Master of Sparks

"Master of Sparks"
Song by ZZ Top
from the album Tres Hombres
Released	July 26, 1973
Recorded	Brian Studios & Ardent Studios Memphis, Tennessee
Genre	Hard rock
Length	3:33
Label	London
Songwriter(s)	Billy Gibbons
Producer(s)	Bill Ham

"Master of Sparks" is a song by American rock band ZZ Top from their 1973 album Tres Hombres . ^{[1] [2]}

Background

The song tells the true story ^[3] of Billy Gibbons and his friend R.K. Bullock who with a workman, welded together a steel ball cage with a seat and seatbelt fitted inside. They placed the cage into the bed of a truck and at night, after reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), on Highway 6 near Houston,^{[ citation needed ]} rolled the cage out the back with the hapless narrator and friend taking a ride inside. The cage generated a tail of sparks on the road but in its crushed condition stopped rolling. Still moving at high speed, the now egg shaped cage crashed into a fence. Both occupants survived relatively unscathed and were awarded the title "Master of Sparks" by the cheering crowd. ^{[4] [5]}

Personnel

• Billy Gibbons – guitar, vocals
• Dusty Hill – bass
• Frank Beard – drums

References

1. McKittrick, Christopher (4 June 2024). Gimme All Your Lovin’: The Blues, Boogie, and Beard of ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 79. ISBN   979-8-216-34244-1 . Retrieved 24 September 2025.
2. Watman, Max (16 February 2010). Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw's Adventures in Moonshine. Simon and Schuster. p. 142. ISBN   978-1-4391-7024-3 . Retrieved 24 September 2025.
3. Michael Hann (8 November 2012). "Old music: ZZ Top – Master of Sparks". The Guardian . Retrieved 5 December 2015.
4. Dansby, Andrew (31 July 2013). "40 years after its release, the allure of 'Tres Hombres' lives on". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved 5 December 2015.
5. Daniels, Neil (1 January 2014). Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers: A ZZ Top Guide. Soundcheck Books. p. 24. ISBN   978-0-9571442-7-9 . Retrieved 24 September 2025.