A Brief History of the Blues #7: Billy Gibbons

"Muddy Waters taught us "You don't have to be the best one, just be a good 'un." That just about says it all, always strive to be a good 'un."
Billy Gibbons



With the raw power of a mid-summer Texas electrical storm, Billy Gibbons (aka: The Reverend, Reverend Billly G., Worthless Willy, Justis Walkert and th' Gizmochine) plays the heavy blues based Texas boogie, scoot' shuffle, as loud and grinningly ugly better than just about anyone before or since. As the chrome plated, four barreled power behind that "little ol' band from Texas', Z.Z. Top, Gibbons is a rock and blues icon and after thirty plus years, is still going strong. He cuts a formidable figure appearing usually in worn biker leathers or a long cowboy duster, over-sized shades, hat, cowboy boots and that immediately recognizable legendary waist length chin warmer. He appears as hard a scrub pine and about as mean as anything that has sprouted out of Texas mud. But his appearance belies the paradox that is Billy Gibbons.

Born in the affluent Houston neighborhood of Tanglewood (also the home to former U.S. President George H.W. Bush) in 1950, Billy was given the gift of a Gibson Melody Maker guitar and Fender Champ amplifier by his parents on Christmas morning in 1963. After strumming his first chord, he was hooked and there was no turning back. Gibbons claims that his love of rock and roll began when he saw Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan show in September 1956 but with guitar in hand, the young Gibbons began to travel along the blues highway, listening to and being influenced by such blues luminaries as Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Lightning Hopkins and Bobby 'Blue" Bland.

He formed his first band, The Saints, at the age of 14, later moving on to the Coachmen, a more psychedelic band in the latter days of the sixties. This band morphed into The Moving Sidewalks who scored with a local hit with what is considered to be a piece of psychedelic collectors memorabilia, '99th Floor', which was penned by Gibbons. It landed #1 on the local Houston charts for six weeks. This success brought The Moving Sidewalks the invitation to open for both Jimi Hendrix and The Doors while on the Texas legs of their respective tours in 1968.

"I was in the hotel one night practicing in my room," said Gibbons, "and this dude stuck his head in the door and said 'Hey-y man, I thought I heard something going on in here.' It was Jimi Hendrix. I was speechless. I couldn't move. He took my guitar away and lay down across the bed with his head dangling towards the floor, looking at the ceiling. He'd run off this incredible line and then look up at me and said 'Say, man, c'n you do that?' Then he'd laugh and play some more. After that he started teaching me. I learned a lot from him."

But his skill must have been impressive. Jimi Hendrix said once on the Tonight Show that Billy Gibbons was one of his favorite new guitarists. When keyboardist Tom Moore and bassist Don Summers were drafted and sent to Vietnam, Gibbons hooked up with American Blues alumni Dusty Hill and Frank Beard to create Z.Z. Top.

Z.Z. Top built a quick local following in and around Houston, branching soon enough all over Texas. One of Gibbon's first tasks was to put together a proper rig for the grungy roots and hot rod sound that they were looking for. He found it in a 1958 Gibson Les Paul that he named "Pearly Gates'. A rare guitar and one of only 1750 or so Gibson Les Pauls made between 1958 and 1960, it packed a mean pair of PAF (Patents Applied For) humbuckers that practically oozed the loud and ornery blues. According to Gibbons, he purchased it for a steal at $250 and even though he has searched the world over and has amassed a substantial collection of rare guitars, he has never found another one that can create the same tone as 'Pearly'.

He opted for a set of Marshall stacks after spending some time with Jeff Beck who came through Texas on tour. Actually it was Beck's roadie who secured the amps for the band. According to Gibbons, "…it was Jeff's roadie who had a friendship with Jim Marshall and had a way to buy Marshalls cheap and get 'em into the States. Interestingly enough, we used the same Marshall rig for Dusty's bass playing. The wealth of grind that those amps offered worked just as well for bass as well as guitar. So we had two identical stack amps, both being guitar rigs, that we used for guitar and bass. They were purchased for $800 U.S. delivered. … They were some of the first 'made for u.s.' 110-volt Marshalls. We bought two and very quickly reordered two more. One is good, more is better!"

Their first two albums (First Album – 1970 and Rio Grande Mud – 1971) gave them their first modest hit, Francene, but it was their third album, Tres Hombres, that made them a name and brought Gibbons to national attention. La Grange, more than a passing nod to the brothel made famous in 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas', was the true hit from this album and it revealed the grinding, pulsating blues-boogie rhythm that would forever be attached to the band.

The Seventies were a very productive time for Gibbons and Z.Z.Top with and their next album, Fandango, was the start of an unbroken chain of eleven gold and platinum albums. Relentless touring and staying true to their roots kept the band a favorite among concertgoers and record buyers of the time.

After taking a three-year hiatus from the infamous World Wide Texas Tour, where they hauled over 75 tons of equipment including a buffalo, a longhorn steer, buzzards and rattlesnakes with them, they returned to find that music was changing. New Wave had become the norm and MTV a controlling force in the industry. This spelled the end for several of the more popular arena bands of the Seventies. However, one aspect of true genius that is Z.Z. Top is their ability to re-invent themselves while staying true to their blues roots. Fueled by memorable videos and a relentless thumping bass line with an infused synthesizer underneath, Eliminator, became their most popular album and again launched them into the popular consciousness. The continued to score commercially through out the mid-eighties, remaining a very viable band well into their third decade. Although they are a little lower key these days, Z.Z.Top continue to release CD's and tour on occasion and their fan base remains very loyal.

But Gibbons himself is an anomaly. A tremendously talented guitarist, he is also a painter, auto enthusiast (claiming several automobile patents in his name), world music supporter, guitar collector, an expert and collector of African artifacts, world traveler, philanthropist and compulsive shopper. His shopping is so extensive that he owns a warehouse in Houston, manned by two full-time people who catalogue the shipments that Gibbons continually sends in from his travels. He is a notorious night owl, often being spotted in the Virgin Mega-Store on the Sunset Strip in LA late at night, slipping through the isles and thumbing through the racks of CD's for something new. And yet anyone who has met him comes away with the same observation – he is a genuinely nice man who always makes time for his fans and has an almost preternatural ability to converse on just about any subject.

In the end, this artist, gear head, collector, mad mechanic and blue collar intellectual with a sharp wit and understated sense of humor seems to be most satisfied as 'that lil' ol guitar picker from Texas'.