I first met the members of “That Little Ole Band From Texas”  in 1980.  They were in town to support a new album called Deguello. We talked about the new album of course, and the blues, and Jimi Hendrix, and they …they told jokes! That was ZZ Top. A good time and a good laugh…and of course amazing music that was drenched in the blues.

That super-cool persona wasn’t fake. They were cool. What really struck me though, was they were 3 guys coming from the same place, musically.  They were their own little gang, and they were loving every minute of it.  So it was never lost on me, that they are (were) the longest running band without a personnel change. Why would they wanna change the lineup? They were exceptional musicians who enjoyed one another, and clearly enjoyed what they were doing.

Through no decision of theirs, that line-up of Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons, and the late Dusty Hill has changed forever.

This is one band I truly believe will not carry on. Unless Billy and Frank decide to carry on the legacy as a duo, a new member could never fill Dusty Hill’s shoes. Just like there can be no “replacement player” for the other two. As Billy Gibbons told be on a few occasions, ZZ Top’s success and longevity was based on the fact that they “were the same three guys playing the same three chords”

Dusty Hill was one third of that legendary formula, and ZZ Top is one of very few bands in our history where , in my opinion, each member is irreplaceable.

Rest In Peace, Dusty Hill

J.P.