ZZ Top band members today are Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Elwood Francis. Elwood took the place of Dusty Hill after he passed away in 2021.

The Blues Rock band ZZ Top formed in 1969 originally contained Billy Gibbons on guitar and vocals, Lanier Greig on bass and the organs, and Dan Mitchell on drums.

Gibbons started the band after his previous band, Moving Sidewalks, disbanded.

The debut year of the band saw quick turnover as Greig and Mitchell left the band soon after their first single’s release. Grieg was replaced by Billy Ethridge, and Mitchell by Frank Beard. 

Ethridge then left the band near the end of the year as he was unwilling to sign a recording contract with a major label, and Dusty Hill soon joined the fray. The band consisted of Gibbons, Hill, and Beard for over fifty years until Hill passed away in 2021.

Elwood joined the band as a touring bassist in July 2021 after Hill had to leave a tour due to a hip injury. Sadly, on July 28, Hill passed away due to complications from his chronic bursitis, and Elwood officially joined the band per Hill’s wish.

Billy Gibbons – Lead Guitars And Vocals

ZZ Top band members consist of Billy Gibbons on lead guitars and vocals. Billy is also the frontman of the group.

As the frontman of the band, Gibbons is famous for his iconic look consisting of his trademark big, bushy beard, bowler hat with large rims, and dark sunglasses. He shared the look with his former bandmate Dusty Hill, as it made them iconic both in rock and popular culture.

Gibbons started his career in the band The Moving Sidewalks, which was active from 1966 to 1969. The band only released one album, Flash, in 1968, but is known for opening four tour dates for the Jimi Hendrix experience during the same time.

Age

Gibbons is 73 years old as he was born on December 16, 1949. He was born and raised in Houston, Texas, in the Tanglewood neighborhood.

He was born William Frederick Gibbons to his father, Frederick Royal, and his mother Lorraine Gibbons. The guitarist was born to a musical family as his father was a concert pianist, orchestra conductor, and entertainer. 

The guitarist was introduced to music from a young age as he went to see Elvis Presley with his mother and sister at age five, and his father also took him to a BB King recording session at age seven. His father especially encouraged his musical education as he sent Gibbons to study with Tito Puente at a young age.

Net Worth

Gibbons has a net worth of $60 million as of the writing of this article. It is a result of his musical career with ZZ Top.

Aside from the success of the band, Gibbons has played with various other artists like Everlast, Beck, Social Distortion, and more. He is also an actor and has appeared in shows and movies, with his recurring role in the Fox TV series Bones, being his most prominent.

Frank Beard – Drums

Frank Beard is the drummer of ZZ Top and the only member of the trio not to sport a beard. Despite it, he became quite popular for standing out.

Beard started his career as a member of a fake version of the Zombies, a British band. The band notoriously toured the United States without authorization from the original band.

He was also a member of a band called the Outlaws which is where he met and worked with later ZZ Top member Dusty Hill. Aside from this, he’d also played in bands like the Cellar Dwellers, the Hustlers, the Warlocks, and American Blues.

Age

Beard is 73 years old and he was born on June 11, 1949. He is half a year older than his bandmate, Billy Gibbons.

The drummer is an integral piece of the band’s music and history because he is the interlinking piece that united Gibbons and Hill. Not only did he know and work with Hill in the Outlaws, but he was briefly a member of the Moving Sidewalks, and met Gibbons there.

He introduced the two members, and the rest is history. Beard was also credited as Rube Beard on the band’s first and third albums.

Net Worth

Beard has a net worth of $50 million as of the writing of this article. Unlike Gibbons, his net worth comes entirely from the band’s music.

The drummer’s net worth is less than the frontman’s because he spent much of the 1970s spent a lot of his money on drugs like LSD, cocaine, and heroin. The band had to go on hiatus for three years in the 1980s so he could sober up, which he did and has thankfully remained sober to this day.

Elwood Francis – Bass Guitar

Elwood Francis is the bassist for ZZ Top and Dusty Hill’s replacement. He initially worked as Hill’s guitar tech.

Francis had to join the band as a last-minute touring addition when Hill couldn’t tour due to a hip injury. He played his first performance with the band in New Lenox, Illinois.

As stated above, things took a turn for the worse when Hill passed away on July 28, 2021, and Francis joined the band full-time. According to a Tweet by Eddie Trunk, the radio host of SiriusXM, Hill had told Gibbons to continue without him. 

Age

Francis is 60 years old and was born on August 23, 1962. He is the youngest member of the present incarnation of the band. 

The bassist and former guitar tech has been working with the band since the early 1990s. He was particularly close to Dusty Hill, and a popular anecdote states that he is the reason why Hill stopped smoking marijuana after Francis performed a prank on the late bassist that scared him straight.

Net Worth

Francis has an estimated net worth of $700K as of the writing of this article. As he only recently joined the band, he has not been privy to their previous wealth.

Aside from being a guitar tech for ZZ Top, Francis also famously played harmonica for Gibbons’s solo touring band. Lastly, he also fronts a punk band called the Mighty Skullhead.

Dusty Hill And Other Former Members

ZZ Top former band members are Dusty Hill, Lanier Greig, Dan Mitchell, and Billy Ethridge. Among them, only Hill played for more than a year.

Dusty Hill

Dusty Hill was the bassist for ZZ Top for over 50 years until his passing. He sadly passed away on July 28, 2021, in Houston, Texas.

Alongside frontman Gibbons, Hills also sang lead and backup vocals for the band. He shared in Gibbons’ iconic look of a big, bushy beard, bowler hat with long rims, and dark shades.

His basslines are considered an integral part of the ZZ Top sound, and he was considered one of the best bassists of his time.

Age

Hill was 72 years old at the time of his passing as he was born on May 19, 1949. He was the first of the band members to be born.

The late bassist was born in Dallas, Texas, and also came from a musical family. However, unlike Gibbons, it was Hill’s brother to inspired him, and the two even sang for money when the boy was only 8 years old.

Net Worth

Dusty Hill had a net worth of $60 million at the time of his passing. Like Gibbons, he acted but in a more sporadic manner.

His acting came entirely in the form of cameos. Hill had already recorded his material for the upcoming ZZ Top album at the time of his passing.

Lanier Greig

Lanier Grieg was a member of the band in their debut year, 1969. He played the bass and keyboards.

Grieg was originally the keyboardist for Gibbons’ previous band, the Moving Sidewalks. He was eventually replaced by Billy Ethridge.

Dan Mitchell

Dan Mitchell was also a member of the band in their debut year, 1969. He was the original drummer for the band.

Like Grieg, Micthell came to ZZ top by way of the Moving Sidewalks, where he was also the drummer. He was eventually replaced by Frank Beard.

Billy Ethridge

Billy Ethridge was the bassist of the band between Lanier Grieg and Dusty Hill. He was the only member of the band to quit. 

Ethridge was initially a bandmate of Stevie Ray Vaughan. The bassist quit when ZZ Top signed a recording contract with London Records, as he was unwilling to sign.