What Makes ZZ Top One Of The Greatest Bands Of All TimeWhat makes ZZ Top one of the most remembered rock and roll bands of all time? For one thing, their bad boy image and down home Blues-Rock that all started in 1970 with Dusty Hill on the bass guitar, Billy Gibbons on regular guitar, and Frank Beard on drums. They formed from other bands, Gibbons from the band Moving Sidewalks, Hill and Beard from the band American Blues. Their Texas humor and strong roots in Blues were reflected in their first two albums. It wasn't until their third album, Tres Hombres, that they gained National attention, with their signature riff tune La Grange, a hit to this day. Their success through the '70's was unchallenged and culminated in their Worldwide Texas Tour. Their success wasn't without problems, and after their overwhelming schedules and work load, they decided to take a three year hiatus, coming back even stronger than before, changing labels to El Loco and Deguello. Their next two albums, Afterburner and Eliminator, were world wide hits. Harnessing the power of synthesizers, ZZ Top added these to their groove, retaining their Texas style, while giving them a more contemporary edge. Their signature beards, boiler suits, golf hats, and classic Cherry red '33 Ford Coupe stood out from the crowds. Their unique style, throaty songs, and an abundance of hot women made guys drool and wish they were them. Their classic beards inspired a generation of people who wanted to wear their facial hair long and flowing, just like they did. Even to this day, ZZ Top are instantly recognized wherever they go, and are one of the few bands whose original members are still together, even after more than three decades. They showed up at my doorstep January 23 of 1976. Little did I know that this would be the only time a band would tell me to shut up (see my story). They got some boos for that one; but I still like ZZ Top. I like guitar driven bands and this fits them to the tee. For a three piece band they can crank it up. With classic hits like Sharp Dressed Man, and Gimme All Your Lovin, it was no surprise that they were made into music videos. Their Coupe, lovingly nicknamed, Eliminator, was always included, along with three of the most sexy and mysterious women, grabbing people from dire situations and fixing them up in the most stylish ways. There were many more top viewed videos over the next few years, like Sleeping Bag, Velcro Fly, and Rough Boy. Surely, anyone who is a fan of classic '70s rock bands has their Eliminator Album tucked away somewhere. They continue to sell CDs, both from their first days as a band, up until more recent releases. ZZ Top have appeared in famous movies like part three of Back To The Future, and have continued to make appearances, including the Orange Bowl, and the Auto Club Speedway in the early part of 2008, In May of the same year, they also performed their classic song Sharp Dressed Man with David Cook, winner of American Idol on the season finale. Recently they also played at the Texas Motor Speedway this last November, and will continue for years to come.
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