Will ZZ Top Members Shave Their Beards? Will ZZ Top Members Shave Their Beards? By Jenna July 2, 2012 10:11 AM Share on Twitter Getty Images Almost 30 years ago, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill turned down a million dollars to shave their beards. Will they do it? Gillette offered up the sum for Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill to shave their iconic beards in a commercial and they both said, “NO WAY!” so, fast forward 28 years and they asked the pair the question again. The answer? Still no. Apparently no amount of money is going to get them to shave. Billy says quote, “No dice. Even adjusted for inflation, this isn’t going to fly. The prospect of seeing oneself in the mirror clean shaven is too close to a Vincent Price film.” I find it incredibly ironic that the only member of ZZ Top without facial hair is the drummer and his name is Frank Beard. I also love the fact that ZZ Top’s new single is called I Gotsta Get Paid. ZZ Top artist page ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas.

The band consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Billy Gibbons, bassist and co-lead vocalist Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard. ZZ Top is the only American rock band to have the same members for 30 or more years . The band and its members went through several reconfigurations throughout 1969, achieving their current form when Hill replaced bassist Billy Etheridge in February 1970, shortly before the band was signed to London Records. Etheridge's departure issued primarily from his unwillingness to be bound by a recording contract. Since the release of the band's debut album in January 1971, ZZ Top has become known for its strong blues roots and humorous lyrical motifs, relying heavily on double entendres and innuendo. ZZ Top's musical style has changed over the years, beginning with blues-inspired rock on their early albums, then incorporating New Wave, punk rock and dance-rock, with heavy use of synthesizers. ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

As a group, ZZ Top possesses 11 gold records and 7 platinum (13 multi-platinum) records; their 1983 album, Eliminator, remains the group's most commercially successful record, selling over 10 million units. ZZ Top also ranks 80th in U.S. album sales, with 25 million units. History edit: Early years (1969-1972) edit: The original lineup formed in Houston, Texas by Gibbons, organist Lanier Greig (deceased Feb 2013) and drummer Dan Mitchell. ZZ Top was managed by Waxahachie-native Bill Ham, who befriended Gibbons a year earlier. They released their first single, "Salt Lick", in 1969, and side B contained the song "Miller's Farm"; both songs were credited to Gibbons. Immediately after the recording of "Salt Lick", Greig was replaced by bassist Billy Etheridge, a band mate of Jimmie Vaughan, and Mitchell was replaced by Frank Beard of the American Blues. Due to lack of interest from record companies, ZZ Top was presented with a record deal from London Records.

Unwilling to sign a recording contract, Etheridge quit the band and Dusty Hill was selected as his replacement. After Hill moved from Dallas to Houston, ZZ Top signed with London in 1970. They performed their first concert together at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Beaumont on February 10. In addition to assuming the role as the band's leader, Gibbons became the main lyricist and musical arranger. With the assistance of Ham and engineer Robin Hood Brians, ZZ Top's First Album (1971) was released and saw the inclusion of the band's humor, with "barrelhouse" rhythms, distorted guitars, double entendres and innuendo. The music and songs closely reflected on ZZ Top's blues influences. Following their debut album, the band released Rio Grande Mud (1972), which failed commercially and the promotional tour consisted of mostly empty auditoriums. Mainstream success (1973-1977) edit: ZZ Top released Tres Hombres in 1973, and the album's earthy and "infectious" sound were results of the propulsion from Hill and Beard's rhythm support, coupled with Gibbons' "growling" guitar tone.

Dan Erlewine wrote that the album "brought ZZ Top their first Top Ten record, making them stars in the process". The album included the boogie-driven "La Grange", which was written about a brothel in La Grange, Texas. On the subsequent tour, the band performed sold-out concerts in the US. ZZ Top recorded the live tracks for their 1975 album, Fandango!, during this tour and showcased their prowess in exciting live audiences. Fandango! was a top ten album and its single, "Tush", peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Tejas, released in 1976, was not as successful or as positively received as their previous efforts, although the album went to No.17 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart. ZZ Top continued the Worldwide Texas Tour in support of Tejas, though they had been touring for seven years. Hiatus and comeback (1978-1982) edit: The band went on what was supposed to be a 90-day break from public appearances. Gibbons traveled to Europe, Beard had gone to Jamaica, and Hill went to Mexico.

