The ZZ Top songs Billy Gibbons was most proud of: “About having a good time”
Throughout decades of fantastic guitar players, Billy Gibbons has been a true rock and roll survivor.
After living through the ‘Summer of Love’ during its inception, Gibbons’ first attempt to go psychedelic with his band The Moving Sidewalks eventually led him back to the blues with ZZ Top, pioneering a signature brand of boogie that would become a trademark of southern rock bands as the years went on. Even though Gibbons could shred with the best of them, there are still a handful of his songs that he prefers more than others.
When combing through his back catalogue, Gibbons had a particular soft spot for the album Tres Hombres, singling out the songs ‘Waitin For The Bus’, ‘Jesus Just Left Chicago’ and ‘La Grange’ among his favourites to play. Although each song appears on the same record, they all have different distinctions in ZZ’s body of work.
Though most of their tunes are indebted to the blues, ‘Jesus Just Left to Chicago’ is the purest form of those sentiments, with a down-and-dirty blues lick and lyrics about a higher power leaving Gibbons behind. Even though several blues songs have come and gone in their repertoire, no other cuts to the genre’s roots quite like this, as if any spiritual guidance has left Gibbons behind long ago.
Compared to ‘Chicago’, ‘Waitin’ For the Bus’ is one of the most laid-back tunes that the band ever made, opening up the record with a mellow guitar lick as Gibbons talks about missing the local bus and having to spend the rest of the day waiting for it to arrive. Even Gibbons’ guitar can’t be bothered to play anything too flashy, laying back with tasty bends that are irresistible to the ears.
Throughout their career, ‘La Grange’ has always been the perfect example of how to do a lot with a little. Only using one guitar lick for the tune, Gibbons soaks all of the mojo he can from that handful of notes as Dusty Hill sings about a nasty little cathouse in the middle of Texas.
While ZZ Top may have gotten their foot in the door during the ‘70s, they became superstars yet again in the ‘80s, with Gibbons loving to play the song ‘Sharp Dressed Man’. Although there’s a prominent ‘80s sheen coating every ounce of this tune, Gibbons is in prime form, never quitting his habit for tasty blues licks and incorporating them into a pop context.
Bringing his picks home, Gibbons singled out the song ‘I Gotsta Get Paid’ from one of ZZ Top’s later albums, showing the grizzled rock and roll badass he’s become after years on the road. Although Gibbons might be partial to some of ZZ’s biggest hits, he’s quick to say that any breakout singles are secondary to what he’s doing on the guitar.
When talking to Eddie Trunk, Gibbons always went back to the good time spirit that comes with being in the ‘Little Ol Band From Texas’, saying, “I think everybody knows that to experience ZZ Top is just about having a good time. But it’s those solo things that still resonate”. The singles may be the by-product of ZZ Top’s massive success, but Billy Gibbons has always been more interested in playing what he wanted to hear than cashing in on any sort of trend.
That mindset has been the backbone of ZZ Top’s longevity. While trends came and went around them, Gibbons and company stayed rooted in their own groove, adapting just enough to remain relevant without ever losing sight of the bluesy core that made them stand out in the first place.
It also explains why those favourite tracks still resonate so deeply with Gibbons. They are not just hits or fan favourites, but snapshots of different moments in the band’s evolution, each one capturing a specific feel or attitude that continues to define what ZZ Top is all about.
Billy Gibbons’s favourite ZZ Top songs:
- ‘Waitin For the Bus’ –Tres Hombres
- ‘Jesus Just Left Chicago’ – Tres Hombres
- ‘La Grange’ – Tres Hombres
- ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ – Eliminator
- ‘I Gotsta Get Paid’ – La Futura
