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Billy Gibbons

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Billy Gibbons

Billy Gibbons (born December 16, 1949)[1] is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar known as Pearly Gates. He is noted for using a Mexican peso coin as a guitar pick[2] and uses many pinch harmonics in his solos.[3]

A cornerstone in Hollywood, Gibbons remains a familiar fixture at the Sunset Marquis Hotel[4], producing studio sessions in the NightBird Recording Studio with actors Billy Bob Thornton and J.P. Shellnutt, along with musicians Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Jed Leiber, Joe "Backbeat" Fazzio, and Dwight Yoakam.[5][6] Gibbons is also well known for his authentic preparations of Mexican cuisine and is frequently a guest chef around Hollywood, California serving his famous "Renegade Guacamole".[7]

Early life

Gibbons was born to Freddie Frederick Royal and Lorraine Gibbons in the Tanglewood suburb of Houston, Texas, with his father being an entertainer, orchestra leader, and concert pianist who worked alongside second cousin, art director, Cedric Gibbons, for Samuel Goldwyn at MGM Studios. In 1963, Gibbons received his first electric guitar following his thirteenth birthday, a sunburst Gibson Melody Maker, accompanied with a Fender Champ amplifier. 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 18, Gibbons went forward forming an artfully designed band , conceptually inspired by friend and fellow musician, Roky Erickson and The Thirteenth Floor Elevators, naming the group the "Moving Sidewalks", penning the hit single, "99th Floor" and engaging a friendship with the legendary, Jimi Hendrix and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.[8]

Recording career

Moving Sidewalks

Main article: Moving Sidewalks

Gibbons founded the Texas psychedelic group The Moving Sidewalks,[9] which recorded several singles and one full-length album, "Flash." Gibbons and The Moving Sidewalks came to prominence opening for The Jimi Hendrix Experience during Hendrix's first American tour. Also notable was the Gibbons-penned song, "99th Floor," its title a nod to the influence on Gibbons of fellow Texans and pioneering psychedelic band The 13th Floor Elevators.

ZZ Top

Main article: ZZ Top

Gibbons formed ZZ Top in late 1969, which then quickly settled on bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank "Rube" Beard, both being members of the band American Blues. After honing their trademark blues-rock style, they released the aptly titled ZZ Top's First Album on London Records in 1971.

The band rolled on, intensively touring and recording/releasing albums until 1977, when they took an extended hiatus. Their long-time manager took this time to negotiate a deal that allowed the band to keep control of their previous recordings, to be distributed by their new label, Warner Bros. Records. They reunited two-and-a-half years later in order to start recording under a new Warner Bros. contract. Unknown to each other at the time, both Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons had grown the chest-length beards that quickly became a part of their image. With the exception of a short uniform beard in the 1990s, drummer Frank "Rube" Beard attempts keeping a somewhat blank face, with the occasional goatee.

The band hit international prominence and their commercial peak with the release of 1983's diamond-selling disc Eliminator. Eliminator was named after Gibbons' customized 1933 Ford Coupe, which was featured in three of the band's music videos. The album featured the hits "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "TV Dinners", and "Legs".

In 1994, the band signed a multi-million dollar, five-disc deal with RCA Records.

In 2003, a comprehensive collection of recordings from the London and Warner Bros. years entitled Chrome, Smoke & BBQ was released. In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They have the distinction of being among a very small group of bands with a 30-year-plus history that still has all of its original members. As of 2006, it is reported that ZZ Top is recording their 15th studio album.

Other appearances

Gibbons played the first slide guitar lead on the song "Dead End Streets" on Al Jourgensen of Ministry's side project Revolting Cocks album Cocked and Loaded. He also wrote, played guitar on and sang the song "Willin' For Satisfaction" from Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell's 2005 solo album Two Sides Of If.

Gibbons collaborated with the Queens of the Stone Age on the song "Burn the Witch" from the album Lullabies to Paralyze. ZZ Top's "Precious and Grace" was also recorded with lead vocals provided by Mark Lanegan as a bonus track for the album. Gibbons has also claimed this was one of his favorite collaborations and "Precious and Grace" was later added back into ZZ Top's set lists. Gibbons was also selected to guest the follow-up album Era Vulgaris but was unable to due to scheduling conflicts.[10]

Together with The Raconteurs Gibbons performed at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. Gibbons was part of an ensemble chosen to play with the band, which included Lou Reed and Jim Jarmusch. The performance was heavily edited and cut short by MTV for broadcast. However, the full unedited performance is available on MTV's Website for the VMAs. Although not a full-length performance, Gibbons can also be heard playing a few bars of the ZZ Top classic "La Grange."

