Classic rock music and hot rods – does it get any better than that? ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons shares his passion for both in the pilot episode of a new television series called Rockin’ Roadsters, premiering Monday, February 29th at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery. In the episode, Gibbons and his buddy slash top hot rod builder Jimmy Shine transform a 1984 El Camino into a part-car, part-truck roadster, incorporating miscellaneous gear like an old bass drum pedal into the design. (Gibbons primarily acts as creative director, while Shine does the building.)
The reality show appearance is just one of many for Gibbons this year. He recently released his solo debut, Perfectamundo, to critical acclaim. Read Best Classic Bands‘ review here.
ZZ Top is continuing to rock the road well into 2016, taking their spring Hell Raisers Tour to more than two dozen cities in the U.S. and Canada, with focus on the Midwest, Pacific Northwest and American South. The shows kick off March 18th in Thackerville, Oklahoma, and come to a close May 6th in Concord, North Carolina. Just a little over a month later, the band will make their way through Europe, with dates in the France, Germany, Denmark and beyond.
Known for their long beards and praised for their technical mastery, humorous lyrics and blistering live shows, enigmatic power trio ZZ Top has influenced countless rock, pop and country artists over the past 47 years. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and earned seven platinum awards and 11 gold records. Impressing audiences with timeless hits like “La Grange,” “Legs,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raiser,” ZZ Top is also notable for having the most consistently stable lineup in classic rock. Singer/guitarist Gibbons, bassist/singer Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard continue to impress audiences, drawing material from their 15 studio albums with combined record sales of over 25 million in the U.S. alone.
In other ZZ Top news, filmmakers Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn are making the first-ever feature length documentary about the famed Houston rock band, and they need your help gathering rare photos, video and audio. Despite the band’s tremendous influence, there’s very little archival material documenting their mysterious past. The goal for the still untitled ZZ Top doc is to feature interviews with the band as well as their friends, family and colleagues, alongside never-before-seen footage, photos and audio tracks, to detail the group’s history.
