Billy Gibbons: Houston’s Riff Master

Today is the birthday of Billy Gibbons. He is 77 today.

William Frederick Gibbons was born in Houston, Texas on December 16, 1949. His father was a professional musician and orchestra conductor. Billy grew up in a house full of music and discovered the blues through Muddy Waters and B.B. King records as a teenager. He formed a series of bands in Houston before co-founding ZZ Top in 1969 with bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard. All three were born in Texas. The band has never changed its lineup. That alone is a kind of miracle in rock and roll.

The Tone That Defined Texas Rock

“La Grange” in 1973 built its entire architecture on a John Lee Hooker boogie and Gibbons’s Les Paul tone — a specific, fat, slightly distorted sound that became one of the most imitated sounds in rock history. ZZ Top had their commercial peak with Eliminator in 1983, producing “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” and “Gimme All Your Lovin'” simultaneously. Gibbons is also an obsessive car customizer — the “Eliminator” coupe in the videos was his. He is a serious art collector. He has never stopped playing, never stopped exploring the blues beneath the stadium rock. Houston gave him the start. He gave Houston the beard. Learn more on Wikipedia.