50 YEARS OF HELL RAISING
“The band continues to be inspiring and somewhat mystical, how it manages to ROLL OVER AND REINVENT ITSELF AS TIME GOES BY.”
ASK BILLY GIBBONS
WHAT’S NEW AND, WELL, BILLY GIBBONS WILL TELL YA. Today’s tale, as he sits down with Guitar World (for, as he puts it, this magazine’s “assembly of words”), involves, among many other things, a trans-Pacific journey organized by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen; a visit to the Great Wall of China; an excursion aboard a 12-story, ocean-going cruise ship; some shopping (courtesy of Gibbons’ travel companion, “Ms. Gilligan”); and an assortment of “archeologists, paleontologists, artificial intelligence experts, save-the-elephants people, crossword-puzzle wizards, musicians, magicians” and other interesting characters.
All of which is just a long-winded way to say that, beyond being one of America’s most treasured musical assets, the 69-year-old Gibbons is also one hell of a conversationalist. And like the archeologists, paleontologists and, um, crossword-puzzle wizards aboard that massive cruise ship, he’s quite the interesting character himself, a man responsible for, among other achievements, some of the greatest singing, songwriting and guitar-playing of the past half-century of rock ’n’ roll and blues music.
Which leads us to what is perhaps his most impressive achievement, as well as the focus of this story: the 50 anniversary of ZZ Top. It’s a landmark milestone that Gibbons admits “has somewhat of a surreal ring to it.” But nevertheless, here it is. And so Gibbons and his ZZ Top band mates — bassist and sometime singer Dusty Hill and drummer and “the man with no beard,” Frank Beard — plan to celebrate in style. First up is an already-announced 50 anniversary tour, which will see ZZ Top light up stages across North America with a setlist that is sure to be chock-full of all the by-now standards, from “La Grange” and “Tush” to “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs” and beyond; and which will be joined by , a release that Gibbons calls a “ZZ Top celebration” and,.
