On February 10, 1970, ZZ Top played their very first gig at a tiny Knights of Columbus Hall in Beaumont, Texas. If the scene had been any less rock ‘n’ roll, it might have felt like a rehearsal for a high school dance. The audience? Just one person, as Billy Gibbons humorously recalled. “We bought him a Coke and finished the rest of the show,” Gibbons later joked. This modest beginning was far from a prediction of the superstar success that would come, but it set the stage for the trio’s legendary run.
The early days of ZZ Top saw the lineup solidifying into the band we recognize today—Billy Gibbons on guitar and vocals, Dusty Hill on bass, and Frank Beard on drums. But their road to fame was anything but instant. The band’s first album, ZZ Top’s First Album, came in 1970, but it went unnoticed. Their next release, Rio Grande Mud in 1972, fared similarly, with little commercial success. Yet, ZZ Top wasn’t deterred. The trio was determined to find their sound, and the turning point came in 1973 with the release of Tres Hombres, their breakthrough album.
It’s hard to imagine a world without ZZ Top’s signature boogie-blues riffs, and Tres Hombres gave us the unforgettable “La Grange,” a track that would forever cement their place in rock history. Their blend of Texas blues and swampy rock struck a chord, not just in Texas but worldwide. But even in the early years, their distinctive sound was a far cry from the polished glam rock of the era. As Gibbons reflects, they were a band that needed time to grow and evolve, both musically and stylistically.
What’s fascinating is that while ZZ Top became synonymous with facial hair, in 1970, only Dusty Hill sported a beard—and it was just a hint of the legendary facial hair that would come to define the band’s look. Over time, as their popularity grew, so did their beards, becoming one of the most iconic features in rock ‘n’ roll.
ZZ Top’s rise wasn’t without its growing pains, but with albums like Tres Hombres, Fandango!, and Eliminator, they continued to push boundaries, blending blues, rock, and even synthesizers in the ’80s. From their early, humble beginnings in front of one fan to global domination, ZZ Top proved that persistence, originality, and a sense of humor would carry them through the highs and lows of their storied career.
