Billy Gibbons – An Xperience Interview

Billy Gibbons – An Xperience Interview – by Neoptolemus.

He has music in his genes. At 13, he learned Latin percussion rhythms from a master. At 17, his band opened several concerts for a guitar legend. He has a five-octave singing range. He likes to read books. He’s an ordained reverend. He is an artist, an author, and an avid car collector.

His band, ZZ Top, has sold 50 million albums worldwide, including 25 million in the United States. They have six number-one singles, including “Tush,” “Legs,” and “Sharp Dressed Man.” Not only is he the lead guitarist and singer of the power trio, he is also their chief lyricist.

He might be the coolest, most humble dude you could ever meet.

Billy Gibbons and ZZ Top take the stage at the Palace Theater in Albany, NY on Wednesday, September 24th. Doors at 8 PM. Get your tickets, and get your Texas boogie on!

Xperience Monthly was granted an interview by the good Reverend:

RRX: Your dad was a concert pianist and a band leader. When you were young, he took you to Manhattan to meet Tito Puente, “The Mambo King,” so you could learn about Latin percussion rhythms. Was that a foundational part of your education, important to your later musical development?

BFG: Yes, absolutely. Señor Puente offered some sensational insight into the nature of rhythm and specifically percussion. His teachings left a solid impression into a total sonic consciousness and the wherewithal to stand always mindful toward enriching the rhythm section and get a cohesive, propulsive groove going.

RRX: Most people probably don’t know you play several other instruments, including the harmonica and piano. Is your piano playing an homage to your dad? Did he teach you, or did you pick it up later? Have you ever considered playing piano on a recording?

BFG: Having joined the legion of all those who become guitar crazy allowed remaining open to other directions … just mention Little Walter, Otis Spann, or Bo Diddley, and that in itself can light the fuse.

Speaking of keyboards, Mike “The Drifter” Flanigin is our reigning king of all things surrounding the propulsion of the Hammond B3.

RRX: When you were 17, you and your band, “The Moving Sidewalks,” toured with and opened for Jimi Hendrix. You have said that Hendrix taught you some things, including the opening to “Foxy Lady” and how to get more out of your guitar toggle switch. Did you get to interact with him much on the tour? What was Hendrix like, in your experience?

BFG: In my experience (I get it!), he was a generous and giving guy. We certainly spent time together off stage, not only when our band opened for his but thereafter, as well. If you read the liner notes we provided for the recently released “Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969,” it’s revealed we tagged along with the Experience [Hendrix’s band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience] even when we weren’t sharing the show bill. [NOTE: Billy is referring to the album, “Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969,” released by Experience Hendrix and Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings in 2022].

RRX: When you were coming up, your third studio album, “Tres Hombres,” launched you nationally in 1973. I remember hearing ZZ Top’s first hit single, “La Grange,” on the radio back then. Can you tell us what it was like to get that kind of recognition as a 24-year-old?

BFG: Imagine you’re in a rock band tooling along from gig to gig in a cramped Ford Econoline, twisting the radio dial to hear something likable among all the Top 40 stuff of the day, and with no forewarning, it happens to land upon your own record for the very first time. There’s no feeling quite like that; discovering that the band’s been discovered is truly electrifying. Once we heard the song over the air, we figured it was time to thrash, and that proved to be the case. It’s a moment that’s, by any definition, truly unforgettable.

RRX: Your most recent album is “Hardware,” a solo album that dropped in 2021 (Concord Records). Any plans for a new album with ZZ Top’s current line-up?

BFG: Yeah, man! Several new ones are on tape, aiming for release on wax and whatever other media might be rocking the ethos.

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