Billy Gibbons on today's ZZ Top

Bass player Elwood Frances is the newest member of ZZ Top, replacing Dusty Hill who died in 2021. The band didn’t have to look far to find Elwood, he has been Billy Gibbons’ guitar tech for years. Elwood grew the beard in tribute to his predecessor.

‘The goal remains the same: Get to the next destination and crank it up’

DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE

From Belton to Bangkok to Brisbane, the boys of ZZ Top traveled the world together for more than 50 years.

Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard rode together, ate together, partied together and played together. In short, ZZ Top spent a heck of a lot of time as a close-knit band.

“Lots of time together is exactly the way to express it,” Billy said earlier today. “After spending open-ended swaths of hours on end with specific people, you really get to know what’s up. Behaviors become unsettlingly predictable. When one of us makes a sudden left turn on stage, we can actually anticipate it. I think after all the time we spent together, our DNA may have changed.”

ZZ Top was formed in Houston in late 1969 when elements of two local bands decided to join forces. The chemistry between Gibbons, Hill and Beard was immediate, and soon the trio hit the road to bring their rock-infused blues to the masses one bar at a time.