The break extended to two years, during which Gibbons and Hill grew chest-length beards: " Bill Ham called a band meeting, and when the three members arrived, they noticed something had changed during their time apart. They had always had some form of facial hair, with Frank usually sporting a mustache, while Billy and Dusty had scruffy little beards no more than an inch or two long. Things were quite different now. "I walk into the room, and I'm lookin' at a guy I think I know," Billy laughs. "My beard has grown to doormat proportions. And I realize that Dusty had done the same thing." Ironically, Frank Beard was the only clean-shaven member, having hacked off his mustache and goatee so he would look presentable for the meeting. " In 1979, ZZ Top signed with Warner Bros. Records and released the album Degüello. While the album went platinum, it only reached No.24 on the Billboard chart. The album produced two singles, including "I Thank You," a cover of a song recorded by Sam & Dave, and "Cheap Sunglasses." The band remained a popular concert attraction and toured in support of Degüello.

In April 1980, ZZ Top made their first appearance in Europe, performing for the German music television show Rockpalast. The next album, El Loco, was released in October 1981, featuring three singles ("Tube Snake Boogie", "Pearl Necklace", and "Leila"). Synthesizer period (1983-1993) edit: ZZ Top's next album was even more successful. Eliminator, released in March 1983, featured two Top 40 singles ("Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Legs"), four Mainstream Rock hits (including "Got Me Under Pressure" and "Sharp Dressed Man"), and "Legs" peaking at No.13 on the Club Play Singles chart.Eliminator was a critical and commercial success, selling more than 10 million copies, and several music videos were in regular rotation on MTV. The band also won their first MTV Video Music Awards in the categories of Best Group Video for "Legs," and Best Direction for "Sharp Dressed Man". The music videos were included in their Greatest Hits video, which has been released on DVD ever since and quickly went multi-platinum.

The Eliminator album was not without controversy. According to former stage manager David Blayney (15 years with ZZ Top) in his book,Sharp Dressed Men, sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the album as a live-in high-tech music teacher to Beard and Gibbons. And, despite continued denials by the band, it settled a five-year legal battle with Hudson, paying him $600,000 after he proved he held the copyright to the song "Thug" which appeared on Eliminator. David Blayney further described, in his book, the role Linden played in the process of planning and preparing Eliminator. This was well demonstrated in the writing and making of a demo of the song "Under Pressure". Billy and Linden wrote the whole song and created a recorded demo all in one afternoon without either Dusty or Frank even knowing about it. Linden created the bass on a synthesizer, created drums on a drum machine and helped Billy Gibbons write the lyrics; Billy performed the guitars and vocals.

David Sinclair, of the London Times, described in his book The Story of ZZ Top how Linden Hudson drew Billy's attention to the possibility of using a drum machine for the final recording of the Eliminator album. Deborah Frost, writer for Rolling Stone magazine, described in her book ZZ Top - Bad And Worldwide how Linden Hudson researched popular song tempos, then presented Billy Gibbons with the results of his studies. Linden's data suggested that 120 beats per minute was the most popular tempo in the rock music market at that time. Billy decided to go for it and recorded most of the Eliminator album at that tempo. Despite not selling as many copies as Eliminator, 1985's Afterburner was still as successful commercially, becoming their highest-charting album, and racking up sales of 5 million units. All of the singles from Afterburner were Top 40 hits, with two hitting No.1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The music video for "Velcro Fly" was choreographed by pop singer Paula Abdul.

