The legendary drummer of ZZ Top has passed. He was 77 years old. An exact cause of death was not announced but Beard had been in hospice care.
Frank Beard is the principal drummer for this beloved Texas boogie band, and one of only three original members. Billy Gibbons, the band’s frontman and guitarist continues to perform both under his own name and under ZZ Top, which he did even during Beard’s recent absence due to illness.
ZZ Top has toured the globe and their iconic look defined the band. They sold over forty million albums worldwide. The long bearded front line of Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill had a look that was iconic, and one look was all anyone needed to know who the band was in any video from the 80s on MTv. The band was a staple of 80s videos, putting out one hit after another featuring their iconic look, beautiful women, and a consistent cruiser car that also was associated heavily with their image. Ironically, Frank Beard was the only member of the three that did not sport a beard.
Dusty Hill passed away in the summer of 2021 and was replaced by the band’s longtime bass tech Elwood Francis who had a significant beard and an amazingly furry look, but was distinctly different in appearance compared to Gibbons and Hill.
The band had recently canceled a few shows with an announced ‘personnel issue’ that likely was as a result of Beard’s illness.
Before joining ZZ Top, Beard was a member of a fake version of the British band the Zombies, which toured in the US without authorization from the original band members, and also was part of the Outlaws with later ZZ Top member Dusty Hill.[2] Other bands Beard and Hill played with early in their careers included the Cellar Dwellers, the Hustlers, the Warlocks, and American Blues.[3]
In May 1969, Beard joined The Moving Sidewalks, a band that would become ZZ Top in July 1969. Beard also introduced Billy Gibbons, the founder of The Moving Sidewalks, to Hill. After honing their trademark “Texas boogie-blues-rock” style, the three released ZZ Top’s First Album on London Records in January 1971. Initially, Beard was credited under the nickname “Rube Beard” on ZZ Top’s First Album and on Tres Hombres (the band’s third album), but was credited under his actual name on Rio Grande Mud (the band’s second album) and has regularly been credited as such on every ZZ Top album since 1975’s Fandango!.
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