Biography
The Zz Top musical group glorified by the world with Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Bird, create tracks in the style of blues rock. For her career, the musicians released over a dozen studio albums. Starting work in the late 1960s, they continue to work in the selected direction.The history of creation and composition
The legendary team in the current form has formed several years. The history of the Group's creation began in 1969, from the song "Salt Lick / Miller's Farm". At that time, the composition of Zz Top included Peter Perez and Anthony Barajas, who later changed the new participants - Dan Mitchell and Lenye Greg.
The Single recorded then became the only guys, because after a year both call for a service in the army. Billy Gibbons then entered the collective, and, having lost two participants at once, proceeds to finding new artists.
A permanent team existing in the current form was not immediately formed. Even before Dusty Hill and Frank Bird began to perform there on an ongoing basis, Billy Etheridge and Michael Johnson stayed in the group.
The founder is called Billy Gibbons, by that time he had already had a musical experience because he performed in another team and sang on Texas concerts. By the way, acquaintance with the future concert promoter Bill Hem at Gibbons took place even earlier, the man got the artist when he performed at the concert of The Doors. Frank Bird also made a significant contribution to the formation of ZZ Top, being there from the very beginning, like Dusty Hill.
Music
The debut of the formed team on the scene took place in the winter of 1970. By the time the guys were already ready to record their first disk, but for a long time I was looking for a recording studio, which would agree to cooperate with them and at the same time satisfy the team. Meanwhile, the guys perform in American clubs and write new songs.
As a result, ZZ Top signs a contract for recording two albums with London Records Studio. However, under this label, the guys were released more, rather provided for the contract, plates. In 1971, Zz Top produces the first album called "Zz Top's First Album", and although he took the 50th place in the American Chart, the guys did not bring much popularity.
Then they continued to work in the United States. In order not to give listeners to forget about themselves, the guys immediately write down new tracks, of which then form a second plate released under the same label and called "Rio Grande Mud". The songs were characterized by a heavier sound, combined the mixture of bougie, rock and blues, although in the second plate the rock still prevailed. Critics appreciated the professionalism of the guys, and also noted - the level of skill rose.
In his youth, when the band only gained momentum, the guys wanted to declare themselves on the whole world, so they don't stop work for a minute, they invent texts and compose music. At the same time, the guys continue to tour, but at that time they did not leave far from their native state, although the songs were rotated at the local radio station. Having received a modest reader on an album, start recording a new plate.
In 1973, ZZ Top fans learned about the release of the album called Tres Hombres. Terry Mingning was involved in its creation - a famous producer. This record made a real breakthrough, taking the 8th line in the Billboard Pop Albums chart, and the song "La Grande" became a hit and contributed to an increase in the disc sales.
Tres Hombres brought huge glory to the guys, opening new horizons to continue the career. By the way, songs on this album since the times of their first records have changed a little. Now the listeners noticed the heavier and "angry" sound, the guys decided to shift the focus with blues and rock.
Numerous concerts, speeches and tour of the United States appear in the group's biography. And although most of the leisters of the collective still remained in the south of the country, their appearance in other states caused a special excitement. More than once young people were caused to bis, and because of the lack of tickets for concerts in some places of the police, even had to calm the audience and unrest, which were arranged.
Tens of thousands of listeners dreamed of going to the performance of guys. They were then at the peak of popularity, 80 thousand fans were collected at the ocene stadium. At that time, few people could boast such a digit. An interesting fact is that they had the greatest American musician Carlos Santana and the popular British singer Joe Cocker.
The next year Zz Top decided to take a break from the recording of a new album, as they were afraid that the last plate will go down to the lower lines of the chart. Therefore, the 4th disk, named "Fandango!", Was released in 1975, the guys spent 3 months on his record. And only half of the tracks was recorded in the studio, the rest of the songs took from a concert in New Orleans. And although this disc again took high positions in the Billboard Hot 100, the students criticized the recorded concert, and at the same time admired studio records.
By creating an album, the group goes in a tour in America, which ended only in a year. Returning home, the guys immediately write new songs and prepare for the release of the next plate. However, by graduating only 4 tracks, do not carry out conceived, because they are sent to the next round. The scale of their speeches hit many.
The tour lasted until the end of 1977, 1.2 million tickets were sold to all concerts, the decorations were transported to 13 trailers, and the team team, which made the stage and solved the organizational issues, consisted of 50 people. So that you still release a new plate, right in the tour guys come up with songs and music, and in the interruptions between the concerts they write them down.