ZZ Top's grueling Afterburner World Tour lasted well into 1987, which also saw the release of The ZZ Top Sixpack, a three-disc collection of ZZ Top's albums from 1970 to 1981, with the exception of Degüello. The albums ZZ Top's First Album, Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres, Fandango and Tejas were remixed with the result that the sound of the material from the first five albums was changed to sound like they had been recorded in the 1980s, with echo and drum machines, and very unlike their original album sound. Many of the original mixes were used on the 2003-CD box set Chrome, Smoke & BBQ, and its companion piece Rancho Texicano. Also, remastered versions of Tres Hombres and Fandango! were eventually released on CD in 2006 with the original mixes intact. However, the remaining songs from ZZ Top's First Album, Rio Grande Mud, and Tejas have never appeared on CD in their original mixes. Recycler, released in 1990, was ZZ Top's last studio album under contract with Warner Records.

Recycler was also the last of a distinct sonic trilogy in the ZZ Top catalogue. The collection actually marked a return towards the earlier, simpler guitar-driven blues sound with less synthesizer and pop bounce of the previous two albums. This move did not entirely suit the fan base that Eliminator and Afterburner had built up, and while Recycler did achieve platinum status, it never matched the sales of Eliminator and Afterburner. The cartoonish and sexy-ZZ-girl videos continued in singles like "My Head's in Mississippi", "Give It Up", and "Burger Man". ZZ Top contributed a song, "Doubleback", and appeared as an acoustic band in the wild-west dance scene in the 1990 movie, Back to the Future Part III. The band also appeared in the 1990 TV movie, Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme, portraying the Three Men in a Tub. In 1992, Warner released ZZ Top's Greatest Hits, along with a new Rolling Stones-style cut, "Gun Love", and an Elvis-inflected video, "Viva Las Vegas". In 1993, ZZ Top inducted a major influence, Cream, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Return to guitar-driven sound (1994-2003) edit: In 1994 the band signed to a $35 million deal with RCA Records, releasing the million-selling Antenna in 1994. Subsequent RCA albums, Rhythmeen (1996) and 1999's XXX (the second album to feature live tracks) sold well, but did not reach the levels enjoyed previously. ZZ Top, however, continued to play to enthusiastic live audiences. In 2003 ZZ Top released a final RCA album, Mescalero, an album thick with harsh Gibbons guitar and featuring a hidden track - a cover version of "As Time Goes By". RCA impresario Clive Davis wanted to do a collaboration record (in the mode of Carlos Santana's successful Supernatural) for this album. In an interview in Goldmine magazine, artists Pink, Dave Matthews, and Wilco were among the artists slated for the project. ZZ Top performed "Tush" and "Legs" as part of the XXXI Super Bowl halftime show in 1997. A comprehensive four-CD collection of recordings from the London and Warner Bros.

years, Chrome, Smoke & BBQ, was released in 2003. It featured the band's first single (A- and B-side), several rare B-side tracks as well as a radio promotion from 1979, a live track and several extended dance mix versions of their biggest MTV hits. Three tracks from Billy Gibbons' pre-ZZ band, The Moving Sidewalks, were also included. Touring (2004-2012) edit: In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones gave the induction speech. ZZ Top gave a brief performance, playing "La Grange" and "Tush". Expanded and remastered versions of the original studio albums from the 1970s and '80s are currently in production. Marketed as "Remastered and Expanded", these releases include additional live tracks which were not present on the original recordings. Three such CDs have been released to date (Tres Hombres, Fandango!, and Eliminator).

The first two were released in 2006 and use the original mixes free from echo and drum machines, while Eliminator was released in 2008. The Eliminator re-release also features a collector's edition version containing a DVD featuring several videos and additional live tracks. As of 2006, it was reported that ZZ Top were recording their 15th studio album. There was no release, however, and on September 17, 2006, the band ended their tenure with RCA Records and further left their manager Bill Ham, president of Lone Wolf Management. No reasons were publicized for these changes. In December 2006, Sanctuary Management added ZZ Top to its roster. ZZ Top performed at the 2008 Orange Bowl game in Miami, as well as the Auto Club 500 NASCAR event at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. On June 23, 2008, ZZ Top celebrated the release of their first live concert DVD entitled Live from Texas with the world premiere, a special appearance, and charity auction at the Hard Rock Cafe in Houston. The DVD was officially released on June 24, 2008.

