Timeline : ZZ Top
Dusty Hill (bassist, keyboardist, co-vocalist of ZZ Top) is born Joseph Michael Hill in Dallas, Texas.
ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard is born in Frankston, Texas. When his bandmates Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill grow outlandish beards in the late '70s, Beard remains clean-shaven.
Billy Gibbons (guitarist, lead vocalist of ZZ Top) is born in Houston, Texas. He makes frequent trips to New Orleans, where he develops the funky blues sound the band becomes known for.
At the Toledo Speedway Jam II in Toledo, Ohio, ZZ Top headline the show with AC/DC, Sammy Hagar and Humble Pie on the undercard. (Also advertised on the poster: 800 kegs of beer, drinking age 18 in Ohio!) It is the last time AC/DC is a support act until 2003, when they open for The Rolling Stones.
ZZ Top release their album Eliminator, which features Billy Gibbons' custom hot rod on the cover. Thanks to videos for "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" featuring the car and various babes, they become unlikely MTV stars, earning a new generation of fans.More
ZZ Top release their video for "Gimme All Your Lovin'," marking the first appearance of the Eliminator, Billy Gibbons' 1933 Ford Hot Rod. The car appears in three other ZZ Top videos and becomes closely associated with the band. Gibbons has another one built just like it to bring on tour.More
Dusty Hill of ZZ Top is shot in the stomach when his girlfriend pulls off his boot and his .38-caliber derringer falls out and discharges. The bullet is designed not to exit, but to do internal damage, which is bad news; he makes it to the hospital where doctors remove most of it, but fragments remain in his back.
Host Johnny Carson and his bandleader Doc Severinsen wear fake beards in honor of ZZ Top, who perform "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Tush" on The Tonight Show.More
Promoting their space-themed Afterburner record, ZZ Top join the Pan Am "First Moon Flights" Club, booking passage on what is announced as the first passenger flight to the moon. Their lunar journey never happens: The airline goes out of business in 1991.
ZZ Top appear in Back to the Future Part III, playing an Old West-themed rendition of their #1 rock hit "Doubleback" when Marty McFly travels to 1885 to rescue Doc Brown. The regular version plays over the closing credits. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers also reprises his role as Marty's nemesis Needles.
Governor Ann Richards declares "ZZ Top Day" in Texas, honoring the group for "bringing the powerful beat of Texas boogie to enthusiastic audiences across the globe."
ZZ Top's album Eliminator is certified Diamond for sales of 10 million copies in America.
ZZ Top, James Brown and The Blues Brothers perform at the Super Bowl XXXI halftime show in New Orleans.
On The Drew Carey Show episode "In Ramada Da Vida," Slash, Lisa Loeb, Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, Dave Mustaine, Jonny Lang, Joey Ramone, Joe Walsh and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen audition for Drew's band, which has a gig at the Ramada Inn. Walsh gets the job.
In Houston, Texas, Dusty Hill of ZZ Top marries Charleen McCrory. He looks sharp, but we can't tell if there's a black tie under that beard.
The Compaq Center in Houston closes with a final concert by ZZ Top, who performed there when it was known as The Summit. The venue is acquired by Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church.
The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inducts Bob Seger, George Harrison, The Dells, ZZ Top, Jackson Browne, Prince, and Traffic at their annual ceremony in New York City.
At age 55, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top gets married for the first time, taking longtime girlfriend Gilligan Stillwater as his bride.
In Houston, Joe Walsh stages the first annual VetsAid concert to assist veterans. He's joined on the bill by ZZ Top, Sheryl Crow and The Doobie Brothers.
Dusty Hill of ZZ Top dies at 72, ending a 52-year run where the band's lineup was always Hill, Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard.
Frank Beard, ZZ Top's drummer since 1969, dies at 77, leaving frontman Billy Gibbons as the last member from their classic lineup.
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