ZZ Top Drummer Frank Beard Dead: Tributes Pour in for Rock Legend
ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard, the band's rhythmic backbone for more than five decades, has died at 77, prompting tributes.
Frank Beard, the ZZ Top drummer known for his iconic mustache and steady rhythm, passed away at the age of 77. The Texas musician spent over five decades with the band, playing on every ZZ Top studio album. Beard's unique style and contribution to the band's blues-rock sound earned him a place in rock history. He died in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, surrounded by his wife and three children.
ZZ Top's current bassist, Elwood Francis, stated that the band would continue as Beard had wished. Bandmates Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, who grew their beards during a break in the 1970s, jokingly noted that Beard had a shorter one, allowing him to maintain anonymity in public. The band's iconic beards were an unintended consequence of their separate vacations in 1976.
Despite his non-bearded look, Beard's steady drumming powered ZZ Top's hit songs and contributed to the band's success, with over 50 million records sold and six No. 1 hits on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.
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- Frank Beard, ZZ Top’s Hard-Shuffling Drummer, Dead at 77 rollingstone.com