The featured performance was culled from a concert filmed at the Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie, Texas on November 1, 2007. In July 2008, the band announced they have signed with producer Rick Rubin and are recording a new album. Rubin will be producing the next album, and it has been reported that the band will be aiming to move back to their pre-80s La Grange sound. The Eliminator Collector's Edition CD/DVD, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band's iconic RIAA Diamond Certified album, was released September 10, 2008. The release includes seven bonus tracks and a bonus DVD, including four television performances from The Tube in November 1983. The band performed at the 2009 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo on the final night on March 22, 2009. In July, the band appeared on VH1's Storytellers, in celebration of their four decades as recording artists. On January 22, 2010, Billy Gibbons accompanied Will Ferrell and others playing "Free Bird" on Conan O'Brien's last show.

O'Brien joined in on guitar. On June 8, 2011, a press release, reported on various media sources, announced that the new song "Flyin' High" will debut in space. Astronaut and friend of ZZ Top, Michael Fossum, was given the released single to listen to on his trip to the International Space Station. La Futura (2012-present) edit: Billy Gibbons stated in an interview in August 2011 that the new album had been recorded, with initial recording taking place in Malibu, California, before moving to Houston, but was still unnamed and had yet to be mixed and mastered. Gibbons said that the expected release date was sometime in March or April 2012 but later on, a release in the late summer or fall has been announced. Entitled La Futura, the album is produced by Rick Rubin. The first single from the album, "I Gotsta Get Paid," debuted in an advertising campaign for Jeremiah Weed and appears on the soundtrack of the film Battleship. The song itself is an interpretation of "25 Lighters" by Texan hip-hop DJ DMD and rappers Lil' Keke and Fat Pat.

The first four songs from La Futura debuted on June 5, 2012 on an EP called Texicali.DJ Screw was a major influence on the album as well, particularly because Gibbons and Screw both worked with the engineer G.L. Moon during the late 1990s. Band members edit: Current members Billy Gibbons - vocals, guitar (1969-present), Frank Beard - drums, percussion (1969-present), Dusty Hill - vocals, bass, keyboards (1969-present), Former members Lanier Greig - organ, bass (1969; died 2013), Dan Mitchell - drums (1969), Billy Ethridge - bass (1969) I Wanna Drive You Home (4:45) ZZ Top – The Story Behind The Beards ZZ Top – The Story Behind The Beards By Keith James September 12, 2012 10:20 AM Share on Twitter Even if you’ve never heard a ZZ Top song (a travesty) you simply have to have those iconic beards etched into your memory!

I doubt any other artists could pull that off today, imagine a boy band with beards like that? Um, nope. Only true rockers can rock a beard much less ones that long… Curious how it all began? Christian Alminana/Getty Images These 2004 Rock ‘n Roll Hall-of-Fame inductee s got rolling back in 1969 (the summer of ’69? sorry, had to) as a four-piece that actually included keyboards and then a year later became the lineup that you now see today, and if you think that lineup is just two guys then you deserve a slap cause the third guy is the drummer (sans beard, but def rocking the mullet) although his last name is literally ‘Beard’… Crazy, right?

Fast-forward a few years and the trio’s 1976 album ‘Tejas’ and subsequent tour didn’t do so well, so they took a 2-year hiatus without so much as talking to each other and when they got back together to discuss ideas on how to reinvent themselves, two out of three members ironically showed up with essentially brooms hanging from their faces: “ Bill [Ham] called a band meeting, and when the three members arrived, they noticed something had changed during their time apart. They had always had some form of facial hair, with Frank usually sporting a mustache, while Billy and Dusty had scruffy little beards no more than an inch or two long. Things were quite different now. “I walk into the room, and I’m lookin’ at a guy I think I know,” Billy laughs. “My beard has grown to doormat proportions.

