“I thought Billy was the coolest guitarist I’d ever heard, and that opinion hasn’t changed in 50 years”: Add some Texas blues sizzle to your lead playing with this lesson in Billy Gibbons' sweet soloing style

Billy Gibbons gives it the thumbs up onstage – he has his black custom Gretsch, wears shades and a wide-brimmed hat.

While ZZ Top achieved mainstream success and worldwide aclaim with the stream of hits that came from their Eliminator album in 1983, they had long been Texas blues-rock trailblazers. And it’s a testament to Billy Gibbons’ stong musical identity that he’s still seen as an influence in his genre, over 40 years on.

Talking to Brian May about his impressions of Gibbons, the Queen guitarist told me: “I first heard Billy Gibbons because of Noddy Holder, the singer of Slade, in the 1970s. He had a couple of ZZ Top albums and was mad keen on the group.