ZZ Top is a top-notch rock group rooted in Blues and R&B riffs, noted as music for the long beards of brothers Billy & Dusty Gibbons, and the drummer Frank Beard, who despite his name doesn't have a beard. They initially launched on the national scene with songs like "La Grange" and "Tush" and had great albums like Fandango and Tres Hombres. By the 1980s, they added synthesizers - like everyone did - adopted the legendary 1933 Ford Coupe that became the "Eliminator" car for their Eliminator album, and even added fuzzy guitars for a while. The effect was their biggest strings of hits yet. From their roots to today, they've remained a Texas staple, three-piece rock band. And now, ZZ Top is celebrating 50 years together.
So what do you do? Not only go on tour, but craft a documentary, right? That's what they did. With the forthcoming doc ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas, Dusty, Billy, and Frank discuss how they brought their surreal spin on rock and roll and Texas culture to the mainstream. The film will premiere August 13th at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, with a wider released planned for select cities later this fall. But the trailer for it is out now.
Directed by Sam Dunn, That Little Ol’ Band From Texas (they've been referred to as "Those Little Ol' Boys from Texas" for a long time) will offer an in-depth overview of ZZ Top’s career and how they went from an oddball blues rock trio in Houston, Texas to international superstars and MTV staples by the early Eighties. Along with interviews, the documentary will include never-before-seen archival footage, animation and a special performance at the oldest dance hall in Texas, Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, that was shot specifically for the film.
After the August 13th premiere of the documentary, ZZ Top hits the roads for their 50th Anniversary Tour. It kicks off August 16th in Ridgefield, Washington and wraps November 9th in Shreveport, Louisiana. The tour includes a Milwaukee stop at the BMO Harris Pavilion, with Cheap Trick as the opener, on September 4th.
Check out the trailer here!:
The "Boys from Texas" also appeared on CBS Sunday Morning to discuss "Goin' 50" recently. Here's how that went:
Now, let's enjoy some of their legendary videos from the '80s!
Sharp Dressed Man:
Gimme All Your Lovin':
Legs: