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The Latest Breaking News from ZZ Top

“These performances present him at his very best – and they’re thrilling to hear”: Blues gold unearthed as rare Freddie King live performance surfaces after 50 years

In October 1975, the Texas Cannonball wowed a French audience with a blues masterclass, and the recordings have been restored

Guitar World

“It is one of the most difficult guitar solos to mimic… I started playing it because I had gotten close, and Buddy Guy turned around, smiling. He knew it note for note”: Billy Gibbons on the tip Buddy Guy gave him after they jammed a T-Bone Walker classic

Blues guitar's greatest showman shared a little stagecraft after the ZZ Top man's cameo during a live show

MusicRadar

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons claims Gillette offered him and Dusty Hill 1m to shave beards for an advert

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons has claimed safety razors company Gillette offered him and his late, great bandmate Dusty Hill $1 million each to shave off their famous long beards for an advert, but the company deny the claim.

BANG Premier

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“I’m a big Slash fan but ya gotta admit John stole the show”: Remembering the night tres hombres by the name of John Mayer, Slash and Billy Gibbons gave ZZ Top’s La Grange a triple-guitar glow-up

Iconic headgear, iconic players, a gnarly Texan blues-rock groove and a legendary all-star guitar jam came to Hollywood’s House of Blues in 2009

Guitar World

“I was playing the Fender Strat that Jimi Hendrix gave me. We wound up plugging the guitar straight into the board. That’s why it’s such a clean tone on that track”: Billy Gibbons on the making of ZZ Top's greatest blues song

"For some reason the guitar wasn’t working through the amp," Gibbons recalled

MusicRadar

"I'm gonna go find some people and we’re gonna rock": Why country star Brent Cobb revisited the music of his youth on new album Ain't Rocked In A While

For his new album, American country music veteran Brent Cobb looked back to his youth and took inspiration from AC/DC and Black Sabbath

Louder

“My dad stepped in to greet the ensemble – and then in came The King”: Billy Gibbons shares the story of the “treasured moment” he sat in on a B.B. King session – as a child

Long before he got the chance to pick it up for himself, the ZZ Top man found himself in a truly formative session with an icon of electric guitar

Guitar World

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“We missed him and are looking forward to turning it up and rocking out with him”: ZZ Top confirm Frank Beard is back

“Welcome back, pardner” says Billy Gibbons

MusicRadar

A Judas Priest documentary co-directed by Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello is in the works

The Brummie stars have announced The Ballad Of Judas Priest – produced by Iron Maiden, Rush and ZZ Top collaborators Banger Films – but kept tight-lipped regarding a release date

Metal Hammer

“Dime is in there. I have a big Eddie Van Halen influence. The same goes for Eric Clapton. It all channels back to the blues”: Mark Morton explains why he’s jamming with Grace Bowers and Jason Isbell on his solo album – and those Gibson signature rumors

His second solo album, Without The Pain, features Troy Sanders, Jason Isbell, Jared James Nichols, Grace Bowers and a stack of guitars from his frighteningly valuable collection

Guitar World

"We were just hanging out on the beach and sipping cool libations; Keith Richards was totally living the rock’n’roll lifestyle": Billy Gibbons’ wild tales of The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters and Ministry

Meet the only man to have played with Hendrix, the Stones and Chad Kroeger from Nickelback

Louder

“There was chicken-wire around the stage. Al Jourgensen was climbing around like a caged beast. I knew this was a guy for me”: Billy Gibbons’ wild tales of Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Muddy Waters and Ministry

Meet the only man to have played with Hendrix, the Stones and Chad Kroeger from Nickelback

Louder

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard quits tour to address ‘health issue’

Longtime drummer will be absent from the band’s forthcoming tour, a statement said

The Independent UK

“I said, ‘The only way we can play 40 minutes is if we include Purple Haze.’ This guy grabbed me and said, ‘You got a lot of nerve!’” Billy Gibbons once covered Jimi Hendrix hits while supporting Hendrix on tour – and the guitar hero watched

Few players would have had the nerves to cover Hendrix while supporting him on tour, but Gibbons is made of sterner stuff – and the bold move sparked a lasting friendship

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“That’s 15 less than I’m used to….” ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis was saddled with his 17-string bass after a joke appearance went viral – now he’s experimenting with a 2-string build

The former guitar tech turned ’Top man is continuing to tinker with his live setup, with amusing results

Guitar World

“Would I play it for a whole show? Absolutely not! I’m so happy to get that thing off. It’s brutal”: ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis on his latest weird bass acquisition – the 15-string ‘High Selecta’ bass

The guitar tech-turned-band member already struggled with a 17-string monstrosity, before adding a 15-string to his arsenal – and says he can’t forget his days cleaning the band’s fuzzy guitars

Metal Hammer

"My first concert was The Black Crowes, but my second was ZZ Top. That would've been the cooler answer!" Brat's Liz Selfish: 10 Records That Changed My Life

From Eyehategod and A Day To Remember to 50 Cent and Dave Matthews Band, these songs have shaped Brat vocalist Liz Selfish

Louder

Las Vegas honours ZZ Top icon with special ceremony for 'Billy Gibbons Day'

Billy Gibbons' home town of Las Vegas, Nevada, rolls out the red carpet with City Hall ceremony for ZZ Top star

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Guitar World

“We were opening for ZZ Top at Madison Square Garden. I told the guys, ‘I’ll go out there and blow for 60 seconds, then we’ll go into the first tune.’ I hit the first chord and my Marshall blew up”: Richie Sambora on Bon Jovi's nightmare arena debut

Reflecting on the experience decades later, Sambora said that – embarrassing as they are in the moment – mishaps like that are “what shape you as a pro”

Louder

ZZ Top announce Elevation Tour dates for 2025

The shows will hopefully give fans another chance to behold the majesty of Elwood Francis's 17-string bass

Inverse

'Deadpool & Wolverine's Viral Opening Scene Was Almost Completely Different

The picture editor for 'Deadpool & Wolverine' had a hand in crafting the opening dance scene to NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye," which nearly was set to a totally different song.

Guitar World

“Billy Gibbons pulls out this big-ass yellow 17-string bass and he’s like, ‘Okay, we’ll play it for a song, right?’” ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis on teching for Joe Perry, lying to Steve Vai – and the curse of playing that viral 17-string bass

The gear-trashing DIY enthusiast once had to choose between Vai and Joe Perry, before being fired and rehired by Guns N’ Roses –in a matter of days

MusicRadar

“I found it late at night while surfing on one of those Chinese websites. I couldn't believe they were making something like that”: How ZZ Top acquired their 17-string bass

How ZZ Top got hold of their 17-string bass

Guitar World

“I said to Billy, ‘We should order one of these, and I’ll play it. It’ll be hilarious.’ Then it went viral. I hate playing that bass. Now I’ve got to play it every night”: Elwood Francis on why he regrets his 17-string bass becoming a ZZ Top staple

Elwood Francis reveals the origins of his preposterous 17-string bass – and why he’s disappointed it went viral

The Guardian - UK

Best podcasts of the week: Esther Perel’s love letter to romance

In this week’s newsletter: The audio superstar is back with a ‘beach read’ of a podcast, The Arc of Love. Plus: five of the best podcasts about death

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