Since their formation in 1969, the American rock band ZZ Top has been captivating audiences with their unique sound. However, despite their long-standing presence in the music industry, some fans remain puzzled about the origin of the band’s distinctive name.
The iconic trio, comprising Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Dusty Hill, who sadly passed away in 2021, have a discography filled with hits like La Grange, Legs, I Gotsta Get Paid, Gimme All Your Lovin’, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Got Me Under Pressure, and Sharp Dressed Man. Yet, one Quora user recently posed the question: “What does the ZZ in ZZ Top stand for?”.
As reported by American Songwriter, the band’s name was influenced by musicians such as B. B King and Z.Z Hill. They revealed: “Guitar player, singer and songwriter William Gibbons founded ZZ Top in late 1969. Before Gibbons brought in Hill and Beard (an ironic last name given ZZ Top’s affiliation with chest-length beads belonging to Hill and Gibbons), the guitar player brought in bassist Lanier Greig and drummer Dan Mitchell.
“Even before that, however, Gibbons had been studying bands and the music business. By 18, he formed the group Moving Sidewalks. That band produced the hit single ’99th Floore,’ and led to Gibbons befriending the legend Jimi Hendrix.
“Moving Sidewalks even opened for the Jimi Hendrix Experience during Hendrix’s first American tour as a headliner. Gibbons has said during live performances that Hendrix even taught him how to play guitar when Gibbons was ‘about 17’ in Dallas, Texas.”
When contemplating potential names for his band, Gibbons took inspiration from the trend of successful musicians using two initials in their stage names, like B. B.King. This led him to brainstorm memorable names that would stick with fans.
The official statement reveals: “Gibbons named the band that would make him famous, himself. At first, he combined the two names of his heroes and came up with: Z.Z. King. But he realized that the name was too similar to the blues player’s original name. On second thought, Gibbons decided that a ‘king is going to the top.’ So, he landed finally on ZZ Top. The rest is history.”
A Quora user weighed in on the origin story, saying: “The legend goes that back in the day, there were two nationally marketed brands of cigarette rolling papers, being ZigZag’ and ‘Tops.’ These rolling papers were almost exclusively used for rolling joints, doobies, and blunts. The iconic Texas band is said to have taken the name ZZ Top in honor of those products.”
They added another version of the tale: “The alternate story is that Gibbons particularly noticed B.B. King and Z. Z. Hill and thought of combining the two into ‘ZZ King’, but considered it too similar to the original name. He then figured that ‘king is at the top’ which gave him the idea of naming the band ‘ZZ Top’.”
The user also provided insight into the enigmatic ZZ Hill, stating: “ZZ Hill is an American singer. His name is Arzell J. Hill and is known as ZZ Hill. What the ZZ stands for I can not find out, but it looks as though it came from his first name Arzell.”