ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock.The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969. Musician Billy Gibbons and drummer Dan Mitchell, originally in a band called the Moving Sidewalks, got together with bassist Lanier Greig (soon replaced by Billy Ethridge), to form ZZ Top. In 1969, Ethridge and Mitchell were replaced by Dusty Hill and (the beardless) Frank Beard from the band American Blues. The band soon began developing a following in Texas.
Although they returned in 1979 and the band signed a new deal with Warner Bros. Records (taking the rights to their London recordings with them), it was not until the band released 1983's Eliminator that they reached a new height in popularity, selling over 10 million copies.Throughout the late 1980s, the band made several hits and won several awards for music videos like "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man".
After over 40 years of performing with the same members, the band continues to tour and record music. ZZ Top has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, including 25 million albums in the US alone The band scored eight Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, six number one Mainstream Rock hits, and three MTV Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
The band's name was rumored to have derived from Zig-Zag and TOP rolling papers. Gibbons, however, revealed the true origin of the group's name in his autobiographical book Billy F Gibbons: Rock + Roll Gearhead. The book mentions an apartment that Gibbons lived in, with a row of flyers on a wall. Taking notice of Z. Z. Hill and B. B. King posters, Gibbons favored "ZZ" and "King," and came up with "ZZ King," though it was too much like the guitarist's name.
Coming to the conclusion that B.B. King was on the "top," Gibbons settled with the name "ZZ Top." Meanwhile, Hill and Beard formed the band American Blues with Hill's brother Rocky Hill, which was based on blues and psychedelic rock. Hill and Beard moved to Houston in 1968. Two years later, they met with Gibbons, who had dropped Mitchell and Ethridge from the group. After finalizing the lineup, they hired Bill Ham as their manager, who secured a record deal with London Records. ZZ Top played their first gig in Beaumont, Texas at the Knights of Columbus Hall on February 10, 1970, which was booked by rock DJ Al Caldwell.