Billy Gibbons
| Billy Gibbons | |
|---|---|
Billy F Gibbons
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Frederick Gibbons |
| Born |
December 16, 1949 Houston, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Hard rock, boogie rock, blues rock, blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, actor |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1967–present |
| Associated acts | ZZ Top, Moving Sidewalks, Jimi Hendrix, Brooks & Dunn, Roky Erickson, Nickelback, Queens of the Stone Age, DJ Screw, Screwed-up Click, Buddy Guy, Slash, Supersonic Blues Machine, Lance Lopez |
| Website | The Official Website of Billy F Gibbons |
| Notable instruments | |
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Gibson Les Paul "Pearly Gates" Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird Gibson Explorer Fender Telecaster |
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William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor, best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist of the American rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the Moving Sidewalks, who recorded Flash (1968) and opened four dates for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Gibbons formed ZZ Top in late 1969 and released ZZ Top's First Album in 1971. The albums that followed, Rio Grande Mud (1972) and Tres Hombres (1973), along with extensive touring, solidified the group's reputation as a hard-rocking power trio.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, ZZ Top released their three biggest-selling albums: Eliminator (1983), Afterburner (1985) and Recycler (1990). A wave of music videos for the hit singles "Legs", "Gimme All Your Lovin'", and "Sharp Dressed Man", among others, became mainstays on MTV. Gibbons has made appearances with other artists and acted on television shows, most notably Bones. He was ranked at number 32 on the 2011 Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Gibbons was born to Frederick Royal ("Freddie") and Lorraine (née Duffy) Gibbons in the Tanglewood neighborhood of Houston, Texas. His father was an entertainer, orchestra conductor, and concert pianist who worked alongside his second cousin, art director Cedric Gibbons, for Samuel Goldwyn at MGM Studios. A percussionist as a youth, Gibbons was sent by his father to New York City to study with Tito Puente In 1963, Gibbons received his first electric guitar following his 13th birthday, a sunburst Gibson Melody Maker, accompanied by a Large Cat amplifier, and was influenced by guitarists such as Jimmy Reed.
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