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Billy Gibbons
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Billy F. Gibbons (born December 16, 1949), nicknamed the Reverend Willie G, is best known as the guitarist for ZZ Top. He is also the lead vocalist and composer for many of the band's classic songs. A Houston native, Gibbons is known for playing a 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar he calls Miss Pearly Gates. He is known to play his guitar using a quarter or a peso as a pick, lending a distinctive sound to his playing, and for his extensive use of harmonics.
ons founded the Texas psychedelic group the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded several singles and one full-length album, "Flash".
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Encyclopedia
Billy F. Gibbons (born December 16, 1949), nicknamed the Reverend Willie G, is best known as the guitarist for ZZ Top. He is also the lead vocalist and composer for many of the band's classic songs. A Houston native, Gibbons is known for playing a 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar he calls Miss Pearly Gates. He is known to play his guitar using a quarter or a peso as a pick, lending a distinctive sound to his playing, and for his extensive use of harmonics.
History in music
Moving Sidewalks
Gibbons founded the Texas psychedelic group the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded several singles and one full-length album, "Flash". The Moving Sidewalks were most prominent for opening for The Jimi Hendrix Experience during the Texas leg of Hendrix's first American tour. Also notable was the Gibbons-penned song "99th Floor," its title a nod to the influence on Gibbons of fellow Texans and pioneering psychedelic band The 13th Floor Elevators. Before that, he was in a band called The Saints with fellow guitarists David Crosswell and Philip Taft.
ZZ Top
He formed ZZ Top in late 1969 with bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard (both alumni of the bands American Blues, the Warlocks, and the Cellar Dwellers). After honing their trademark Texas Boogie-Blues-Rock style, they released the aptly titled "ZZ Top's First Album" on London Records in 1971.
The band rolled on, intensively touring and recording/releasing albums until 1977, when they took an extended hiatus. Their long-time manager/producer/image maker Bill Ham used this time to negotiate a deal that allowed the band to keep control of their previous recordings, to be distributed by their new label, Warner Bros. Records. They reunited two and a half years later in order to start recording under a new Warner Bros. Records contract. Unbeknownst to the other, both Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons had grown the chest-length beards that quickly became a part of their "wildman" image. Despite a short uniform beard in the 1990s, drummer Frank Beard has always kept short and shaved with an occasional mustache.
The band hit international prominence and their commercial peak with the release of 1983's multi-platinum-selling disc "Eliminator". Named after Gibbon's customized 1933 Ford Coupe (which, along with leggy party girls was featured in several music videos), "Eliminator" featured the hits "Legs", "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "TV Dinners".
In 1994, the band signed a five-disc deal with RCA Records.
In 2003, a comprehensive collection of recordings from the London and Warner Bros. years entitled "Chrome, Smoke & BBQ" was released. In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They have the distinction of being among a very small group of bands with a 30 year plus history that still has all of its original members. As of 2006, it is reported that ZZ Top is recording their 15th studio album. A 2007 European tour was cancelled due to health problems of Dusty Hill which Hill said would not keep them off the road for long.
Other appearances
Gibbons played the first slide guitar lead on the song "Dead End Streets" on Al Jourgensen of Ministry's side project Revolting Cocks album Cocked and Loaded. He also wrote, played guitar and sang the song "Willin' For Satisfaction" from Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell's 2005 solo album Two Sides Of If.
Gibbons collaborated with the Queens of the Stone Age on the song "Burn the Witch" from the album Lullabies to Paralyze. ZZ Top's "Precious and Grace" was also recorded with lead vocals provided by Mark Lanegan as a bonus track for the album. Gibbons has also claimed this was one of his favorite collaborations and "Precious and Grace" was later added back into ZZ Top's set lists. Gibbons was also supposed to guest the follow up album Era Vulgaris but was unable due to scheduling conflicts.
Together with The Raconteurs Gibbons performed at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. Gibbons was part of an ensemble chosen to play with the band, which included Lou Reed and Jim Jarmusch. The performance was heavily edited and cut short by MTV for broadcast, however the full unedited performance is available on MTV's Website for the VMAs. Although not a full length performance, Gibbons can also be heard playing a few bars of the ZZ Top classic "La Grange"
Gibbons was one of several artists to participate together with BB King on the song "Tired Of Your Jive", from the B.B. King & Friends album. Gibbons also appeared on Nickelback's album All The Right Reasons on the songs "Follow You Home", "Fight for all the wrong reasons" and "Rockstar"
Performed with country legend Hank Williams' grandson Hank Williams III on the song "Trashville", from his album Broke, Lovesick and Driftin
Gibbons also collaborated with the original designer of his favorite guitar "Miss Pearly Gates" Lester William Polsfuss aka Les Paul with his Les Paul & Friends American Made, World Played track "Bad Case Of Loving You" Gibbons also performed guitar with John Mayall & Friends track "Put It Right Back" from the album Along For The Ride.
