American Blues

Last updated

American Blues
Genres
Years active1966 (1966)–1968 (1968)
Spinoffs ZZ Top
Past members

American Blues was an American 1960s Texas-based rock band which played a psychedelic style of blues rock music influenced by the 13th Floor Elevators. They are most notable for including two future members of the band ZZ Top in their ranks, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard. [1] From 1966 to 1968, they played the Dallas-Fort Worth-Houston circuit and headlined in three clubs all called "The Cellar", in Dallas at clubs such as "The Walrus" on Mockingbird Lane, and in Houston at "Love Street Light Circus Feel Good Machine" on Allen's Landing, as late as 1968.

Contents

Around 1968, the band (the two Hill brothers and Beard) decided to leave the Dallas–Fort Worth area, relocating to Houston. At this time, however, guitarist Rocky Hill wanted to focus on "straight blues", while his brother Dusty wanted the band to rock more. Rocky left the band, and the remaining two members joined the recently formed ZZ Top. [1]

Rocky Hill continued to tour around Texas and elsewhere, becoming one of a number of guitarists well known within the state for their blues guitar prowess, such as Rocky Athis and Charlie Sexton. He sometimes referred to himself as "The Anti-Clapton", and one writer with the Houston Press called Rocky "perhaps the wildest and scariest – both onstage and off – of all the Texas white-boy blues guitarists." [2]

Members

Albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZZ Top</span> American rock band

ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For 51 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound based on Gibbons' blues style and Hill and Beard's rhythm section. They are known for their live performances, sly and humorous lyrics, and the matching appearances of Gibbons and Hill, who wore sunglasses, hats and long beards.

<i>Afterburner</i> (ZZ Top album) 1985 studio album by ZZ Top

Afterburner is the ninth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1985. Although critics' response to the album was lukewarm, Afterburner was a moderate success, going platinum and launching one hit single: "Sleeping Bag" which peaked at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>ZZ Tops First Album</i> 1970 studio album by ZZ Top

ZZ Top's First Album is the debut studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was produced by Bill Ham, and released in January 1971, on London Records. Establishing ZZ Top's attitude and humor, the album incorporates styles such as blues, boogie, hard rock, and Southern rock influences. Thematically, the album is about personal experiences and sexual innuendos. "(Somebody Else Been) Shakin' Your Tree" was the only single released from the album.

<i>Degüello</i> 1979 studio album by ZZ Top

Degüello is the sixth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in November 1979. It was the first ZZ Top release on Warner Bros. Records and eventually went platinum. It was produced by Bill Ham, recorded and mixed by Terry Manning, and mastered by Bob Ludwig.

<i>El Loco</i> 1981 studio album by ZZ Top

El Loco is the seventh studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1981. It foreshadowed the band's extensive usage of synthesizers on Eliminator, Afterburner, and to a lesser extent, Recycler, by way of employing a synthesizer on a couple tracks, played by an uncredited Linden Hudson.

<i>Mescalero</i> (album) 2003 studio album by ZZ Top

Mescalero is the fourteenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in September 2003, as the band's final release for RCA Records. While the band still retained their foundation in blues rock, Mescalero explored genres like country and Tejano. Recording sessions took place at Foam Box Recordings in Houston, with Billy Gibbons as producer.

<i>XXX</i> (ZZ Top album) 1999 studio album (with live elements) by ZZ Top

XXX is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in September 1999. The album's title commemorates the band's 30th anniversary.

<i>Eliminator</i> (album) 1983 studio album by ZZ Top

Eliminator is the eighth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records, and rose high on the charts in many countries. Four hit singles were released—"Gimme All Your Lovin'" which reached the American Top 40, "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and their most successful single, "Legs". Eliminator is ZZ Top's most commercially successful release, with sales of 11 million and diamond certification in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Gibbons</span> American musician

William Frederick Gibbons is an American rock musician, best known as the guitarist and primary vocalist of ZZ Top. He began his career in Moving Sidewalks, who recorded Flash (1969) and opened four dates for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Gibbons formed ZZ Top in late 1969 and released ZZ Top's First Album in early 1971. He has also maintained a solo career in recent years, starting with his first album Perfectamundo (2015).

<i>One Foot in the Blues</i> 1994 compilation album by ZZ Top

One Foot in the Blues is a compilation album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1994. The album contains a selection of the band's songs which fall into the blues genre. With the exception of the songs taken from the Degüello, El Loco, Eliminator and Recycler albums, the 1987 digital remixes were used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusty Hill</span> American musician (1949–2021)

Joe Michael "Dusty" Hill was an American musician who was the bassist of the rock band ZZ Top for more than 50 years. He also sang backing and lead vocals and played keyboards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Beard (musician)</span> American drummer

Frank Lee Beard is an American drummer best known as a member of the rock band ZZ Top.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Shannon</span> American bass guitarist (born 1946)

Tommy Shannon is an American bass guitarist, who is best known as a member of Double Trouble, a blues rock band led by Stevie Ray Vaughan. Born in Tucson, Arizona, Shannon moved to Dumas, Texas when he was nine, where he originally started as a guitarist, though he started playing bass at the age of 21. He appeared with Johnny Winter at Woodstock in 1969. He later joined Double Trouble in 1981 and became a permanent member of Double Trouble until Vaughan's death in 1990. Shannon and bandmate Chris Layton later formed supergroups such as the Arc Angels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legs (song)</span> 1984 single by ZZ Top

"Legs" is a song by the band ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator. The song was released as the fourth single in May 1984 more than a year after the album came out. It reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and the dance mix version of the song peaked at number 13 on the dance charts.

Billy Mack Ham was an American music impresario, best known as the manager, producer, and image-maker for the blues-rock band ZZ Top. Ham also gained prominence in the country music world by discovering and managing multi-platinum singer-songwriter Clint Black and founding some of the most successful country music publishing companies. For several years in the 1990s, Ham's companies published a majority of the top-10 country music singles.

<i>American Blues Is Here</i> 1968 studio album by American Blues

American Blues 'Is Here' is a studio album by the psychedelic blues-rock band American Blues. The band is known for featuring future ZZ Top members Frank Beard and Dusty Hill. The album is sometimes referred to as simply American Blues or Is Here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tube Snake Boogie</span> 1981 single by ZZ Top

"Tube Snake Boogie" is a song by American rock band ZZ Top from their 1981 album El Loco. It was released as a single the same year and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tush (ZZ Top song)</span> 1975 single by ZZ Top

"Tush" is a song by American blues rock band ZZ Top and was the only single from their fourth album Fandango! The song was named the 67th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.

John Rockford "Rocky" Hill was an American blues guitarist, singer, and bassist from Dallas, Texas, United States. Hill was the older brother of ZZ Top bassist, Dusty Hill.

"Arrested for Driving While Blind" is a song by American blues rock band ZZ Top. Written by all three band members Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, it was released as the second single from their fifth studio album Tejas (1976).

References

  1. 1 2 "American Blues | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  2. Nova, John (July 11, 2002). "The Anti-Clapton". Houston Press. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  3. "American Blues | Album Discography". AllMusic. May 19, 1949. Retrieved November 4, 2015.