Frank Beard, ZZ Top drummer, dies at 77

[AP Photo]

Frank Beard, the drummer whose muscular backbeat powered the Texas boogie-rock trio ZZ Top through hits including “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’” and “Legs,” has died. He was 77.

Beard died Tuesday (yesterday, Macau time) while receiving hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, with family members beside him, publicist Bob Merlis said.

Band co-founder and guitarist Billy Gibbons, who has been touring with bassist Elwood Francis, remembered Beard as a friend, collaborator and “one of the most naturally innovative drummers.”

“His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top,” Gibbons said. “The band of which he was part for six decades is going to keep on keeping on as he had wished.”

ZZ Top sold more than 50 million records, placed seven albums in the Billboard 200’s Top 10 and earned three Grammy nominations. Six singles topped Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

“I’ve found the people I was meant to play with,” Beard said in the 2019 documentary “ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas.” “I never wanted to quit, and never wanted to get fired.”

Born in Frankston, Texas, Beard met Gibbons through the Moving Sidewalks and later introduced him to bassist and vocalist Dusty Hill, with whom Beard had played in several groups.

They formed ZZ Top in 1969, taking inspiration from bluesman Z.Z. Hill, Jimmy Reed and British power trio Cream. The lineup remained intact for more than five decades, becoming nearly as famous for its appearance as its music: Gibbons and Hill wore long beards, while all three musicians favored hats and dark sunglasses.

Their debut, “ZZ Top’s First Album,” arrived in 1970, introducing a blend of blues, rock and funk the group proudly labeled the sound of a “Little Ol’ Band From Texas.”

Commercial success followed with 1973’s “La Grange,” a two-chord blues tribute to the Chicken Ranch brothel outside La Grange, Texas. “Tush” and “Cheap Sunglasses” followed.

The trio became global stars with “Eliminator” in 1983. Named after one of Gibbons’ custom cars, the album added synthesizers, drum machines and glossy production to their stripped-down blues. It produced “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.”

Their distinctive image proved ideal for the new MTV era. Videos filled with custom roadsters, models, synchronized dance moves and spinning fur-covered guitars made the band a television fixture. Their songs became fixtures in many Hollywood films.

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards inducted ZZ Top into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, praising the trio’s deep knowledge of the blues.

Producer Rick Rubin helped refresh the band’s sound on its 2012 comeback album, “La Futura,” which reached No. 6 on the Billboard chart. It was the group’s highest position since “Recycler” in 1990.

Hill died in 2021. In March 2025, ZZ Top announced that Beard would temporarily leave its tour because of foot and ankle problems. The band later canceled an Aug. 5 Hollywood Bowl concert because of his health.

Beard is survived by his wife, Debbie Meredith, and three children. MARK KENNEDY, NEW YORK, MDT/AP