Thank You, Dusty Hill
ZZ Top - Ten Dollar Man
Hello internet pals of music. Today’s post is a dedication to the late Dusty Hill of ZZ Top. There’s a lot I want to say, but maybe it’s better to let the music talk.
Texas independence is really about freaks.
ZZ Top, like so many great Texan musicians, are freaks. Pure Texas weirdos. There are so many great freaky Texas musicians, like Johnny “Guitar” Watson, The Butthole Surfers, or DJ Screw. If people ask me what it’s like in Texas, I can just play them ZZ Top. It’s a vibe. I don’t know any Texan who doesn’t like them.
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ZZ Top were freaks. Weird as hell, and an amazing band. The beards (except on the guy actually named Beard), the strange songs (Cheap Sunglasses), the pure Texan ridiculousness of it all (the Worldwide Texas Tour of 1976, complete with live rattlesnakes and a Longhorn), backed by a string of fantastic records and reputation for killer live performances. It works because musically they more than back it up.
Since the tragic news of Dusty’s passing, I’ve seen a lot of people posting their favorite songs, as if Tres Hombres was their only album.
Forget that. Tres Hombres is great but Tejas is the sleeper. Listen to the nasty little harmonic Billy hits in the intro to Ten Dollar Man, then sit back as the train car speeds up. It’s a hyper boogie, and Dusty sings like a mother on it. He brings that soulful side, as well as that anchor that holds all their great songs together.
RIP Dusty, and thank you for showing us who you were.
Drop a line on your favorite songs by that little ol’ band from Texas
SERMONS! is brought to you by Jamie Ward, a multidisciplinary artist currently in Texas. You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram. Like what you’re hearing? Help spread the word!
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