And I realize that Dusty had done the same thing.” Ironically, Frank Beard was the only clean-shaven member, having hacked off his mustache and goatee so he would look presentable for the meeting.” Kevin Winter/Getty Images Interesting that the drummer decided to look presentable for two guys like Dusty and Billy , but be that as it may the beards never came off and after signing with a new record company, their success started to really blossom (er, grow?) So much so that the Gillette razor company wanted to run an ad campaign in 1984 with their razor mowing down the growth on the guy’s faces. I mean it’s a great idea and would be highly lucrative because who wouldn’t tune in to watch THAT? So, Gillette offered ZZ Top a cool million bucks to be ‘the best a man can get’ and here’s what the band said: “No dice, even adjusted for inflation, this isn’t going to fly.

The prospect of seeing oneself in the mirror clean-shaven is too close to a Vincent Price film…a prospect not to be contemplated, no matter the compensation.” I woulda sold out, but these guys knew what was up and stuck to their guns or at least their beard combs! My beard itches like crazy when I grow it out even a little so I can’t imagine doing what these guys do much less for 40+ years! Takes a real man, right Bob Plunkett? Frank Beard: The Cartoonist Who Drew America Dry | Tales of the Cocktail Tales of the Cocktail Home / History / Frank Beard: The Cartoonist Who Drew America Dry History Joanna Scutts Oct. 30, 2015, 3 p.m. In the late 19th century, the cartoonist Frank Beard was among the most influential illustrators, whose images of seedy tavern owners, corrupt officials, and neglected children gave the Prohibition movement a moral force and an instant visual power. Cartoons by Frank Beard, images courtesy of eHistory @ Ohio State University.

When Prohibition finally became the law of the land on January 16, 1920, it was not a sudden shift in attitudes, but the result of a long campaign. The battle between Wets and Drys had been waged fiercely for decades, involving a host of other issues that are hardly far away from our own political battles: immigration, women’s rights, government corruption, and the role of religion in public life. In an age before television and radio, Americans formed their views and took sides under the influence of newspapers and magazines, which were peppered with cartoons and caricatures poking fun at the powerful, and which could sway opinions decisively with a few skillful strokes. In the late 19th century, the cartoonist Frank Beard (not to be confused with ZZ Top’s ironically clean-shaven drummer) was among the most influential of those illustrators. He was a committed “Dry,” whose images of seedy tavern owners, corrupt officials, and neglected children gave the Prohibition movement a moral force and an instant visual power. Born in 1842 in Cincinnati, young Frank was the child of a newly visual world, and the comics and illustrations that had begun to saturate the popular press captivated him.

Late in life he recalled the thrill of receiving a new comic at Christmas with his brothers: “We would spread it on the floor and lie flat on our stomachs, studying the pictures and spelling out the titles and jokes beneath them, for hours together.” Almost entirely deaf from birth, Beard found his voice in reading and drawing cartoons, publishing his first illustrated jokes as a schoolboy, and going on to publish in the widely circulated comic paper "Yankee Notions" while he was still in his early teens. Frank Beard's catalog of comics includes images of sloppy drunks, red-faced politicians, and the bartender who quickly turns from your best friend into your fiercest enemy like “Fifteen Minutes with the Barkeeper,” above. When the Civil War broke out, Beard’s poor hearing barred him from military service, so he became an army sketch artist, sending scenes of life behind the lines to publications like "Harper’s Weekly." After the war he established himself as a caricaturist, political cartoonist, and editor, taking over the Methodist weekly paper "The Ram’s Horn" in 1890. There, he took aim directly at the secular decadence of American culture during the Gilded Age.

