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ZZ Top

May 15, 2014 by strictlyrock Leave a Comment

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In Houston, Texas, 1969, after the band Moving Sidewalks had broken up guitarist/singer Billy Gibbons joined forces with bassist/singer Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard whose band, American Blues, had also recently run its course. The guys reportedly chose the name ZZ Top in reference to B.B. King, who they admired. “Top,” was chosen because the “King,” would have supposedly been at the top. The band made their debut in 1970 and gigged throughout Texas in the years that followed. After signing with London Records, ZZ Top released the appropriately titled “ZZ Top’s First Album,” on January 16th, 1971. Although the album didn’t break any sales records, it did produce the single, “ (Somebody Else Been) Shaking Your Tree,” which claimed the number 50 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts.

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After getting slightly more creative with the title, the band released their follow up album “Rio Grande Mud,” on April 4th 1972. The album peaked at number 104 on the charts and helped build their fan base. By January of 1973 the boys had gone from playing around the Lone Star State, to opening for the legendary Rolling Stones in Hawaii. Not surprisingly the band’s third attempt struck “Gold.” “Tres Hombres,” released on July 26th, 1973 made it all the way to the number 8 position on the charts and with help from songs like “Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers,” “Master of Sparks,” and the now classic hit single “La Grange,” the record earned the band its first gold record, selling over 100,000 copies in the US alone.

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The band’s 1975 release “Fandango!” was a mix of both studio recorded tracks and live performance material, proving the band was just as capable of delivering their now famous sound in a live setting, as they were in the studio. Despite the fact that the album charted slightly lower than its predecessor, it produced what is undoubtedly one of the band’s biggest hits, “Tush.” With a growing number of crowd pleasers, the band toured substantially but still found time to record and release the 1976 album “Tejas.” After overcoming difficulties regarding record contracts, ZZ Top returned in 1979 releasing “Deguello,” with their new record label, Warner Bros. The album produced the unforgettable song, “Cheap Sunglasses.” It was also around this time that Billy and Dusty started sporting what are now their trademark beards.

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To accompany their “crazy” facial hair the guys released their 7th studio album “El Loco.” The record included songs such as “Tube Snake Boogie,” and “Pearl Necklace,” but was mere blip on the radar in terms of sales compared to their next album. Released on March 23rd, 1983 “Eliminator,” was far and away ZZ Top’s most successful album. Featuring the singles, “TV Dinners,” “Legs,” “Got Me Under Pressure,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” and “Gimmie All Your Lovin’,” “Eliminator” sold more than 10 million copies in the United States alone. Taking full advantage of the newly created MTV channel, the band released music videos for the songs “Legs,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” and “Sharp Dressed Man.” The track “Thug,” was also later featured in the blockbuster video game “Grand Theft Auto IV.”

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Two years later the band released the album “Afterburner.” Peaking at number 4 on the charts, it too was incredibly successful, being certified 5x’s Platinum. With a title that surely made Al Gore smile, ZZ Top next released “Recycler.” The album sold well and produced music videos for the songs “My Head’s In Mississippi,” “Burger Man,” and “Give it Up.” “Recycler” would be the band’s final release with Warner Bros. In 1994, they signed with RCA Records and released “Antenna,” which became a number 1 album in Sweden. The band finished out the 1990’s by releasing “Rythmeen,” in 1996 and “XXX,” in 1999. Their last studio album to date has been “Mescalero,” in 2003. ZZ Top was, quite deservingly, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, by none other than Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. ZZ Top is currently playing with fellow rock legends Aerosmith and have numerous dates planned across the United States and Canada.

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100 Greatest Rock & Roll Bands

  1. The Beatles
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. Jimi Hendrix
  5. Elvis Presley
  6. The Who
  7. U2
  8. Pink Floyd
  9. The Doors
  10. The Police
  11. Elton John
  12. Metallica
  13. AC/DC
  14. Van Halen
  15. Nirvana
  16. Guns N' Roses
  17. Santana
  18. The Allman Brothers Band
  19. Bon Jovi
  20. David Bowie
  21. Grateful Dead
  22. Rush
  23. Yes
  24. Black Sabbath
  25. Bob Dylan
  26. James Brown
  27. The Beach Boys
  28. Eric Clapton
  29. Fleetwood Mac
  30. The Eagles
  31. Bob Marley
  32. Van Morrison
  33. Bruce Springsteen
  34. The Clash
  35. Queen
  36. Janis Joplin
  37. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  38. R.E.M.
  39. The Kinks
  40. Steely Dan
  41. Steve Miller Band
  42. Jethro Tull
  43. Tool
  44. The Scorpions
  45. Coldplay
  46. Stone Temple Pilots
  47. Rod Stewart
  48. Marilyn Manson
  49. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  50. KISS
  51. The Pretenders
  52. Green Day
  53. Aerosmith
  54. Tina Turner
  55. Pearl Jam
  56. Ted Nugent
  57. Pantera
  58. Motörhead
  59. Judas Priest
  60. ZZ Top
  61. Megadeth
  62. Motley Crue
  63. Alice Cooper
  64. Def Leppard
  65. Iron Maiden
  66. Billy Idol
  67. Journey
  68. Anthrax
  69. Rage Against the Machine
  70. Blue Oyster Cult
  71. Alice in Chains
  72. Genesis
  73. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  74. Chuck Berry
  75. Buddy Holly
  76. Little Richard
  77. Elvis Costello
  78. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  79. Sex Pistols
  80. Cream
  81. Frank Zappa
  82. Talking Heads
  83. Stevie Ray Vaughan
  84. Billy Joel
  85. The Band
  86. Ramones
  87. Lynyrd Skynyrd
  88. Jerry Lee Lewis
  89. Doobie Brothers
  90. Foo Fighters
  91. The Cure
  92. Soundgarden
  93. Iggy Pop
  94. Peter Gabriel
  95. The Byrds
  96. Traffic
  97. Deep Purple
  98. Blondie
  99. Velvet Underground
  100. Heart

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