Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top and the deceased Dusty Hill They are known for their iconic beards, but Why did they let them grow?
ZZ Top is an American blues rock and hard rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. The band became an iconic trio formed by Billy Gibbons on guitar and voice, Dusty Hill on the bass, keyboards and also on the voice, and finally Frank Beard in the battery.
It is curious, because it is one of the few rock bands that still retains its original members after almost fifty years, until Hill’s death in 2021. They are popularly known thanks to their particular style, mainly Gibbons and Hill, who are always portrayed wearing sunglasses, similar or sometimes identical clothes and, above all, very long beards.
The story of their beards began with the word lazy, Gibbons told The Big Interview (via Loudwire) with a laugh that he would later remember throughout his career in the band.
In the middle of his career his management decided to pause and take a break after seven years of uninterrupted touring. A 90-day break ended up being extended to 120, but it didn’t end there, they extended it to two years.
““We were all dispersed, keeping in touch only by phone.”Gibbons continues, providing nuances that suggest the trio regrouping with newly minted facial hair was not a coordinated move.
The drummer’s beard was fleeting, offering a particular historical anecdote, Gibbons continues: “Now there’s a revealing photograph: our first official release for Warner Bros contained a photograph on the small cover inside their 12th album”. In reality, the only evidence of Frank Beard with a beard is hidden within that ‘Degüello’ record.
This whole beard game between Dusty and Billy started as a costume and became an indelible mark of the musical trio.
