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The Latest Breaking News from Dusty Hill

ZZ Top returns to the stage days after drummer Frank Beard's death

ZZ Top resumed their The Big One! Tour over the weekend just days after the death of drummer Frank Beard.

BANG Premier · Aug 24

Frank Beard obituary

Drummer with ZZ Top for more than five decades whose mastery of the ‘Texas shuffle’ was central to their sound

The Guardian - UK · Aug 20

ZZ Top Drummer Frank Beard Dies at 77: Billy Gibbons Shares Heartfelt Tribute Following Passing

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard has died at 77. The band cancels shows but plans to continue touring in his honour, with tributes pouring in from fans and musicians.

International Business Times UK · Aug 19

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
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Billy Gibbons vows ZZ Top will continue performing, following drummer Frank Beard's death

Gibbons confirmed that, as per Beard's wishes, the band is going to “keep on keeping on”, with a Texas show scheduled for this weekend

Guitar World · Aug 19

Frank Beard, ZZ Top drummer, dies aged 77: "I made him jam for eight hours straight until his tongue just fell out. By the time we stopped, we both knew we had a band"

Billy Gibbons hails "great friend and collaborator"

MusicRadar · Aug 19

'One of the most naturally innovative drummers': ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies aged 77

Beard was the rock band’s drummer for 56 years. He kept the tempo for the band’s biggest hits like 'Sharp Dressed Man' and 'Gimme All Your Lovin''.

Euronews · Aug 19

Frank Beard Died in Hospice After Leaving ZZ Top Tour: Will the Band Continue Without Him?

Frank Beard, ZZ Top's drummer for over 50 years, has died at 77. Despite his passing, the band plans to continue touring, honouring Beard's wishes.

International Business Times UK · Aug 19

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Frank Beard was the enigma at the heart of ZZ Top. "I never wanted to quit ZZ Top. And I never wanted to get fired"

Frank Beard was cool, calm and collected - but ZZ Top’s human metronome had his dark times

Louder · Aug 19

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dead at 77

The ZZ Top drummer sat out recent shows due to health issues

Louder · Aug 18

ZZ Top star Frank Beard hailed as ‘innovative drummer’ after death aged 77

Beard was famed for his role in the rock group.

Evening Standard · Aug 18

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard has died at the age of 77.

BANG Premier · Aug 18

ZZ Top's 'insurmountable obstacles' force last-minute Hollywood Bowl cancellation

Fans were left stunned after the veteran rock band called off its Los Angeles concert just hours before taking to the stage, with no further explanation beyond "unforeseen personnel matters".

BANG Premier · Aug 6

“I don’t belong on TV, I should be in a circus!”: How ZZ Top’s Afterburner continued one of the most unlikely success stories of the 80s

ZZ Top hit big with Eliminator. So they repeated the formula with Afterburner

Louder · Jul 18

“As for the lyrics, it’s not exactly Bob Dylan. But it felt good from a musician standpoint”: How a half-live album, a monster hit and a travelling zoo helped three Texas icons play to 1.2 million people

Buffalo, buzzards and Tush? ZZ Top’s Fandango album saw the Little Ol’ Band From Texas go nationwide

Louder · Jul 4

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MusicRadar · Jun 29

“We discovered pretty early on that we were not going to succeed by trying to emulate the likes of Bob Dylan. There are some very strange things on ZZ Top records”: Billy Gibbons on ZZ’s blues roots, ’80s mega-hits and their unique “sense of weird”

“In Texas there’s still a little of that gunslinger mentality in the air”

Louder · Jun 10

"We were increasingly attracted to the beats, yet the Allman Brothers remain some of our biggest heroes." How ZZ Top mixed Depeche Mode and southern rock to deliver one of the biggest songs of 1983

The story of Sharp Dressed Man, the second of the Eliminator video trilogy that catapulted ZZ Top into pop culture superstardom

Guitar World · Apr 13

“Jeff Beck arranged delivery with Marshall’s first factory arrival into the States, loading ZZ Top’s stage with stacks”: Billy Gibbons tells the tale of how an accident with a knife –and a British guitar great – set them up to conquer the ’80s

How Billy Gibbons unleashed the power of his holy grail '59 Les Paul Standard for the Texan blues-rock legend's “in-between” classic, El Loco –and set the stage for ZZ Top's domination of the decade

Guitar World · Mar 16

“We were still gluing the fur on the tuning keys when the FedEx driver showed up”: Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac and ZZ Top basses top the biggest four-string sales at historic Jim Irsay auction

The late billionaire’s sensational instrument collection has gone under the hammer, including some very notable basses

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BANG Premier · Jan 7

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons claims Gillette offered him and Dusty Hill 1m to shave beards for an advert

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons has claimed safety razors company Gillette offered him and his late, great bandmate Dusty Hill $1 million each to shave off their famous long beards for an advert, but the company deny the claim.

MusicRadar · Sep 26, 2025

“Even today, that instrument is fascinating. I’ve passed it around and players of all sorts have all come to the same conclusion – there is something magic in that instrument”: Billy Gibbons on why Pearly Gates is one of the greatest Les Pauls of all time

All Gibson Les Paul Standards from 1959 are special but what is it about the ZZ Top frontman's Pearly Gates that makes it so unique? As Gibbons says, it might be something entirely supernatural

MusicRadar · Sep 2, 2025

“I said, ‘Rick, you think we should take a break?’ And he goes, ‘Oh yeah, we got it on tape three hours ago – we just like hearing you guys play!’”: ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons describes Rick Rubin as a “peculiar” kind of producer

Plus: how the Texan trio created something new out of an old hip-hop track

The Independent UK · Mar 17, 2025

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard quits tour to address ‘health issue’

Longtime drummer will be absent from the band’s forthcoming tour, a statement said

Louder · Oct 29, 2024

ZZ Top announce Elevation Tour dates for 2025

The shows will hopefully give fans another chance to behold the majesty of Elwood Francis's 17-string bass

Guitar World · Jul 24, 2024

“Billy Gibbons pulls out this big-ass yellow 17-string bass and he’s like, ‘Okay, we’ll play it for a song, right?’” ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis on teching for Joe Perry, lying to Steve Vai – and the curse of playing that viral 17-string bass

The gear-trashing DIY enthusiast once had to choose between Vai and Joe Perry, before being fired and rehired by Guns N’ Roses –in a matter of days

Guitar World · Jul 18, 2024

“I said to Billy, ‘We should order one of these, and I’ll play it. It’ll be hilarious.’ Then it went viral. I hate playing that bass. Now I’ve got to play it every night”: Elwood Francis on why he regrets his 17-string bass becoming a ZZ Top staple

Elwood Francis reveals the origins of his preposterous 17-string bass – and why he’s disappointed it went viral

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