As the 1960s drew to a close, so did the Moving Sidewalks. In 1969, Gibbons sought to form a more blues / rock style band, and was ZZ Top. The band soon released their first single, “Salt Lick“and began to play live, with Gibbons as the band leader and lead vocalist.
Tree men, the band’s 1973 album, was packed with rock blues songs that shocked audiences and put the band on the map. The album reached the top 10 on the album chart and also included ZZ Top’s first Top 10 single, “La GrangeThe success of the tour led the band to begin recording songs for a live album, and Fandango! It was released in 1975. Fandango! reached the top 10 as an album, and the song “Tush“reached number 20 on the Billboard Singles Chart. With the band’s rising success, they released Roof tiles in 1976, but they found only criticism and popular indifference.
After Texas, the band decided to take a short break, which turned into a three-year hiatus. During that time, the members of the band parted ways. When they finally got together, they realized something funny: both Gibbons like bassist / vocalist Dusty Hill they had grown beards. With its new look, ZZ Top hit the studio and then released Deguello, which contained two great hits: “I thank you” Y “Cheap Sunglasses“The album was a success and took ZZ Top to their first European concert.
Eliminator It came out in 1983 and hit multiple charts with a variety of songs, fueled by additional exposure of the singles by MTV. The album sold 10 million copies and paved the way for Afterburner, which was also a commercial success (though not on a large scale) and came close to the top of the charts.
He’s also kept very busy musically, playing with the likes of Raconteurs, Jeff Beck, Kid Rock, and Queens of the Stone Age.
In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2006 Gibbons he married his longtime girlfriend, Gilligan Stillwater. In 2011, Gibbons was ranked at number 32 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.