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The Moving Sidewalks | |
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| Genres | |
| Years active | 1966–1969; 2013 |
| Spinoffs | ZZ Top |
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Moving Sidewalks were an American rock band formed in 1966 from Houston, Texas. [1] They released several singles and an album, before bassist Don Summers and keyboardist Tom Moore were drafted into the army, bringing the band to an end. Guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Dan Mitchell then formed band ZZ Top.
Gibbons founded Moving Sidewalks in the mid-1960s and they quickly drew a large following, especially among the Houston "teen scene". They recorded several singles and one full-length album, Flash . [1] Their single "99th Floor" was well received, [1] and topped the charts at No. 1 in Houston for six weeks. The success of this record led them to sign with Wand Records, which then released "Need Me", also a Top 10 hit for the band. The group was asked to open for many rock tours, including Jimi Hendrix and the Doors.
After Tom Moore and Don Summers were drafted into the United States Army, Gibbons and Mitchell added Lanier Greig and formed the original ZZ Top. [1]
While attending Warner Brothers' art school in Hollywood, California, Gibbons engaged with his first bands including the Saints, Billy G & the Blueflames, and the Coachmen. By 1967, Gibbons returned to Houston and formed an artfully designed band, conceptually inspired by friend and fellow musician Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators. 'The Moving Sidewalks' name was chosen, and shortly thereafter they recorded "99th Floor". [1] Around this time Gibbons developed a camaraderie with Jimi Hendrix. As a guest on The Dick Cavett Show , Hendrix deflected the implication that he was the greatest guitarist. He did not say who the greatest guitarist was, but a myth has circulated that Hendrix considered Gibbons the best, and stated so in an interview, but no such interview has ever been located.[ citation needed ]
The Moving Sidewalks continued to appear along with the 13th Floor Elevators at the short-lived yet Houston psychedelic venue, Love Street Light Circus, at Allen's Landing. One night, the Elevators set was cut short by Houston Police, who arrested the band's lead singer Erickson for marijuana possession.
In January 2013, Gibbons announced the Moving Sidewalks would reunite with all original members for one show on March 30, 2013, at B.B. King's Blues Club [ broken anchor ] in New York City. [2] Since that successful sold out show and despite their single show announcement, the band played as official headliners of Austin Psych Fest on May 1, 2013, and the Charity Gala for The Deacons of Deadwood Ball on September 28, 2013, in Houston.
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.
The 13th Floor Elevators was an American rock band from Austin, Texas, United States, formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band was together from 1965 to 1969, and during that period released four albums and seven singles for the International Artists record label.
Tres Hombres is the third studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released on July 26, 1973 by London Records. It was the band's first collaboration with engineer Terry Manning. The album would be ZZ Top's commercial breakthrough in the United States charts. It peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in 1974. Its lead single "La Grange" reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is the first of many ZZ Top albums to incorporate the use of Spanish terminology in their branding. "Tres Hombres" means "three men" in Spanish.
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.
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.
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).
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.
"Little Wing" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967. It is a slower tempo, rhythm and blues-inspired ballad featuring Hendrix's vocal and guitar with recording studio effects accompanied by bass, drums, and glockenspiel. Lyrically, it is one of several of his songs that reference an idealized feminine or guardian angel-like figure. At about two and a half minutes in length, it is one of his most concise and melodically focused pieces.
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.
"Cheap Sunglasses" is a 1979 single by ZZ Top from their 1979 studio album Degüello.
"La Grange" is a song by the American rock group ZZ Top, from their 1973 album Tres Hombres. One of ZZ Top's most successful songs, it was released as a single in 1973 and received extensive radio play, rising to No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1974. The song refers to a brothel on the outskirts of La Grange, Texas. The brothel is also the subject of the Broadway play and film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Flash (1969) is an album by Moving Sidewalks, Billy Gibbons' band prior to forming ZZ Top a year after its release. The Sidewalks' music was more in line with the psychedelic rock movement rather than the blues rock sound ZZ Top would be famous for. It was re-released in 2000 with bonus tracks and again in 2022 on both vinyl and CD. It was recorded in the band's hometown of Houston at Gold Star Recording Studio, later renamed Sugar Hill Recording Studios.
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.
International Artists (IA) was an American independent record label based in Houston, Texas, United States, that originally existed from 1965 to 1970. It is not to be confused with International Artists Records, a classical music record label founded in New York City in 1956.
Bill Bentley is an American music industry executive, particularly notable for having produced tribute albums of the music of significant cult artists Roky Erickson (1990), Skip Spence (1999), Doug Sahm (2009) and Lou Reed, in addition to other recording projects.
Recycler is the tenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in October 1990. It was the last album to utilize the band's synthesizer-driven production style which began on Eliminator and marked a return to the band's blues roots.
"My Head's In Mississippi" is a song by ZZ Top from their album Recycler. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning. In December 1990, the song reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 166 in Australia.
Neal Ford and the Fanatics were an American psychedelic rock band formed in Houston Texas, in 1964. Led by Neal Ford and featuring members who were all capable songwriters, the band was a forerunner in the development of psychedelic music in the region, along with their contemporaries, The 13th Floor Elevators and the Moving Sidewalks. The group released one album in 1967 before disbanding later in 1970.
Uptight Tonight: The Ultimate 1960s Garage Punk Primer is a garage rock compilation put out in 2005 by Big Beat Records. The set consists of twenty-six tracks that, with a few exceptions, focus on the harder and more aggressive side of the genre. Steve Legget, commenting in AllMusic, writes that Uptight Tonight "...rips out the attitude and trash riffs pretty darn well, making it perhaps the ultimate single-disc set of this raggedly endearing rock style." The packaging includes well-researched liner notes written by Alec Palao, which provide helpful biographical information about the artists and their songs, as well as extensive photographs of the bands."
"Waitin' for the Bus" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago" are two songs by American rock band ZZ Top from their 1973 album Tres Hombres. The two songs open the album, segued into each other, and for years radio stations played the two tracks together. "Waitin' for the Bus" was written solely by Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, while "Jesus Just Left Chicago" was also co-written by drummer Frank Beard.
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