ZZ Top is what it is ... and that's still fun

There are really only a few bands out there that truly have a unique sound. That is, one second of any song and you can instantly recognize the outfit without question.

Invariably, this is the case with guitar-rock act ZZ Top. For nearly 40 years, the trio of bassist-singer Dusty Hill, drummer Frank Beard and guitarist-singer Billy Gibbons has been putting out hits — “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Legs,” “Tush,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “La Grange” — that sound like no other band. So what is it exactly that makes this Texas-based threesome so darn special?

“I don’t know,” laughed bassist Dusty Hill, calling from Las Vegas. “Our music has a sizzle. There’s a little Texas in everything we do. People just seem to enjoy it. We all early in our lives played in different bands, and Frank and I played in a few bands together before we finally clicked with Billy [Gibbons]). We felt it. And I mean if we played Johnny Mathis’ ‘Misty,’ it would probably still sound like ZZ Top. It’s just the way we sound.

“It’s been just the same three guys. Like Billy says, the same three guys playing the same three notes, just in a different order.”

ZZ Top performs Friday at the Chevrolet Centre.

For the complete story, see Thursday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.