Frank Beard, Longtime ZZ Top Drummer, Dies at 77
Frank Beard, the longtime drummer of the famous American rock band ZZ Top, has died at the age of 77. The band announced that he died on Monday while receiving hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. His family members were with him at the time of his death. The exact cause of death has not been announced.
Because of his death, ZZ Top cancelled two scheduled concerts—one in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday and another in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Wednesday.
Frank Beard was a member of ZZ Top for almost the entire history of the band. ZZ Top was formed in 1969, and the group performed its first concert in 1970. The band's best-known members were:
- Billy Gibbons – lead vocalist and guitarist
- Dusty Hill – bassist, who died in 2021
- Frank Beard – drummer
After Dusty Hill died in 2021, ZZ Top continued performing. Elwood Francis became the band's bassist.
Billy Gibbons' tribute
Billy Gibbons described Frank Beard as a great friend and collaborator. He also praised Beard as one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a proud Texan.
Gibbons said that Beard's distinctive backbeat was extremely important to ZZ Top's sound. A "backbeat" refers to the strong rhythmic emphasis usually placed on beats two and four in popular music.
Gibbons also said that ZZ Top would continue performing because that was what Beard had wanted.
Frank Beard's role in ZZ Top
Frank Beard was the drummer and provided the rhythmic foundation of the band's music. His drumming helped create the distinctive blues-rock sound of ZZ Top.
He played on many of the band's famous songs, including:
- La Grange
- Tush
- Cheap Sunglasses
- Gimme All Your Lovin'
- Sharp Dressed Man
- Legs
- Sleeping Bag
- Viva Las Vegas
Interestingly, despite his surname being "Beard," Frank was the only member of the classic ZZ Top lineup who did not have the band's famous long beard. Because of this, he was sometimes humorously known as "The Man With No Beard."
ZZ Top's major success
One of ZZ Top's biggest albums was Eliminator, released in 1983. It became extremely successful and contained some of the band's biggest songs, including "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," and "Legs."
The album sold more than 10 million copies in the United States and was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 1996. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award.
The band's next major album, Afterburner, also received a Grammy nomination in 1987.
In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, recognizing the band's enormous influence on rock and blues music.
What happens to the band now?
Although Frank Beard has died, ZZ Top has said that the band will continue performing.
The group is currently on its "The Big One!" Tour. After cancelling the Utah and Colorado shows because of Beard's death, the band planned to resume the tour with performances in Austin, Texas, including two dates at Austin City Limits.
Austin was particularly meaningful because it was one of Beard's favorite places to perform and was described by the band as almost a second home for him.
In short
Frank Beard was much more than just the drummer of ZZ Top. He was a member of the band for more than five decades and helped create its distinctive blues-rock sound. Alongside Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, he became part of one of the most recognizable rock groups in American music history.
His death marks the loss of a major figure in rock music, but ZZ Top intends to continue the band's legacy, following Beard's reported wish that the group should keep performing.