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ZZ Top Biography:
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 the 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.
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