ZZ TOP Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard That Little Ol’ Band From Texas Film

That Little Ol’ Band From Texas Billy, Dusty

By Jimmy Steinfeldt

HOLLYWOOD (Perfect Music Today)8/15/19–How do you squeeze 50 years into an hour and a half movie? ZZ Top has done it!

One of the best music documentaries I’ve seen. With interviews by the three band members (Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard). Also excellent interviews by many friends and key figures in the band’s history including: Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Miller, Josh Homme, Dan Auerbach, Robin Hood Brians, Tim Newman, and more.

We learn about the early days in the late sixties when two bands meet up and become one with a new name: ZZ Top. We see how they inched along playing small venues in Texas. How they leaped forward when Mick Jagger heard their music and signed them to open for The Rolling Stones. How they risked everything by putting on the craziest rock tour of all time bringing on stage a live Buffalo, a Longhorn Steer, Rattlesnakes, and Buzzards. Finally we learn how a chance late night viewing of a new show called MTV got the band to leap on board in the early days of music videos. These videos combined with their new sound catapulted ZZ Top to international stardom.

Bob Merlis , Sam Dunn (director), Dusty Hill, Billy Gibbons

We also learn how the band pulled together in a big way to help their best friend and bandmate Frank Beard fight and beat a serious drug addiction. His saga is told by Frank himself with brutal honesty.

Dusty, Billy ZZ TOP

The interviews are terrific. Tons of photographs and 16mm footage from the guys’ childhood and early band days, paint a wonderful picture of their beginnings. Plenty of live performance footage is included. The film also includes several of their distinctive music videos with narration on how they were made.

Billy, Jimmy, Dusty Tres Hombres

The screening was held at the amazing ArcLight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood to a sold out audience. Following the screening legendary publicist Bob Merlis conducted a Q&A with Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and the film’s director Sam Dunn. The film was produced by Banger Films and Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Bob Merlis

Photography; Jimmy Steinfeldt