ZZ Top has been a major driving force in the blues and rock music industry since the 1970 era. Even today, the band puts out albums, record deals, and movie and video game cameos quite frequently. They are a band with much history, but they don't let that affect their music.
ZZ Top has been a major driving force in the blues and rock music industry since the 1970 era. Even today, the band puts out albums, record deals, and movie and video game cameos quite frequently. They are a band with much history, but they don't let that affect their music.
The band is originally from Texas, where they started out by merging two local bands. Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard quickly put out their first album. Being modest folk, the album was named "ZZ Top's First Album" and went on to become a popular album even today. Although it didn't reach them the fame they would earn later, it was a good starting point.
The fashion statement that is the famous ZZ Top beard got started by sheer accident. Both members Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill decided to grow out their beard, but without the other knowing their intentions. During a break from touring and making music, both members went forth in putting away the beard trimming clippers to make a fashion statement. The only band member to not grow a beard is Frank Beard, who is the drummer.
Texas couldn't contain the music might that is ZZ Top for long. The band continued to released several more albums, all of which were moderately successful. ZZ Top continued to ride the wave of success to get global appeal. Although not at their peak, the next few albums would be the driving force that put the three in range of the top. This includes albums such as Tres Hombres and Rio Grande Mud, which were both great albums that are relevant even today. Their biggest success was still yet to come, however.
ZZ Top broke into the music video scene with Eliminator, one of their most popular albums. Music videos at the time were still fairly new, and the MTV network was still fresh in its infancy. Videos for the singles "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man" did extremely well in the charts. In fact, the album as a whole was a smash hit all around the world. The band would find it hard to keep up the success of this album, and some say this was ZZ Top at their best.
The modern era is where ZZ Top lost focus on their music. Whether they were burned out on creating original content or just trying to break into a new music style, the band strayed away from their roots. All modern albums from the band have received poor reviews from well known critics, and one album did so poor that the single didn't even place in the charts.
Closing Comments
The band from Texas has continued to make music and receive recognitions for their achievements even today. Although some of the newer albums have not achieved the same popularity others have, it's still music that is well worth giving a long listen.
