Over half a century on the drums: Frank Beard, the man who helped shape ZZ Top's sound, dies
Beard's death comes after ZZ Top abruptly canceled a performance scheduled for Aug. 5 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Photo of Frank Beard
Frank Beard, ZZ Top's drummer for more than half a century, died Monday at the age of 77 at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, while receiving palliative care. His passing was announced in a statement posted on the band's website, which did not specify the cause of death.
Beard, as recalled by The New York Times, was a cornerstone ZZ Top's sound. The Texan trio achieved international success with a blend of boogie, Southern rock, and blues. His bandmate, Billy Gibbons, mourned his death and emphasized that his distinctive rhythm was essential to keeping ZZ Top at the top.
“Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator,” Mr. Beard’s bandmate Billy Gibbons wrote on Facebook on Tuesday, referring to Elwood Francis, ZZ Top’s bassist since 2021, “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.”
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Beard's death comes after ZZ Top abruptly canceled a performance scheduled for Aug. 5 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Rolling Stone reported last week, citing a band representative, that unspecified health issues related to Beard had led to the cancellation.
Gibbons noted that the band will continue its tour with a substitute drummer, after also canceling scheduled performances in Sandy, Utah, and Colorado Springs, Colo.
The band's success
Beard, on the other hand, never adopted the same look: he wore only a mustache, a difference that became a recurring source of jokes among fans and his bandmates.
While Gibbons and Hill became the center of ZZ Top's live shows, Beard provided the signature rhythm on drums that drove songs like "Tush" and "La Grange."
The band's first major commercial success came in 1973 with their third album, Tres Hombres, which entered the Billboard Top 10. Three years later, ZZ Top embarked on the so-called "Worldwide Texas Tour," a tour that featured bison, cattle, vultures, rattlesnakes and a German shepherd portraying a wolf.
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