There are more generic rock and roll bands than you can count; there is only one ZZ Top. They are often distinguished as a group with the longest standing unchanging lineup of guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard. Fifty years together and still pedaling their blues-based goods to audiences around the world, it took someone like director Sam Dunn and Banger Films to finally get around to telling their story. Lifting the veil, ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas goes deep into the history of ZZ Top, with an extensive look at their origins, formation, and ascension.
With their full participation, Gibbons, Hill, and Beard, plus a host of acquaintances and admirers, fill in the gaps, beginning with Hill and Beard’s days in Dallas. Then Beard heads to Houston and joins up with Billy Gibbons and an early version of ZZ Top. There’s a major upturn after the drummer calls up his old friend Dusty Hill in Dallas to come down to Houston and jam. Once manager Bill Ham enters the picture, ZZ Top, “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas,” is on their way to the big time.
The stories and revelations that come out are what make rock documentaries like this stimulating and insightful experiences. There’s the one about meeting Muddy Waters during a poker game. And that moment when ZZ Top found their “sound” is something other bands can only dream of. Breaking through at a blues festival in Memphis is another nugget. Hearing Frank Beard talk candidly about his heavy drug use in the 70s is a real eye-opener. His admittance into rehab lead to an extended hiatus.
The break was like a second wind for ZZ Top. When they came back, they had a whole new perspective about making music. They wanted to be a little more quirky and eclectic. And they all had these beards. Actually, the guys out in front, Gibbons and Hill, had extraordinarily long beards. Keeping the name, Beard eventually shaved his off. After a night of watching what they thought was a long television program, the three members of ZZ Top inadvertently stumbled upon something that would change their trajectory: MTV.
The group’s eighth album, 1983’s Eliminator, and the Tim Newman-directed music videos for “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’” and “Legs” made ZZ Top a multi-platinum, international phenomenon. There’s a quick overview of the band’s subsequent years before ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas comes to a sudden and unexpected end. Clearly, the narrative is focused on the first 20 years, and the remaining five minutes is a victory lap filled with accolades and reinforcement of the trio’s bigger-than-life station in rock and roll.
The current story is well-covered as Gibbons, Hill, and Beard pull up to the historic Gruene Hall — the oldest dance hall in Texas — and crank out hot and lively versions of “Shuffle in C,” “La Grange,” “Brown Sugar,” and “Blue Jean Blues.” Pre-Eliminator concert footage from the Ham Estate Archives of “Thunderbird,” “Tush,” “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers,” “I’m A Bad, I’m Nationwide,” and “Manic Mechanic” certainly sweetens up the set. Spend an evening with the DVD or Blu-ray Disc, and you’ll feel like a graduate of ZZ Top 101.
~ Shawn Perry
