Billy Gibbons facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Billy Gibbons
Gibbons at Tons of Rock 2024
Background information
Birth name	William Frederick Gibbons
Also known as	Billy F. Gibbons Reverend
Born	(1949-12-16) December 16, 1949 (age 75) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Hard rock Southern rock boogie rock blues rock blues
Occupations	Musician singer songwriter record producer
Instruments	Guitar vocals
Years active	1967–present
Labels	London Warner Bros. RCA American

Billy Gibbons, born on December 16, 1949, is an American rock musician. He is famous as the guitarist and lead singer of the band ZZ Top. He started his music journey with the band Moving Sidewalks. They even opened shows for the legendary Jimi Hendrix!

Billy formed ZZ Top in late 1969. Their first album came out in 1971. He also has a solo music career. His first solo album, Perfectamundo, was released in 2015. Billy has worked with many other musicians. He also acted on TV, playing a rock star dad on the show Bones. In 2001, Rolling Stone magazine called him one of the greatest guitarists ever.

Billy's Early Life

Billy Gibbons was born in Houston, Texas. His parents were Frederick and Lorraine Gibbons. His dad was a musician and conductor. He even worked at MGM Studios!

When Billy was five, his mom took him to see Elvis Presley perform. At age seven, his dad took him to a recording session with blues legend BB King. Billy first learned percussion. His dad sent him to New York City to study with Tito Puente, a famous musician.

In 1962, Billy got his first electric guitar. It was a Gibson Melody Maker and he was 13 years old. He also got a Fender Champ amplifier. Guitarists like Jimmy Reed inspired him.

While studying art in Hollywood, California, Billy played in his first bands. These included the Saints and the Coachmen. By age 18, he formed the band Moving Sidewalks. They were inspired by his friend Roky Erickson. Their hit song was "99th Floor". Billy also became friends with Jimi Hendrix.

Billy's Music Career

Moving Sidewalks: The Beginning

Billy Gibbons started the Texas band the Moving Sidewalks. They released several songs and one album called Flash. The band became well-known by opening for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. This was during Hendrix's first big tour in America.

Billy wrote the song "99th Floor." Its name was a nod to another Texas band, 13th Floor Elevators. Billy has also said that Jimi Hendrix taught him how to play guitar. This happened when Billy was about 17 in Dallas.

ZZ Top: A Legendary Band

Billy formed ZZ Top in late 1969. He soon teamed up with bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank "Rube" Beard. They were both from the band American Blues. They developed their unique blues-rock style.

Their first album, ZZ Top's First Album, came out in 1971. All three band members were born in 1949. Billy was the youngest member of the group.

Gibbons at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, 2013

Billy's Solo Music

On July 31, 2015, Billy announced his solo project. It was called Billy Gibbons and the BFG's. Their first album, Perfectamundo, came out on November 6, 2015.

Billy's second solo album, The Big Bad Blues, was released in 2018. It won 'Blues Rock Album of the Year' in 2019.

In 2019, Billy said he was working on his next solo album. It was named Hardware. This album was a tribute to Joe Hardy, their sound engineer for 40 years. Hardware was released in 2021.

Working with Other Musicians

Billy Gibbons has played guitar on many songs for other artists. He added guitar to "Dias Raros" by Diamante Eléctrico. He also played slide guitar on "Dead End Streets" for Revolting Cocks.

He wrote and sang "Willin' for Satisfaction" for Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell. Billy also worked with Queens of the Stone Age on their song "Burn the Witch". He said this was one of his favorite collaborations.

In 2007, Billy was in a movie called The 1959 Burst. It was about Les Paul guitars. He performed with the Raconteurs at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. Billy also joined B. B. King on the song "Tired of Your Jive".

He played on Nickelback's album All the Right Reasons. He was on songs like "Follow You Home" and "Rockstar". Billy also performed with Hank Williams III on "Trashville".

Billy worked with Les Paul on "Bad Case of Loving You". He also played guitar for John Mayall & Friends. Billy was a guest singer on Kid Rock's song "Hillbilly Stomp".

He played guitar for singer Luis Fonsi at the Latin Grammy awards in 2006. Billy sang background vocals on Sammy Hagar's song "Switch on the Light". He also played guitar and sang on "Honky Tonk Stomp" with Brooks & Dunn.

Billy played guitar on "Broke Down on the Brazos" for Gov't Mule. He also played on "Run Rudolph Run" for a Christmas album. In 2009, Billy joined Jeff Beck on stage. They played Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady".

Billy appeared on Austin City Limits with Roky Erickson. He played lead guitar on two songs for the Everlast album Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford. In 2010, Billy joined Ben Harper and Beck on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. They played "Free Bird".

In 2021, Billy appeared with Dion DiMucci on "My Stomping Ground". He is also featured on the album Friendlytown by Steve Cropper & the Midnight Hour.

