Billy Gibbons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Billy Gibbons | |
|---|---|
| Image:Billy-bo.png |
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| Born | December 16, 1949 |
| Alias(es) | Reverend Willie G |
| Genre(s) | Blues rock |
| Affiliation(s) | ZZ Top |
| Notable guitars | Gretsch Billy-Bo Jupiter Signature Model |
| Years active | 1967 - present |
| Official site | Official ZZ Top Website |
Billy F. Gibbons (born December 16, 1949), nicknamed the Reverend Willie G, is best known as the guitarist for that "Little Ol' band from Texas", ZZ Top. He is also the lead vocalist and composer for many of the band's classic songs. A Houston native, Gibbons is known for playing a classic 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar he calls Miss Pearly Gates. Many guitarists have copied his rich guitar tones. The 1973 rock and roll classic "La Grange" is a fine example of Gibbons' tone and technique. He is known to play his guitar using a quarter or a peso as a pick, lending a distinctive sound to his playing. Gibbons obtained the nickname, "the Reverend" as a result of becoming ordained by the Universal Life Church in order to legally preside over a friend's wedding.
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[edit] History in music
Gibbons founded the seminal Texas psychedelic group the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded several singles and one full-length album, "Flash". The Moving Sidewalks were most prominent for opening for The Jimi Hendrix Experience during the Texas leg of Hendrix's first American tour. Also notable was the fact that the 13th Floor Elevators (considered by some to be the first true psychedelic rock band) recorded the Gibbons-penned song "99th Floor".
He formed ZZ Top in late 1969 with bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard (both alumni of the bands American Blues, the Warlocks, and the Cellar Dwellers). After honing their trademark Texas Boogie-Blues-Rock style, they released the aptly titled "ZZ Top's First Album" on London Records in 1971.
The band rolled on, intensively touring and recording/releasing albums until 1977, when they took an extended hiatus. Their long-time manager/producer/image maker Bill Ham used this time to negotiate a deal that allowed the band to keep control of their previous recordings, to be distributed by their new label, Warner Brothers. They reunited two and a half years later in order to start recording under a new Warner Brothers Records contract. Unbeknownst to the other, both Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons had grown the chest-length beards that quickly became a part of their "wildman" image. Drummer Frank Beard does not have a beard.
The band hit international prominence and their commercial peak with the release of 1983's multi-platinum-selling disc "Eliminator". Named after Gibbon's customized 1933 Ford Coupe (which, along with leggy party girls was featured in several music videos), "Eliminator" featured the hits "Legs", "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "TV Dinners".
In 1994, the band signed a five-disc deal with RCA Records.
In 2003, a comprehensive collection of recordings from the London and Warner Brother years entitled "Chrome, Smoke & BBQ" was released. In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They have the distinction of being among a very small group of bands with a 30 year plus history that still has all of its original members.
An excellent source of anecdotes, history and photos of Gibbons and his extensive car and guitar collections is the autobiographical coffee-table tome "Billy F. Gibbons-Rock + Roll Gearhead".
As of 2006, it is reported that ZZ Top is recording their 15th studio album. He also made an unforseen appearance on the 2006 Revolting Cocks album "Cocked and Loaded."
Gibbons' most recent television performance was with The Raconteurs at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. Gibbons' was part of ensemble chosen to play with the band, which included Lou Reed and Jim Jarmusch. During the performance, in a sign of approval, Gibbons respectfully pointed at Jack White, a fellow blues influenced guitarist. The performance was heavily edited and cut short by MTV for broadcast, however the full unedited performance is available on MTV's Website for the VMAs.
[edit] Discography
[edit] The Moving Sidewalks
- Flash (1968)
[edit] ZZ Top
- ZZ Top's First Album (1971)
- Rio Grande Mud (1972)
- Tres Hombres (1973)
- Fandango! (1975)
- Tejas (1977)
- Deguello (1979)
- El Loco (1981)
- Eliminator (1983)
- Afterburner (1985)
- Recycler (1990)
- Antenna (1994)
- Rhythmeen (1996)
- XXX (1999)
- Mescalero (2003)
- Tres Hombres (Deluxe Remaster) (2006)
- Fandango! (Deluxe Remaster) (2006)
[edit] Compilations
- The Best of ZZ Top (1977)
- The ZZ Top Six Pack (1985)
- ZZ Top's Greatest Hits (1992)
- One Foot In The Blues (1994)
- Chrome, Smoke & BBQ (4-disc Box Set) (2003)
- Rancho Texicano (2-disc Greatest Hits) (2004).
[edit] Guest appearances
- Guitarist/Vocalist/songwriter on the song "Willin' For Satisfaction" from Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell's solo album Two Sides Of If.
- Guitarist on the songs "Burn the Witch," "Like a Drug," and "Precious and Grace" on the Queens of the Stone Age album Lullabies to Paralyze.
- Guitarist/vocalist on "Tired Of Your Jive", from the BB King & Friends album "80"
- Guitarist/vocalist on the Nickelback songs "Follow You Home" and "Rockstar" from the album "All The Right Reasons"
- Guitarist on the Hank Williams III song "Trashville", from the album "Broke, Lovesick and Driftin'"
- Guitarist/vocalist on the Les Paul & Friends "American Made, World Played" track "Bad Case Of Loving You"
- Guitarist on John Mayall & Friends track "Put It Right Back" from the disc "Along For The Ride"
- Guest vocalist on Kid Rock's "Hillbilly Stomp" (from the disc "Kid Rock").
- Guest guitarist during singer Luis Fonsi's presentation at the 7th Latin Grammy awards held in Madison Square Garden, New York, on November 2, 2006.
[edit] Trivia
- In the TV series Bones he appears, perhaps playing a fictional version of himself, as the father of the character Angela Montenegro portrayed by Michaela Conlin in the episode "The Man in the Fallout Shelter".