This allowed in February 1977 to replenish the discography of the album "Tejas", which fans waited so much. He did not contain obvious hits, but it reached the 17th place all the same chart. After spending 7 years in permanent tours around the world, the ZZ TOP group decides to arrange a vacation, and although he originally planned for 90 days, subsequently the guys rested 2 years.
He is very tired of each other during this period, they traveled separately, they tried not to meet and not even call. Meanwhile, their manager Bill Hem gradually settled all the questions with London Records and concluded a contract from the group with a label Warner Bros. Records.
To record a new album, guys gathered only in 1979. By the way, their familiar now the image was formed then, after vacation, two of the guys were growing beard, and over time it became a company sign. The new record called "Deguello" entered the counters in the same 1979, the listeners were taken warmly, although then the guys began to experiment again, adding the sounds of the synthesizer and saxophone to new tracks. So over time and in other songs, they gradually add new tools and equipment.
After holding another tour of Europe and making a small vacation, in 1981 the group starts writing songs for another album, which saw the light in the fall. In these compositions, the fans heard the combination of rock, blues and pop music, and although at first the musicians were afraid to experiment, in the future it brought them a superstar status. Already then critics called this record a "interesting turning point" in the work of the team.
For six months before the release of the album "El Loco", on the cover of which posted the photo of the teams in the cowboy hats, the group departs in Turne around Europe. At the same time recording new songs, they performed at concerts. The disk came out in November 1981, and the next plate called "Eliminator" appeared in the spring of 1983.
She blew up global charts and was recognized as the team most successful for the entire music career, reaching a diamond status in the US and entering the top ten in The Billboard 200. After her release, 5 singles were released and for the first time in the history of the band 3, which regularly spinning on MTV.
After spending a little less than a year in Tourna, in 1984, the team goes on vacation, and in a year it starts writing a new album. Despite the concerns after unprecedented success with "Eliminator", their new disk called "Afterburner", the public accepted with delight, which allowed him and individual singles to rise to the top lines of the charts.
After the next 2-year-old world tour, a group does not record new discs. The studio with which they collaborated will reissue their first songs in the trendy processing. The record called "Recycler" was published in 1990, in new songs it was decided to move away from fashion trend and try to return to their blues roots.
It did not cause much success, but satisfied the musicians to fully. And in the next few years, they record only 2 new compositions, put them in the collection of songs of the last decade, which eventually becomes multiplatin.
A new blues drive Musicians released in 1994, and in 1996 the first time performed in Russia. In 2002, the plate "Sharp Dressed Men: A TRIBUTE TO ZZ TOP" comes out. The songs of the group for her were recorded by famous country performers. But not only their tracks tried other musicians. Zz Top and sometimes performed other people's compositions, an example of this is a track called "Bad to the Bone" - the title song of George Torogud and his groups "Destroyers".
In 2003, the guys recorded the Mescalero plate, and after a long time did not release studio entries, toured a lot. Their next disk saw the light only in 2008, he contained the last year's concert record, and in 2014 the collection "The Very Baddest" comes. Another album appeared in 2016, only concert records were attended.
ZZ TOP now
ZZ TOP and now continue the musical career. Musicians plan to perform at the International Blues Festival - 2019 as the legends of blues, which will be held in Golloo. Tickets went on sale at the end of November 2018.
Also in 2019, the team celebrates the 50th anniversary, which is marked by numerous concerts in Europe.
Discography
- 1971 - "ZZ TOP'S FIRST ALBUM"
- 1973 - "Tres Hombres"
- 1975 - "Fandango!"
- 1979 - "Deguello"
- 1983 - "ELIMINATOR"
- 1985 - "Afterburner"
- 1990 - "Recycler"
- 1994 - "One Foot In the Blues"
- 1999 - "XXX"
- 2002 - "Sharp Dressed Men: A TRIBUTE TO ZZ TOP"
- 2012 - "EP Texicali"
- 2016 - "Tonite At Midnight: Live Greatest Hits From Around The World"
Clips
- "Sharp Dressed Man"
- "TV Dinners"
- "Legs"
- "Stages.
- "Velcro Fly!"
- "Viva Las Vegas"
- "My Head's in Mississippi"
- "DoubleBack"
- "Pincushion"
- "WORLD OF SWIRL"
- "SHE'S JUST KILLING ME"
- "La Futura"