The original line-up was formed in Houston and consisted of Gibbons, bassist/organist Lanier Greig, [5] and drummer Dan Mitchell. [5] The name of the band was Gibbons' idea. The band had a small apartment covered with concert posters and he noticed that many performers' names used initials. Gibbons particularly noticed B.B. King and Z. Z. Hill and thought of combining the two into "ZZ King", but considered it too similar to the original name. He then figured that "king is at the top" which gave him the idea of naming the band "ZZ Top". [6] Breihan, Tom (July 28, 2021). "ZZ Top's Dusty Hill Dead at 72". Stereogum. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021 . Retrieved August 22, 2021. The new album’s liner notes by Gibbons and Beard note of the RAW sessions, “..it was, in a very real way, a return to our roots. Just us and the music, no audience of thousands, no concession stands, no parking lot social hour, no phalanx of tour busses. Just us. We knew right then it was a very special circumstance, all of us in the same place at the same time and what a time it most certainly was!” The new album’s liner notes by Gibbons and Beard note of the RAW sessions, “..it was, in a very real way, a return to our roots. Just us and the music, no audience of thousands, no concession stands, no parking lot social hour, no phalanx of tour busses. Just us and the music. We knew right then it was a very special circumstance, all of us in the same place at the same time and what a time it most certainly was!” Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Musikindustrie.de . Retrieved August 13, 2011.

After gaining additional acclaim with the release of their tenth album, Recycler (1990), and its accompanying tour, the group's experimentation continued with mixed success on the albums Antenna (1994), Rhythmeen (1996), XXX (1999), and Mescalero (2003). They most recently released La Futura (2012) and Goin' 50 (2019), a compilation album commemorating the band's 50th anniversary. By the time of Hill's death in 2021, ZZ Top had become the longest-running band with an unchanged lineup in the history of popular music. [1] Per Hill's wishes, he was replaced by their longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis, on bass. During the making of the film, the band got to set up for an afternoon in Gruene Hall, New Braunfels, a honky-tonk that lays claim to be the oldest dance hall in Texas. Away from the crowds, and relieved of the pressure to perform for anyone other than themselves, they casually – but brilliantly – ran through a bunch of songs with an off-the-cuff warmth and spontaneity that sets a new benchmark for ‘live in the studio’ recordings. New ZZ Top tour features West Seattle talent". West Seattle Herald. September 7, 2012 . Retrieved February 22, 2015. a b Steffen Hung. "Die Offizieel Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". hitparade.ch . Retrieved August 13, 2011.King of the Hill" Hank Gets Dusted (TV episode 2007)". Internet Movie Database. 2007 . Retrieved July 28, 2014. Two and a Half Men" Gumby with a Pokey (2010) – Full Cast & Crew". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved July 28, 2014. Apple, Steve (September 13, 1973). "ZZ Top: Tres Hombres". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. ZZ Top Raw live album and new tour announced | Louder". Loudersound.com. March 8, 2022 . Retrieved August 2, 2022. West, Mike (1982). Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Omnibus Press. pp.19, 42. ISBN 0-7119-0149-X.

ZZ Top formed after Gibbons' previous band, Moving Sidewalks, disbanded in 1969. Within a year, they signed with London Records and released ZZ Top's First Album in 1971. Subsequent releases, such as Tres Hombres (1973) and Fandango! (1975), and the singles " La Grange" and " Tush", gained extensive radio airplay. By the mid-1970s, ZZ Top had become renowned in North America for their live act, including the Worldwide Texas Tour (1976–1977), which was a critical and commercial success. a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved November 27, 2021. a b c d e f g "Suche nach "ZZ Top" ". Media Control. 2013 . Retrieved April 8, 2012. Type ZZ Top in search field Johnson, Kevin (August 7, 2021). "Dusty Hill's Bass and Vocals Will Be on Next ZZ Top Album". No Treble . Retrieved August 9, 2021. The director said ‘Give us a few minutes, we’re still getting our end of things sorted out.’ So we just began playing,” Gibbons recalls. “Little did we know that the technicians had set up the recording gear and were actually capturing all this.”

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a b c d "Gold & Platinum – ZZ Top". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 22, 2021. a b Simmons, Sylvie (July 1–15, 1982). "Over the Top!". Kerrang!. No.19. p.6. [Billy Gibbons:] We steal our [dance] moves heavily off Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.