Beard saw no reason why a high moral message should be incompatible with funny, lively, and skillfully drawn illustrations. As the introduction to a collection of his best pictures put it, quoting the Methodist leader Charles Wesley: “‘There is no reason why the devil should have all of the best tunes,’ and it is equally hard to conceive why he should have all of the best pictures.” His cartoons had a liveliness that made them instantly appealing, and could range widely in tone, from highly sentimental depictions of vulnerable women and children, to comic images of sloppy drunks, red-faced politicians, and the bartender who quickly turns from your best friend into your fiercest enemy (as in “Fifteen Minutes with the Barkeeper”). Among his most impassioned targets were the saloon-keepers who enticed vulnerable young men into their lairs, desperate for new blood to replace those they had already destroyed. A cartoon called “Protect that Boy” depicts a sweet-faced boy in a new suit and hat beset on all sides by leering older men who tempt him with gambling, dancing, cigarettes and “racy photographs” — all, the caption explains, gateway drugs.

“Therefore, the rumseller goes in league with the seller of cigarettes, and base literature, and evil pictures, and questionable games and entertainments… Every avenue through crime and vice leads at last to the open saloon.” In this way, Beard’s illustrations represented the liquor trade and the effects of drinking in similar ways to modern anti-drug campaigns: the trade presents a friendly face but is violent underneath; it’s a seedy racket dedicated only to grabbing as much money and power as possible; and drinking is a “slippery slope” from pleasure to helpless addiction. “Rescued” shows a child snatched from the saloon by a towering angel. Many of Beard’s illustrations take an explicitly political stance, targeting the liquor trade as an anti-democratic force and a threat to American liberty. “Enemies of the Republic” shows a rum seller and politician waiting to ambush innocent Columbia and her children, Justice and Liberty. Again and again, the cartoons insist that all the supposedly neutral instruments of civil society — police, the law, ministers, local and national politicians — are all actually in the pockets of the saloons, distillers , and distributors of alcohol.

The Anti-Saloon League, formed in Frank Beard’s native Ohio in 1893, was among the most powerful forces fighting back against the proliferation of drinking establishments and their dominance of politics (those “back-room deals” that have come to symbolize secretive, corrupt politics often happened in city taverns). The organization reprinted many of Beard’s pictures in their own propaganda literature, and their side of the fight eventually prevailed in shuttering the taverns and turning off the taps. It’s a shame that the Drys’ witty cartoonist-in-chief died in 1905, too early to see the victory of the cause he held so dear — but nor did he have to witness the disastrous consequences of Prohibition that followed. “Enemies of the Republic” shows a rum seller and politician waiting to ambush innocent Columbia and her children, Justice and Liberty. You may also like pf - ZZ Top - Rock Music Artists - Corporate Event Booking Agent PRINTER FRIENDLY PAGE. To view this group's HOME page, click or visit: ** Booking ZZ Top - book Rock Music Artists - Blues-Rock, Hard Rock, Arena Rock, Boogie Rock, Album Rock, Southern Rock - � Richard De La Font Agency, Inc.

- For serious booking requests only, click here: For More Information Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- inducted 2004 Formed in Houston, Texas, USA, in 1970, ZZ Top evolved out of the city's psychedelic scene and consist of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard, the last two both ex-American Blues. ZZ Top's original line-up - Gibbons, Lanier Greig and Dan Mitchell - was also the final version of the Moving Sidewalks. This initial trio completed ZZ Top's debut single, "Salt Lick," before Greig was fired. He was replaced by Bill Ethridge. Mitchell was then replaced by Frank Beard, while Dusty Hill subsequently joined in place of Ethridge. Initially ZZ Top joined a growing swell of southern boogie bands and started a constant round of touring, building up a strong following. Their debut album, while betraying a healthy interest in blues, was firmly within this genre, but "Rio Grande Mud" indicated a greater flexibility. It included the rousing "Francine" which, although indebted to The Rolling Stones , gave the trio their first hit and introduced them to a much wider audience.