Gibbons was one of several artists to participate together with BB King on the song "Tired Of Your Jive," from the B.B. King & Friends album. Gibbons also appeared on Nickelback's album All the Right Reasons on the songs "Follow You Home," "Fight for All the Wrong Reasons" and "Rockstar."

Gibbons performed with country legend Hank Williams's grandson Hank Williams III on the song "Trashville," from his album Lovesick, Broke and Driftin'.

Gibbons also collaborated with the original designer of his favorite guitar "Miss Pearly Gates" Lester William Polsfuss aka Les Paul with his Les Paul & Friends American Made, World Played track "Bad Case of Loving You." Gibbons also performed guitar with John Mayall & Friends' track "Put It Right Back" from the album Along for the Ride.

Gibbons was also a guest vocalist on Kid Rock's "Hillbilly Stomp" from the album Kid Rock.

Gibbons was also the guitarist during singer Luis Fonsi's presentation at the 7th Latin Grammy awards held in Madison Square Garden, New York, on November 2, 2006. Lately Gibbons also sang background vocals on former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar's 2008 CD Cosmic Universal Fashion during the song "Switch on the Light."

Gibbons collaborated with Ronnie Dunn, of Brooks & Dunn fame, for Ronnie's first solo work, playing guitar and singing along on the song, "Honky Tonk Stomp".

He played guitar on "Broke Down On the Brazos", the opening track of Gov't Mule's 2009 album By a Thread.

Gibbons played guitar on "Run Rudolph Run", the third track of We Wish you a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year compilation.

Gibbons has a recurring role, on the Fox network TV series Bones. He plays a fictionalized version of himself, as the father of Michaela Conlin's character Angela Pearly Gates Montenegro. Conlin's character's middle name is the same as Gibbons's Les Paul guitar. Gibbons's character is extremely protective of his daughter, and he often "threatens" or "haunts" Jack Hodgins, now her husband, that if he hurts Angela, he will pay. He has appeared in several episodes, including one where he asks Hodgins to help him recover his car, the ZZTop Eliminator, from some "biker hoods".

Gibbons joined Jeff Beck onstage at the 2009 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert with a version of Hendrix "Foxy Lady".

Gibbons made a special guest appearance behind Roky Erickson on Austin City Limits taped on November 12, 2007 and originally aired January 12, 2008. (ACL Season 33, Episode 12)

On January 22, 2010, Gibbons joined Ben Harper, Beck, Conan O'Brien, and others on the final episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien playing a Will Ferrell-led rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird.[11]

Musical equipment

Guitars

Billy's choice of electric guitars has primarily been Gibson. His first guitar was a sunburst 1962 Gibson Melody Maker.[12] He became a Gibson player since 1968, when he purchased a sunburst 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar from a farmer in Houston, Texas for $250. The guitar was named "Pearly Gates".[13]

Billy continues to play Gibsons with ZZ Top, owning various models including an early-'50s Les Paul Goldtop, a 1958 Flying V, and an early model of the Gibson SG, made in 1961 with a cherry red finish.

Along with Gibson, Billy is also known for playing various Fender guitars. During his stint in the Moving Sidewalks, Billy used a white 1963 Fender Jazzmaster and Fender Esquire.[14] A couple of Fender guitars were featured on the Tres Hombres album, including a 1952 Fender Broadcaster on "Jesus Just Left Chicago" and a hard-tail sunburst 1955 Fender Stratocaster on "La Grange". He used a sunburst 1958 Les Paul for the slide guitar in "Just Got Paid," as well as a 1955 Gretsch Roundup on "TV Dinners" from Eliminator.