Other Fun Projects

Acting on TV

Billy Gibbons had a recurring role on the TV show Bones. He was in seven episodes. He played a rock star version of himself. He was the father of Angela Montenegro, a character on the show.

His character's middle name, Pearly Gates, is the same as Billy's famous Les Paul guitar. Billy's character is very protective of his daughter. He often jokes with Angela's husband, Dr. Jack Hodgins. He tells him to be careful with Angela.

In one episode, Billy asked Hodgins to help him find his car. In another, they argued about baby names. Billy wanted "Staccato Mamba" for his grandson. Angela and Hodgins wanted "Michael Vincent". They agreed on "Michael Staccato".

Billy also babysat his grandson, Michael. He found that Michael liked blues and boogie rock music. This included ZZ Top's "Hi Fi Mama". Billy also voiced a character in the show Metalocalypse.

He and his ZZ Top bandmates, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, voiced themselves on King of the Hill. In that show, Dusty Hill is said to be a cousin of Hank Hill. Billy also appeared as a guest on Hell's Kitchen.

Books by Billy

Billy co-wrote a book called Billy F Gibbons: Rock + Roll Gearhead. It was first published in 2005. The book has three parts: his life, his cars, and his guitars. The last two parts show off his amazing collections. In 2020, a new version of the book came out. It celebrated 50 years of ZZ Top.

BFG Brand Sauces

In 2011, Billy launched his own line of sauces. These included hot sauces and barbecue sauces. They were called "BFG Brand". The sauces were sold as BFG No. 44 on his website. In 2012, Billy was in TV commercials for Fiesta Mart. Some of his sauces were shown in these ads.

Session Work

In 2018, Billy worked with John Fogerty. They wrote a song together called "The Holy Grail". Billy sang and played guitar on it. Billy said writing with John Fogerty was a "genuine bonus." The song "The Holy Grail" was released on June 8, 2018.

Billy's Music Gear

Guitars He Plays

Billy mostly plays Gibson guitars. His first guitar was a 1962 Gibson Melody Maker. In 1968, he bought a 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar for $250. He named this guitar Pearly Gates. The guitar was named after a beat-up car he sold to buy it. Pearly Gates has been used on every ZZ Top album since 1969.

Billy also plays Fender guitars. When he was in the Moving Sidewalks, he used a 1963 Fender Jazzmaster. He also used a rare "Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird" given to him by Bo Diddley. This guitar inspired a special Gretsch model called the Billy-Bo Jupiter Thunderbird. For the album Mescalero, Billy also used a unique Birdfish guitar. He said it had a "dirty, raunchy tone." Billy used a Dean ML guitar to record the album Eliminator.

For the "Legs" music video, Billy and Dusty Hill used special spinning fur guitars. These guitars were made by Dean Zelinsky. They could spin around while the musicians played. Billy said the idea came from his old bandmate Don Summers.

Billy worked with Cream T Pickups to create the BFG Banger humbucker pickup. In 2010, Dunlop Manufacturing and Billy launched new guitar accessories. These included picks, strings, and slides called Rev. Willy's.

Guitar Strings

Billy uses very light guitar strings. Their sizes are .07-.09-.11-.20-.30-.38. Dunlop makes a special set of these strings called "Rev. Willy's Mexican Lottery Brand".

When ZZ Top first started, Billy used heavy strings. But after playing a show with B.B. King, everything changed. King asked to play Billy's guitar. King then asked, "Why you working so hard?" Billy thought heavy strings made the classic blues sound. But King told him to use light strings instead.

Amplifiers He Uses

Billy has used many Marshall amplifiers. These include the JCM 900 and the JTM45. For live shows, he uses a JMP-1 Preamp with power amps. Billy has a large collection of old Fender amplifiers. His first amp was a Fender Champ. He also collects Fender Dual Professionals. Other Fenders he has used include a Fender Bassman. Lately, he uses Magnatone amplifiers.

Billy's Personal Life

On December 14, 2005, Billy married his longtime girlfriend, Gilligan Stillwater.

Billy loves collecting and customizing cars. He has a big collection. This includes a 1948 Cadillac called CadZZilla. He also has a 1962 Chevrolet Impala called "Slampala." One of his first custom cars was a 1933 Ford Coupe. It was named "Eliminator." This car was in three ZZ Top music videos. It is also on the cover of their 1983 album, Eliminator. Billy also wrote a book in 2011 about his love for cars and guitars. It's called Billy F Gibbons: Rock + Roll Gearhead.

For several years, Billy has worn a special braided cap. He got it during a visit to Vienna. He traded his Stetson hat for the cap with the chief of the Bamileke people from Cameroon.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Appearances on various artists compilations

Music videos

See also

In Spanish: Billy Gibbons para niños