece of wood from Muddy Waters' shack in Clarksdale, MS. The group
members had it made into a guitar, dubbed the "Muddywood," then sent it out on
tour to raise money for the Delta Blues Museum. ZZ Top's support and link to the
blues remains as rock solid as the music they play. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
Source: vh1.com
|