Their third album, "Tres Hombres," was a powerful, exciting set that drew from delta music and high energy rock. It featured the band's first national hit with "La Grange" and was their first platinum album. The group's natural ease was highly affecting and Gibbons' startling guitar work was rarely bettered during these times. In 1974, the band's first annual "Texas-Size Rompin' Stompin' Barndance And Bar-B-Q" was held at the Memorial Stadium at the University Of Texas. 85,000 people attended: the crowds were so large that the University declined to hold any more rock concerts, and it was another 20 years before they resumed. However, successive album releases failed to attain the same high standard and ZZ Top took an extended vacation following their expansive 1976-1977 tour. After non-stop touring for a number of years the band needed a rest. Other reasons, however, were not solely artistic, as the group now wished to secure a more beneficial recording contract.

They resumed their career in 1979 with the superb "Deguello," by which time both Gibbons and Hill had grown lengthy beards (without each other knowing!). Revitalized by their break, the trio offered a series of pulsating original songs on "Deguello" as well as inspired recreations of Sam And Dave's "I Thank You" and Elmore James' "Dust My Broom." The transitional "El Loco" followed in 1981 and although it lacked the punch of its predecessor, preferring the surreal to the celebratory, the set introduced the growing love of technology that marked the group's subsequent releases. "Eliminator" deservedly became ZZ Top's best-selling album (10 million copies in the USA by 1996). Fuelled by a series of memorable, tongue-in-cheek videos, it provided several international hit singles, including the million-selling "Gimme All Your Lovin'." "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" were also gloriously simple yet enormously infectious songs. The group skillfully wedded computer-age technology to their barrelhouse R&B to create a truly memorable set that established them as one of the world's leading live attractions.

The follow-up, "Afterburner," was another strong album, although it could not match the sales of the former. It did feature some excellent individual moments in "Sleeping Bag" and "Rough Boy," and the cleverly titled "Velcro Fly." ZZ Top undertook another lengthy break before returning with the impressive "Recycler." Other notable appearances in 1990 included a cameo, playing themselves, in "Back To The Future 3." In 1991 a greatest hits compilation was issued and a new recording contract was signed the following year, with BMG Records. "Antenna" was the first album with the new company. Over the years, one of their greatest strengths has been their consistently high-standard live presentation and performance on numerous record-breaking (financially) tours in the USA. One of rock's maverick attractions, Gibbons, Hill and Beard have retained their eccentric, colorful image, dark glasses and Stetson hats, complete with an almost casual musical dexterity that has won over hardened cynics and carping critics.

In addition to having produced a fine (but sparse) canon of work they will also stay in the record books as having the longest beards in musical history (although one member, the inappropriately named Frank Beard, is clean-shaven). Hit songs include -- Frank Beard and Dusty Hill were members of a fake Zombies before ZZ Top | KSHE 95 Advertisement Real Rock News News > Real Rock News > Frank Beard and Dusty Hill were members of a fake Zombies before ZZ Top Frank Beard and Dusty Hill were members of a fake Zombies before ZZ Top Jun. 03, 2016 Comments Share Did you know that two members ZZ Top, were members of the British band The Zombies? Well they were, but they really weren't. After the real Zombies broke up in 1968, Delta Promotions, a shady Michigan-based company, put together fake touring versions of the band to capitalize on Date Records re-releasing "Time of the Season," which went to number-three on Billboard. One of these fake bands was formed in Dallas and featured future ZZ Top members Dusty Hill and Frank Beard.

This little known fact has just come to light in BuzzFeed , and though Beard and Hill refused to be interviewed for the article, Hill did respond to fact-checking questions by E-mail via his manager. Before hitting the road as The Original "Zombies," the Texas group pretended to be the Los Angeles folk-rock band Rose Garden, whose lead singer was a woman, Diana DeRose. Tom Hocott, who worked for Delta Promotions, says, “Fans left disappointed and the bands left town as quickly as possible. The less remembered, the better." Meanwhile, the real Zombies got wind of the scam and decided that they should re-form before their reputation was tarnished. They attempted to do so, but nothing came of it. Delta finally imploded after trying the same charade with The Animals and The Archies. Photo by Alphonso Chan/Getty Images Check it out: 10 Things You Might Not Know About ZZ Top 10 Things You Might Not Know About ZZ Top 1 of 10 Photo by: PRPhotos.com The original line-up, formed in Houston, Texas in 1969, included Billy Gibbons, organist Lanier Greig and drummer Dan Mitchell.