Amplifiers

Billy's sound is based on a 100-watt Marshall Super Lead made in 1968. According to an interview with music retailer Musician's Friend in 2008, Billy Gibbons stated the importance of the Marshall Super Lead in ZZ Top's sound:

"I would say that it was the '59 Gibson Les Paul, better known now as 'Pearly Gates', plugged into a hundred-watt Marshall. [It] designed a sound that still resonates today."[15]

Along with the Super Leads, he has used a variety of Marshall's products, including the JCM 900 Dual Reverb[16], Bluesbreaker, JTM45, Major[17], and Lead 12.[16] Recently, his live touring rack consists of the JMP-1 Preamp, combined with power amps like the Valvestate 120 or the 9200 model.[3]

Billy has a large collection of vintage Fender amplifiers, his first amp being a Fender Champ. He's notable for collecting Fender Dual Professionals, later named the Fender Super in 1947. Other Fenders he has used include a Fender Bassman and Fender Tweed Deluxe[18].

He has also played through Crate V-50 Palomino models with customized tolex. Other amps he's used include the Goodsell Super 17 rack model, THD UniValve, Tom Scholz Rockman, and the Mojave Scorpion.

Effects

Billy has acquired a variety of fuzz pedals over the years, like the Gibson Maestro Fuzz-Tone and Dallas Rangemaster, Pro Analog effects, Foxx Tone Machines, Bixonic Expandoras, Blackstone Appliances, Metasonix Agonizer, Chandler Tube Driver, Z.Vex Effects, Devi Ever Effects , Analog Man effects, Black Cat Overdrive, Marshall Supa Fuzz, SIB Varidrive, Austone Electronics, and Gooby Bag of Dicks. He also uses boost pedals from Robert Keeley and Creation Audio Labs.

At the 2010 Winter NAMM show, Dunlop and Gibbons unveiled a new line of guitar accessories, Rev. Willy's. These include Gibbons inspired picks, strings, and slides.[19]

Discography

The Moving Sidewalks

Main article: Moving Sidewalks

ZZ Top

Main article: ZZ Top discography

Guest singles

Year Single Artist Chart positions Album
US Country US CAN Country
2009 "Honky Tonk Stomp" Brooks & Dunn 16 96 8 #1s… and Then Some

References

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference imdb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Gandara, Ricardo (06 Oct 2007). "Peso Picks". Austin American-Statesman. Austin: Michael Vivio. Retrieved 24 Aug 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ a b Prown, Pete (2003). Gear Secrets of the Guitar Legends: How to Sound Like Your Favorite Players. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 119. ISBN 087930751X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "BAR 1200 at Sunset Marquis Hotel". Sunset Marquis. Retrieved 24 Aug 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ "Music Clients". NightBird Recording Studios. Retrieved 24 Aug 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ "SUNSET MARQUIS - STUDIO CLIENTS". Sunset Marquis. 2010. Retrieved 24 Aug 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ Gibbons, Billy (2005). Billy F Gibbons: Rock + Roll Gearhead. MBI Publishing Company. p. 57. ISBN 0760322694. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ KLRU | Texas Monthly Talks
  9. ^ Chest, Lance (2005-06-09). "ZZ Top Is Zee Tops! (Why ZZ Top is the World's Greatest Band!)". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
  10. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (2007-04-13). "Reznor Guest Spot Adds Mystery To QOTSA Album". News > Articles. Billboard. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
  11. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2010/01/23/conan-obrien-recruits-will-ferrell-beck-for-final-episode-free-bird/
  12. ^ Harward, Randy (24 Feb 2009). "Inquirer: Billy Gibbons - Guitar World". Guitar World. Retrieved 25 Aug 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ "Billy F. Gibbons" (PDF). The ToneQuest Report. Georgia: Mountanview Publishing. October 2002. p. 4. Retrieved 25 Aug 2010. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ "Billy F. Gibbons" (PDF). The ToneQuest Report. Georgia: Mountanview Publishing. October 2002. p. 3. Retrieved 25 Aug 2010. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ "Making Our December 2008 Cover - Billy Gibbons". Musician's Friend. December 2008. Retrieved 21 Aug 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ a b Doyle, Michael (1993). The history of Marshall: the illustrated story of "the sound of rock". Hal Leonard. p. 25. ISBN 0793525098. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  17. ^ Paul, Alan (3 Dec 2009). "Prime Cuts: ZZ Top". Guitar World. Future US. Retrieved 21 Aug 2010. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  18. ^ Pittman, Aspen (2003). The Tube Amp Book. 165: Hal Leonard. ISBN 0879307676. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
  19. ^ "Dunlop". Retrieved 3 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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