ZZ Top rocks 'n' rolls into NWA

By: Lauren James

Posted: 10/3/07

Hot rods, cheap sunglasses, fishnet stockings, legs and sharp clothing might seem like a thing of the past on the music scene, but ZZ Top, the trio that popularized such things, has continued to rock audiences with classic anthems and signature style.

A show that has been desired by many is finally making its way to Fayetteville, as ZZ Top will be the premiere artist of the eighth annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ.

Geology graduate student Ryan Dupree is a classic rock fan and is taking advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the rock legends. "Anytime I get a chance to see a major classic rock band like ZZ Top, I go for it because they don't come around very often," Dupree said. "They're like a dying breed these days."

ZZ Top has in many ways transformed rock and created a heavy following for more than 30 years with their Texas flare, long beards, rotating fur-lined guitars and songs about the fast life.

The boogie and blues trio from Texas consists of guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard. Rival bands the Moving Sidewalks, formerly consisting of Gibbons, and American Blues, formerly consisting of Hill and Beard, joined rock forces as ZZ Top in 1969 in the Houston area.

ZZ Top lists blues legends Freddie King, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins as major influences.

The band signed with London Records, recording label of the Rolling Stones, and released the 1970 album ZZ Top's First Album and 1971 album Rio Grande Mud, which brought heavy blues roots and country rock to the surface of mainstream music. Their 1973 album Tres Hombres, however, gained widespread attention with the hit "La Grange," a toe-tapping rock anthem with its signature riff and heavy rhythmic hooks.

Tres Hombres landed a Top 10 spot on the Billboard charts and became the first in a series of 11 gold and platinum albums, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Web site. The latter albums Fandago! of 1975, which yielded the major Top 40 hit "Tush," and Tejas of 1977, made the Top 20 charts.

Their first international tour "Worldwide Texas Tour: Taking Texas to the People" took concerts to new heights with its circus-esque extravaganza filled with native animals of Texas such as buffalos, buzzards, rattlesnakes, longhorn steers. More than 75 tons of equipment, including a Texas-shaped stage, was hauled around the globe, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Web site.

After the extensive international tour, ZZ Top took a three-year hiatus and returned on the Warner Bros. record label in 1979 with the album Deguello, which was filled with instant hits, such as "Cheap Sunglasses" and "Fool for Your Stockings."

ZZ Top dominated the '80s as they discovered the digital synthesizer and became an American staple on the new channel MTV. Gibbons' hot-rod, '34 red Ford coupe inspired the title and cover of Eliminator, the group's seventh album and one of the biggest selling albums of the decade. The album, which appealed to fans of many genres with its use of synthesizers and heavy chords, included the major radio and video hits "Gimme All Your Lovin," "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs."

The trio followed with the album Afterburner, another successful feat for the group, yielding the four Top 40 hits "Sleeping Bag," "Stages," "Rough Boy" and "Velcro Fly."

ZZ Top continued to be successful throughout the '90s and earned an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

The trio began their first national tour in years July 14 in Woodlands, Texas, and will end on the West Coast November 14 in Coachella, Calif.

ZZ Top will make a stop in the Natural State as their 90-minute "Greatest Hits" show will begin at 9 p.m. Friday at the Randall Tyson Track Center with the doors opening at 7 p.m. The highly anticipated show will begin with southern rock band Blackberry Smoke at 8 p.m.

The Lynyrd Skynyrd-inspired quartet Blackberry Smoke consists of Charlie Starr and Paul Jackson on guitar and vocals, Richard Turner on bass and vocals and Brit Turner on drums. The band originates from Lanett, Ala., home of Starr; LaGrange, Ga., home to Jackson; and Atlanta, home of the Turner brothers.

TaylorMack Advertising is promoting the rock show as a part of eighth annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ. Liz Boch, copywriter for TaylorMack, said she expects to have a large turnout. "In the first few days of ticket sales, more than 4,800 tickets were sold, which is almost half of the maximum capacity of the center," she said.

The Ticketmaster Web Site began selling the general admission tickets on Sept. 21 for $39.50.