Greig was replaced by bassist Billy Ethridge, a band mate of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Mitchell was replaced by Frank Beard of the American Blues. Eventually Ethridge quit the band and Dusty Hill joined Share Photo by: © ZZ Top, London Records [Fair Use] ZZ Top's first album was released on January 16, 1971 on London Records and was recorded at Robin Hood Studios in Tyler, Texas. "(Somebody Else Been) Shakin' Your Tree" was the only single released from the album and it failed to appear on the Billboard charts Share Photo by: © ZZ Top, London Records [Fair Use] ZZ Top released their third album, Tres Hombres, on July 26, 1973. The only single released from the album was "La Grange” written about the Chicken Ranch, a notorious brothel in La Grange, Texas that also inspired the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The song peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 Share Photo by: PRPhotos.com Tejas was the band's fifth album released in November 1976. The title is the modern Spanish word for Texas, the band's home state.

After the tour in support of Tejas, the band went on what was supposed to be a 90-day break from public appearances. The break extended to two years, during which Gibbons and Hill grew chest-length beards Share Photo by: Whpq (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons In 1976, Billy Gibbons met with Don Thelen of Buffalo Motor Cars in Paramount, California, to build a customized 1933 Ford coupe. The car was built with a Corvette-style engine fabricated by the So-Cal Speed Shop. It was finished in 1983 and called the Eliminator. The car now resides in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Share She Knows How To Use Them Eliminator was released on March 23, 1983, and featured two Top 40 singles ("Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Legs"), four Top Rock hits (including "Got Me Under Pressure" and "Sharp Dressed Man"), and "Legs" peaking at No. 13 on the Club Play Singles chart.

Eliminator was a critical and commercial success, selling more than 10 million copies Share Gillette’s $1 Million Offer Photo by: András Bögöly, via Wikimedia Commons Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill were offered $1 million by Gillette in 1984 to shave their beards. The pair declined and stated in part, that the prospect of seeing themselves in the mirror clean-shaven is too close to a Vincent Price film, a prospect not to be contemplated, no matter the compensation Share Sleeping Bag The band’s ninth studio album, Afterburner, was released on October 28, 1985. The album was a financial success, racking up sales of 5 million units and launched several hit singles, the most successful of which was "Sleeping Bag" which peaked at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks, a first for the band Share Jeff Beck & ZZ Top Co-Headlining Tour Dates & Concert Tickets April 9, 2014 In this article: Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck and platinum-selling bearded rockers ZZ Top are joining forces this summer for a co-headlining, five-week tour across the United States.

Their tour will kick off in Missoula, MT, at Ogren Park on August 8, and then continue to Oregon, California and Nevada, stretching from the West to East Coast with gigs in Massachusetts and Georgia. Don’t see your city on the list? More dates will be announced in the coming weeks. Each night of the tour will be kicked off by a full set by Beck, followed by a full set by ZZ Top. They’ll end the night together, playing for an England-meets-Texas collaboration. Tickets for the tour are on sale now. ZZ Top was formed in Houston, TX, in 1969, and they are famous not only for their music but for their long, luscious beards. Fun fact: only one member is clean-shaven, and his name is Frank Beard (he’s the drummer). ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Geoffrey Arnold “Jeff” Beck has played with a variety of bands, from being a member of The Yardbirds (other alum include Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton ) and The Jeff Beck Group.

He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: in 1992 as a member of The Yardbirds and in 2009 as a solo artist. Jeff Beck & ZZ Top Tickets & Tour Dates ZZ Top Video for “Sharp-Dressed Man”

Question: Frank Beard is the only clean shaven member of which group?
Answer: Z.Z.Top