Billy F Gibbons (born December 16,

1949), nicknamed the Reverend

Willie G, is a musician, actor, hot rod

and car customizer and perhaps

best known as the lead guitarist for

ZZ Top. It all started in Houston

Texas when Billy was inspired from

a young age by the local live show

scene. On Christmas Day in ‘63 he

got his first guitar…ELECTRIC GUITAR.

Within about half an hour, he had

“What’d I Say, ” Ray Charles’ famous

one, and a couple of Jimmy Reed’s

tunes down good. Early Career

Gibbons formed his first band when he was only 14 called the Saints. They played together with only three guitars and a drum kit, but Gibbons was hooked after hi first six-month band experience. Next he started another group around the mid-’60s called the Coachmen, the sounds of which were inspired by the likes of The Rolling Stones, Roky Erickson and The 13th Floor Elevators. The band eventually changed their name to the Moving Sidewalks, and emerged from R&B and into psychedelia, a more experimental sound with new stuff – new gear, different effects, things to step on and things to plug into all to alter ones mind. Around 1968, Moving Sidewalks began touring with Jimi Hendrix and crew on their Are you Experienced tour. ZZ TopWhen the Moving Sidewalks parted ways in 1969, Gibbons sought to form a more boogie/blues rock-based band. He hooked up with Billy Etheridge from Dallas and Lanier Greig. At the time Billy had an apartment, and had nothing on the walls but stolen “rainbow” handbills. One day while sitting there, he noticed how these posters had been tacked up in no particular order just to cover the walls. At the left end of the wall was a B.B. King poster, toward the right was O.V. Wright and all the way over at the far end was ZZ Hill. From there he created the name ZZ Top from ZZ Hill and “Top” meaning King. The band soon got together and cut the first single, “Salt Lick” b/w “Miller’s Farm,” launched in-house with Scat Records. At the time when the ZZ single began taking off and the gigs started rolling in, there was an important change in the ZZ Top lineup….namely Mr. Frank Beard and his bandmate, Mr. Dusty Hill. A pivotal part of the trio has always been the upside-down style of the band…very low guitar and a lead-like bass, tethered together with rattly percussion. The real magical element was Pearly Gates, the 1959 Gibson Sunburst Les Paul standard. Billy acquired this instrument – it was found under a bed – not knowing just how vicious this guitar was made to play. It was assembled on one of those fateful days when the glue was just right, the wood was just right, and the electronics were placed perfectly. Once they established their solid sound, the aim was “Don’t fix it.” They maintained a conviction that this was the way it was supposed to be, this was how the band was gelling and really the only change was to simply add more to it; from two stacks they went to four stacks, then to eight. At one point they were playing four stacks each – it was mommoth, but the band continued to chop and the recordings started popping. BFG and company were on the upswing. 1971 – ZZ Top’s First AlbumThe question: did the live appearances propel the sale of ZZ Top’s First Album or was it the other way around? In some markets, the record arrived way before they did. Int he summer of ‘70 the record got in the hands o fone of their great friends and mentor, Walter Baldwin. Originally from Houston, he had migrated to Memphis. They were recording the First Album when Walter rang Billy up, playing Peter Green’s original Fleetwood Mac over the phone. It was so totally right that they raced into the studio holding on to that bit of inspiration. That marked the major shift that solidified ZZ Top’s personal preference: Bluesrock in the abstract. 1972 – Rio Grande MudBilly says the release of Rio Grande Mud was a break because they started catching on in places that had previously been considered remote. They enjoyed the rid and kept touring incessantly and headlining the new ZZ Top show. 1973 – Tres Hombres The release of Tres Hombres clearly defined the Texas boys…sort of that Texas-built braggadocio, that ‘it’s bigger and better.’ THe boys got Leo’s Mexican Cafe to prepare a heaping platter of enchiladas then completed recording the third album and took it down to Ardent Studios in Memphis to hire a mixologist. That got them their first Top 10 single, “La Grange,” recorded as an afterthought and almost by accident. They were struggling with how to perform and once they went on a break they took one take to record the now famous track. 1975 – Fandango!Half of this album was recorded live at a gig at the Warehouse on Tchapatoulas Street in New Orleans. ZZ Top hooked up with the Allman Brothers and Quicksilver Messenger Service for a swoop through the Southern states while making a stop in new Orleans. As soon as they settled in, a humongous hurricane swept through the Gulf Coast, hitting square dead center of New Orleans…and the club blowing the entire roof off. While The Allman Brothers and ZZ Top were trapped inside, boards were flying off the walls and windows were popping out. It was decided that there was nothing else to do but sit it out. Within 24 hours the roof was patched, and they were recording the live side of Fandango! 1977 – TejasWas recorded over six months of touring and it reflects the continuing evolution of the band’s togetherness as writers. They were engaged in so many diverse activities, it stimulated the writing process with tales from the road. As many bands discover, the road experience is an unusual job, but it makes for good tall tales..