GIbbons was also a guest vocalist on Kid Rock's "Hillbilly Stomp" from the album Kid Rock.
Gibbons was also the guitarist during singer Luis Fonsi's presentation at the 7th Latin Grammy awards held in Madison Square Garden, New York, on November 2, 2006. Lately Gibbons also sang background vocals on former Van Halen frontmen Sammy Hagar's 2008 CD Cosmic Universal Fashion during the song "Switch On The Light"
Billy appeared on Bones in both the first and second seasons, portraying Angela Montenegro's father. His first appearance was when he came to visit Angela who was being quarantined for Christmas; the second was when she was supposed to get married to Jack Hodgins. They walked down the aisle to "Gimme All Your Lovin'" (played by a harpist with a tape-recorded background), and the young couple left the church to "Gimme All Your Lovin'" (the traditional version), both by ZZ Top.
Musical equipment
Guitars
Gibbons tunes his stage guitars to E standard tuning when doing live performances. For his studio work, he sometimes detunes his guitar to a D, C, B and sometimes even to a A. For his slide work Gibbons often uses Open E or Open A tuning. Gibbons sometimes substitutes picks with quarters or Mexican pesos. Gibbons' equipment has varied considerably throughout his career, but has always maintained his signature sound.
Miss Pearly Gates. Gibson Les Paul - A close copy of Miss Pearly Gates, used on live performances. 1958 Gibson Les Paul - Used on "Just Got Paid".Set up with heavier strings and higher action for slide. Gibson "Goldtop" Les Paul - John Bolin custom, with three control knobs, no pickup selector and pinstriping. Gibson 1958 Korina Flying V - Bought off the street for 300 dollars by Gibbons. Gibson Custom with Texas shaped body - Used during the Worldwide Texas Tour. Gretsch Custom - Built for Bo Diddley later donated to Gibbons, never used live. Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird - A replica modeled after the Bo Diddley custom guitar. Custom Jupiter Tunderbird Bigsby - A custom built Jupiter fitted with a Bigsby vibrato. Custom Reversed Jupiter Thunderbird - A custom made model of the Jupiter but with a reversed body. John Bolin Billy Gibbons Super Model - Telecaster style body with two hollowed out compartments which contain one cigarette in the middle and one 'handrolled' in the neck compartment. Custom Telecaster - With rubber top, allowing Gibbons to stab it with knives during live performances. Fender Esquire (aka "Bones") - Equipped with Seymour Duncan stacked bridge humbucker to replicate the sound of his Miss Pearly Gates. James Trussart Steelcaster - Telecaster-style guitar with steel body and "Rust-O-Matic" finish. John Bolin Crazy Cowboy - White semi-hollowbody guitar. Dean Explorer - Called the Fuzzy Explorer because of it being covered in fuzzy fur.
- Dean Shrimpfork Explorer - Red finish.
- 1951 Fender Esquire - Used during the recording of
Eliminator. 1956 Fender Stratocaster - With sunburst finish used for overdubs on Rio Grande Mud. 1955 Fender Stratocaster - Hardtail version with maple neck used on Tres Hombres. 1959 Fender Stratocaster - Maple neck used on Fandango. Fender Stratocaster - Pink finish, donated to Gibbons by Jimi Hendrix. Custom-made Telecaster - This guitar is also made by John Bolin called "Big Tex" Schoen Guitars Apache Dynamite - 5-stringed Cigar Box Guitar. Gibson Melody Maker - Gibbons first guitar which he got at age 13.
Effects
Onstage:
4 Z.Vex Nano Heads - Billy would use these with an artifact called "The Lap Dog". The Lap Dog was created from an old empty lantern with a Van de Graaff Generator inside. It has a carved African dog head on top and four of the Z.Vex Nano Heads daisy-chained together and mounted alongside.
