The guitarist so good he scared Billy Gibbons: “Absolutely terrifying”
As straightforward and no-nonsense as ZZ Top have always been as a band, it’s hard to argue that their members weren’t all formidable at their instruments and able to produce stunning performances.
With Billy Gibbons on rhythm and occasional lead guitar, he established himself as the lynchpin that held the trio together, all the while backed by his trusted rhythm section of Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, and even though their style never truly deviated from sleazy blues rock, they were still able to impress with taut musicianship throughout their 51 years together as a group.
Given that Gibbons has always shown a loyalty towards blues-oriented styles, you’d expect that the majority of his influences have come from this part of the music sphere, with the understandable touchstones such as BB King, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters all playing a significant role in helping him to establish his own character as a player.
However, there’s also a psychedelic edge to what the band produced, with fellow Texans 13th Floor Elevators and Roky Erickson being equally as important to the development of his style, as well as the unmatchable technical skills of Jimi Hendrix swaying him towards a looser yet otherworldly brand of guitar playing.
Despite these influences, who were either from the same era or before having wowed Gibbons at some point, there have been other artists who he has taken a particular liking towards in the years since ZZ Top’s formation, with a crop of blues guitarists having emerged in the 1970s who Gibbons struggled to fathom the talents of.
One player in particular who Gibbons was especially fond of was Eric Johnson, another Texan who had his first major taste of band life in 1974 when he co-founded the Electromagnets. While he spent much of the ‘70s and early ‘80s plying his trade in a variety of bands, he would attract greater attention in the 1990s when he released his debut solo album, Seven Worlds, despite it having been recorded over 20 years ago by the time it was released in 1998.
Gibbons’ fascination with Johnson was not a unique thing, as many other guitarists had noted how he was the most impressive element of all the records he had previously contributed to throughout the earlier parts of his career. In a 2022 interview with Music Radar, he expressed his admiration for Johnson even more, claiming that he was one of the most formidable players he’d ever laid his eyes upon.
“Eric is an absolutely terrifying player,” he proclaimed. “He has a great tone that he once called his own attempt to become a 100-pound violin. Which I think is brilliant. I remember reading that and absolutely loving the idea behind it.”
Despite having spent the majority of his career as a session musician and rarely regarded for his contributions to bands, Johnson has amassed something of a cult following for his ability to fluctuate between styles. Gibbons’ praise comes as no minor commendation, and given how his tone has always sounded monstrous on ZZ Top’s records, you can see exactly why Johnson is the sort of guitarist he admires.
