ZZ Top, “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas” will be topping the bill and playing the songs that have made the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers American music icons in the forefront of blues-based rock for more than 40 years. The band’s line-up of Billy F. Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard has been intact all that time – a feat unequalled in the annals of music history. Their catalog of massive hits includes “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Legs,” “Tush,” “LaGrange” and more. It is expected they’ll preview new material from their forthcoming release over the course of THE GANG OF OUTLAWS Tour.
The genius of ZZ Top is that they’re reverential about the blues, but loose and funny about the subject matter of their songs that are laden with pop-culture references, double entendres and the determined pursuit of a good time as reflected in such as “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” “Party on the Patio,” “Pearl Necklace,” “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers,” and “Heard It on the X.” For many, ZZ Top is the premiere party band on the planet. Certainly, they have been Texas’ foremost cultural ambassadors, and officially recognized as such when the Texas House of Representatives named the Official Heroes of the State. More recently they received the Medal of Arts from the Texas Cultural Trust.
Formed in 1969, the trio released its first album, fittingly titled “ZZ Top’s First Album”, and played their first show in 1970. Their second album, “Rio Grande Mud” (1971), staked out their bluesy, no-frills territory and gave them a chart hit with “Francine.” ZZ Top solidified their sound on “Tres Hombres” (1973) by recording in Memphis. “Tres Hombres”’ key track, “La Grange,” was a growling boogie about the same place celebrated in THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS: The Chicken Ranch.
The band quickly built a word-of-mouth fan base on the road, and nonstop touring in turn propelled record sales. “Tres Hombres” reached #8 and became the first in an unbroken string of eleven gold and platinum albums. The next two albums – “Fandango!” (1975) and “Tejas” (1977) – hit #10 and #17, respectively. “Fandango!” yielded the hard-driving “Tush,” which became ZZ Top’s first Top 40 single. Three years later, they returned with a fiery new album, “Deguello” (1979) filled with instant classics such as “Cheap Sunglasses,” “Fool for Your Stockings,” “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide,” and their remake of Sam and Dave’s “I Thank You.” “El Loco” (1981) yielded another naughty anthem with “Tube Snake Boogie” and poised them for a phenomenal explosion in popularity.
In the 1980s, ZZ Top augmented their sound with electronics and were “discovered” by MTV. “Eliminator”, whose title and cover were inspired by Gibbons’ hot-rod ’34 Ford coupe, became one of the biggest albums of the decade, selling more than 10 million copies. Three of its songs – “Gimme All Your Lovin’” (#37), “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs” (#8) – were radio, video and club hits. With its leggy, model-strewn video, “Legs” remains the biggest single of ZZ Top’s career.
Now regarded as international superstars, the group followed “Eliminator” with “Afterburner” (1985), which yielded four Top 40 hits: “Sleeping Bag” (#8), “Stages” (#23), “Rough Boy” (#22) and “Velcro Fly” (#35). Recycler (1990) completed the trilogy that had commenced with “Eliminator” and several instant classics – “Give It Up,” “Doubleback,” “My Head’s in Mississippi” – to the repertoire.
Other later releases included greatest hits compilations and “Antenna” (1993), “Rhythmeen” (1996), “XXX” (1999), “Mescalero” (2003) and “Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top” (2004). A long anticipated new ZZ Top album, as yet untitled, is expected to be released later this year.
ZZ Top will be partnering with southern alternative rock’s hugely successful 3 Doors Down, straight out of Escatawpa, Mississippi. The group, consisting of Brad Arnold, Matt Roberts, Todd Harrell, Chris Henderson and Greg Upchurch, will bring its multi-platinum catalog of hits and album tracks to the tour.
From that first explosive burst of “Kryptonite” which ignited their storied career at the top of last decade, to subsequent multi-platinum albums, and a non-stop touring regimen that finds 3 Doors Down still notching shows around the world at a record pace, the group has also earned a hard-fought pedigree as one of rock’s most exciting and authentic radio icons. Their impressive and steady ascension up the ladder has seen them score multiple #1 hits including “Kryptonite,” “When I’m Gone” and “Here Without You,” snag several Billboard and other awards and log scores of sold-out shows over a growing global terrain that is nearing 40 countries. The group’s latest chart topper “It’s Not My Time.”
ZZ Top and 3 Doors Down will be at the Seminole Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida on Tuesday June 12, 2012.
ZZ Top and 3 Doors Down will be at the Seminole Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida on Tuesday June 12, 2012.
