ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies aged 77
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ZZ Top Drummer Frank Beard Passes Away at 77
Ninoda.com – The blues-rock trio ZZ Top confirmed the death of longtime drummer Frank Beard, who was 77 years old. According to a statement posted on the band’s website, Beard died on Monday while receiving hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. Family members were present at his side. The specific cause of death was not disclosed.
A Six-Decade Rhythmic Foundation
Beard served as the driving force behind the drum kit for roughly sixty years, anchoring landmark tracks including La Grange, Tush, and Cheap Sunglasses. He joined the Houston-based ensemble after ZZ Top issued its debut single, “Salt Lick,” and subsequently recruited Dusty Hill to handle bass duties.
Despite his surname, Beard earned the nickname “The Man With No Beard” because he was the sole member of the group who did not grow the voluminous facial hair that became the band’s visual trademark.
Legacy and Tributes
Founded in 1969, ZZ Top performed its first live show the following year. Over its career the group put out fifteen studio albums and four live recordings, producing chart singles such as Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sleeping Bag, and Viva Las Vegas. The band received induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Following the death of bassist Dusty Hill in 2021, Elwood Francis stepped in to fill the low-end role. Speaking after Beard’s passing, lead vocalist Billy Gibbons offered the following remarks:
“Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas.”
“His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top. The band of which he was part for six decades is going to keep on keeping on as he had wished.”
Tour Disruptions and Resumption Plans
The statement announced that Beard’s death “necessitates the cancellation” of two upcoming shows: a Monday date in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a Wednesday performance in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group intends to pick up its current The Big One! Tour over the coming weekend with two appearances at Austin City Limits — a venue the band described as one of Beard’s personal favourites, in “a city that had been something of a second home for him.”
Chart-Topping Albums and Award Recognition
The 1984 record Eliminator, which contained the singles Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man, and Legs, went on to sell more than ten million copies. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) granted it diamond certification in 1996, and the album also drew a Grammy Award nomination. Three years later, in 1987, the group earned another Grammy nod from the Recording Academy for the album Afterburner.
In 2021, ZZ Top received a nomination for best music film at the Grammys for Sam Dunn’s documentary That Little Ol’ Band From Texas.
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