It’s really remarkable, from all over the planet.” Billy also shared a personal sentiment about his longtime bandmate, “Not only can you not forget five decades very easily, but you certainly can’t forget a character like the Dust!” “I’ve heard from so many folks, and it’s kind of a shame that you have to lose a band member to realize just what it means to have been an important figure for our friends, fans, followers … In my text inbox, if there’s one (text), there’s 1,500-and-one. As Billy explained to Variety, “Tomorrow night, we’ll kind of pick-up sticks and carry it on … I may grab his stage hat and throw it over his microphone, and I’ll sing one for the Dust … I’m not sure how (a tribute moment) will unfold … I think it’s worthy of giving him some special moment during (the show) as we proceed” He also said the outpouring of support from fans has been touching to everyone associated with ZZ Top. It will be different, because as Billy said many times, to many interviewers, “There is no ZZ Top without Frank, Dusty and me.” One thing is certain to take place during the rest of their tour, ZZ Top will pay tribute to their fallen compadre in every performance. So, to honor the wishes of the man who held the bottom of the top for more than fifty years, ZZ Top will continue their tour. You heard Dusty’s directive as he was bowing out to go off the deck.’ He turned and pointed and he (Dusty) said, ‘Come on. In an interview with Variety, Billy Gibbons explained: “We did elect to postpone last night’s performance out of just respect and trying to get our wits together … But at the same time, everybody was ready, standing on point … And they said, ‘Come on. The speculation that the band was through and would cancel the rest of their tour scheduled through May 2022 was put to rest the next day. On the day Dusty died, the band canceled their scheduled concert in Simpsonville, South Carolina. It was the first time ever that the band had played a date without one of its original members. ‘And with Elwood to our right, rest assured ZZ Top will deliver their good time, signature show … Elwood securing the bottom end continues the delivery those famous three chords we all dig.’”Įlwood played the July 23rd concert in the Chicago suburb of New Lenox, Illinois. Elwood Francis, their trusted guitar tech of the past two decades, into play with his slide guitar, bass guitar and harmonica playing in full swing. Per Dusty’s request ‘The show must go on!’ With that directive, ZZ Top has put the services of Mr. They await a speedy recovery and have him back pronto. “The members of ZZ Top, Billy and Frank, would like to share that Dusty, their fearless Bass player, is on a short detour back to Texas, to address a hip issue. Only five days earlier, they had announced that Dusty was leaving the tour for a few days to go home to Houston: What made the news all the more shocking was that the band was on tour, their Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration Tour. Social media sites were inundated with messages of condolence. We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the ‘Top.’ We will forever be connected to that ‘Blues Shuffle in C.’ “We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX. More later.’”Ī few hours later, bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard posted a message on the band’s official website: “I hadn’t heard anything, so I sent a simple text to Billy, ‘Is it true?’ Immediately, I got a text message back from him: ‘Tis. “Several people called me about a rumor that Dusty Hill had passed away,” remembers Robin Hood Brians, who engineered the band’s earliest recording sessions. Their 1976 Worldwide Texas Tour became one of the most iconic and successful tours of the 70s, setting the stage for the mega-success that followed during the next four decades. “La Grange” from Tres Hombres (1973) was their first breakthrough single, followed by “Tush” off Fandango (1975), a song that reached the top twenty on the Billboard chart. King, ZZ Top’s First Album (1970) and Rio Grande Mud (1971) built the band’s initial following. With strong blues influences from John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and B. It was in that studio that their unique sound was born-a blending of blues and southern rock that became the band’s trademark sound for more than fifty years. It was in Tyler, at Robin Hood Studios, that the band’s first four platinum albums were recorded. For our few uninitiated readers, ZZ Top and Tyler have a unique connection. After all, That Little Ol’ Band From Texas was coming home, home to Tyler. When it was first announced that ZZ Top would be performing at UT Tyler’s Cowan Center on December 1, 2021, there was a huge rush among diehard East Texas fans to buy tickets.
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