As previously reported, ZZ Top cancelled their August 5 concert at the Hollywood Bowl. They were set to co-headline with Cheap Trick. This was a last-minute cancellation, and future dates were cancelled as well. Initially, it was reported that this was due to “unforeseen personnel matters”. Confused by the cancellations, fans have finally found an answer. Longtime ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard has died at the age of 77.
In an Instagram post, guitarist Billy F. Gibbons announced the passing of his longtime bandmate. “Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top.”
Additionally, band management announced, “Following Frank’s passing, ZZ Top has cancelled its upcoming shows in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs. The band will resume its current The Big One! Tour this weekend with two dates at Austin City Limits, one of Frank’s favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him”.
In 2021, the band’s longtime bass player, Dusty Hill, died in his sleep. It was Beard who introduced Hill to guitarist Billy F. Gibbons, and the three formed ZZ Top.
a brief history of zz top
Initially, drummer Frank Beard and bassist Dusty Hill performed together in multiple groups during the mid-to-late 1960s. In May 1969, Frank Beard joined a band called The Moving Sidewalks, which featured blues-rock guitarist Billy F. Gibbons. Beard introduced Gibbons to Hill, who joined the band shortly after. Beard’s drums were a crucial key to the band’s signature sound. Once the trio honed in on their trademark “Texas boogie blues-rock”, they recorded the band’s debut.
Brilliantly titled, ZZ Top’s First Album was released in 1971, and their sophomore album, Rio Grande Mud, in 1972. It would be their third album, Tres Hombres, that broke the band into mainstream rock radio, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. Their single, “La Grange,” was the first of many signature blues-rock tracks the band would release throughout the 70s and 80s. They followed up with “Tush” in 1975, which peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1981, the band rebranded itself for the decade ahead. Ultimately, their eighth studio album, Eliminator, became the band’s most commercially successful release. Four high-charting singles, “Gimme All Your Lovin’”, “Sharp Dressed Man”, “TV Dinners”, and “Legs,” all became rock radio staples for decades to come.
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