Happy Birthday today (Dec. 16) to guitarist and lead singer Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. He’s 69.
Billy Gibbons formed ZZ Top in 1969. Prior to ZZ Top, he played in psychedelic blues rock band the Moving Sidewalks and opened up for the Jimi Hendrix Experience on four tour dates. ZZ Top’s reputation as a hard-rocking power trio was solidified by solid album releases and extensive touring. The band released their first album in 1971 and followed that up with Rio Grande Mud in 1972 and Tres Hombres in 1973. The 1980’s were huge for the band with the release of their biggest albums, Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985). Recycler would follow in 1990. Hit singles and music videos would dominate MTV including “Legs”, “Gimme All Your Lovin'”, and “Sharp Dressed Man”. Gibbons ranked number 32 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He released his debut solo album Perfectamundo on in 2015.
I've seen ZZ Top many times over the years including a tour with Kid Rock a few years back. Billy Gibbons is a phenomenal guitarist and always great to see. Cheers to Billy Gibbons on his birthday today! With the holidays here, check out a cool video of Billy Gibbons, Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performing the Chuck Berry holiday classic "Run Rudolph Run".
Photo credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images