In July 2021, Dusty Hill – ZZ Top’s longtime bass guitar player – passed away at the age of 72. As per the late bassist's wishes, his place was taken by the band’s guitar tech, Elwood Francis.
For the guitar tech-turned-ZZ Top member, that meant not just playing the correct parts, but also continuing the band’s legacy of using rather, erm, colorful instruments – a role that was enthusiastically adopted by Francis, who took to the stage with a crazy 17-string bass guitar.
However, behind the onstage antics and the headlines surrounding this show-stealing instrument, the burden of taking Hill’s place weighed heavily on Francis’ shoulders.
And, as the veteran touring tech explains in an upcoming interview with Guitar World, he still finds the whole experience “weird”, and feels uncomfortable about taking Hill’s place.
“When I first started doing it, Dusty was just sick and going home for a few weeks. It was entirely different; I was just helping out,” he says when asked about stepping in on bass for ZZ Top.
“I didn't have to worry about the weight of the crown because I was just helping. They pulled me aside and said, 'Can you honestly say you can't play his parts?' I said, 'I can do it, but I don't think people would enjoy me doing it.' They said, 'You can cover him for a few weeks.'”
The original plan was for Francis to step in for three weeks. When Hill passed away, that plan was re-evaluated, and his place in the band was made permanent.
The temp gigs had helped bed him in, but nothing had prepared Francis for the role of fulltime bassist in ZZ Top. In fact, he still doesn’t consider himself part of the band.
“We'd done some gigs when Dusty passed, and by that time, I wouldn't say I was comfortable because I'm still not fucking comfortable. But I had a piece of paper on the riser for the first two shows if I got in trouble, and by the third show, I got rid of that, and just did the show.
“It's just weird. Dusty is their bass player. I'm not the bass player. I'm not in the band. I'll never be in the band. I shouldn't be in the band. It's Dusty's thing. Sure, I'll still play with them, but it's a weird thing, man.”
Keep an eye on GuitarWorld.com to read the full interview with Elwood Francis.