Rack equipment:
June 2008
Tech 21 Midi Mouse Furman PL-Plus Power Conditioner Two Samson UHF UR-5D Wireless Systems Korg ToneWorks DTR-1 Digital Rack Tuner Two Peavey Electronics Autograph II Equalizers Three Marshall JMP-1 Preamps - one is used as a back up Three Marshall Valvestate 8008 Power Amps - one is used as a back up Boss OC-3 Super Octave Electro Harmonix POG Palmer PGA-04 ADIG-LB Speaker Simulator Furman AR-1220 AC Voltage Regulator
One power amp goes to a couple of Demeter Isolation Cabinets, each loaded with 100-watt 12" Celestion Speaker. The other goes to a Crate Blue Voodoo 4x12" Speaker Cabinet.
October 2008
Monster Power Pro 2500 Boss SE-70 Effects Processor Two DigiTech MEQ-28 Mono 28 Band Graphic Equalizers Two Marshall JMP-1 Preamps Tech 21 Midi Mouse Monster Power Pro 2500 Four Marshall Valvestate 120/120 Power Amps Furman AR-1220 AC Voltage Regulator
One power amp goes to a couple of Demeter Isolation Cabinets, each loaded with 100-watt 12" Celestion Speaker. The other goes to a Crate Blue Voodoo 4x12" Speaker Cabinet.
Here are some other effects that he's used over the years:
Analog Man SunLion, Sunface, and Beano Boost Foxx Tone Machine Pro Analog MKIII Fuzz pedal Pro Analog Power Driver Pro Analog Dual Drive BK Butler Real Tube Bixonic Expandora - Billy would use six of these with different settings. Boss OC-3 Super Octave pedal Electro-Harmonix POG Fulltone Ultimate Octave Fulltone Dejavibe Chandler Tube Drivers Keeley Katana Preamp Clean Boost Tom Scholz Rockman Rockman Pre Amp
Amplifiers
Gear from Gibbons current endorseer Crate:
3 Crate Blue Voodoo heads with 6 4x12" cabinets - These were custom-made for Billy and bass player Dusty Hill for their 2007 "Hollywood Blues" tour. The amp heads were used as stage props, and one of Billy's and one of Dusty's cabinets were put through the Front of House mixer. They're also currently using these amps for their current 2008 tour. 6 Crate V50 combos - These amps were used in the early 2000s.
Other amplifiers that have been used for recordings or live performences:
Mojave Custom Scorpion Jake Stack Rio Grande amplifiers Fender Bassman Fender Brown Deluxe Fender Champ Fender Dual Professional Fender Harvard Fender Princeton Fender Tremolux Fender Tweed Deluxe Marshall Plexi Super Lead Marshall 1968 100 Watt 1x12 Marshall JCM800 Marshall JCM900 Marshall 2x12" cabinet VOX Super Beatle Silvertone 2x12 combo Legend 50 2x12 combo
Discography
The Moving Sidewalks
Flash (1968)
ZZ Top
ZZ Top's First Album (1971)Rio Grande Mud (1972)Tres Hombres (1973)Fandango! (1975)Tejas (1977)Deguello (1979)El Loco (1981)Eliminator (1983)Afterburner (1985)Recycler (1990)Antenna (1994)Rhythmeen (1996)XXX (1999)Mescalero (2003)
Television appearances
- Guest appearance on the sitcom
Yes, Dear. Greg, Jimmy, Kim and Christine are waiting to be seated at a fancy restaurant and they see Billy Gibbons sitting at a table. Jimmy puts out the candle near his beard because he doesn't want it to ignite.Guest appearance on the animated show King of the Hill.Guest appearance on the Drew Carey Show. Drew's band the is having tryouts for a guitarist. Billy is one of the many cameos who tried for the spot.Guest appearance on the Fox television series Bones. Billy Gibbons plays himself, as the father of Angela Pearly Gates Montenegro, portrayed by Michaela Conlin in the episodes "The Man in the Fallout Shelter" and "Stargazer in a Puddle". In this episode it was also revealed that Angela's middle name is "Pearly Gates." Gibbons' signature '59 Gibson Les Paul is named "Miss Pearly Gates." That guitar inspired the Seymour Duncan designed "Pearly Gates" humbucking pickup.Guest appearance on the show Criss Angel Mindfreak. Gibbons performs following one of the magician's illusions.His most recent television appearance was on Austin City Limits as part of the band backing Roky Erickson. He was also interviewed on a recent episode of KLRU's series Texas Monthly Talks.Occasionally, Gibbons is highlighted in the audience on WWE Television, most recently on the February 2 edition of WWE Smackdown
External links
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