Blues
ZZ Top’s bassist says still feels weird to be in the band
Elwood Francis has been part of the ZZ Top crew since the early 90s, working as their guitar tech. He had previously worked with names like Black Crowes, Guns N’ Roses and Aerosmith, but it was in 2021 that he was really presented to the main audience. ZZ Top had the same line-up 51 years, being formed by the drummer Frank Beard, the guitarist and singer Billy Gibbons and the bassist and singer Dusty Hill.
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When Hill got sick in 2021 and had to step out of the band for a while, they asked Elwood to be his replacement temporarily but sadly Dusty passed away sometime later at the age of 72. So the band decided to continue making Elwood his permanent replacement. In an interview with Guitar World, the bassist and guitar tech said that is still weird to be in the band and he says he will never feel like he is part of the band.
ZZ Top’s bassist says still feels weird to be in the band
“When I first started doing it, Dusty was just sick and going home for a few weeks. It was entirely different; I was just helping out.”
“I didn’t have to worry about the weight of the crown because I was just helping. They pulled me aside and said, ‘Can you honestly say you can’t play his parts?’ I said, ‘I can do it, but I don’t think people would enjoy me doing it.’ They said, ‘You can cover him for a few weeks.'”
He continued:
“We’d done some gigs when Dusty passed, and by that time, I wouldn’t say I was comfortable because I’m still not fucking comfortable. But I had a piece of paper on the riser for the first two shows if I got in trouble, and by the third show, I got rid of that, and just did the show.”
“It’s just weird. Dusty is their bass player. I’m not the bass player. I’m not in the band. I’ll never be in the band. I shouldn’t be in the band. It’s Dusty’s thing. Sure, I’ll still play with them, but it’s a weird thing, man,” Elwood Francis said.
One of the most famous power trios in Rock and Roll, ZZ Top was formed in the last days of 1969 in Houston, Texas by Billy Gibbons (Guitar and vocals), Dusty Hill (Bass and vocals) and Frank Beard (Drums).
The group released many acclaimed albums in the 70s but really gained a huge exposure with their 1983 album “Eliminator”. That record had tracks like “Gimme All Your Lovin’”, “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs”. The music videos made for those songs were played constantly on MTV and really became part of pop culture, helping to define their image since at the time Dusty and Gibbons already had long beards.
