Frank Beard, longtime drummer for Texas rock trio ZZ Top, dies at 77

Passing in Richmond

Frank Beard, the drummer for the American blues-rock trio ZZ Top for more than five decades, died at age 77 at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. His publicist Bob Merlis and the band announced his death on Tuesday, confirming he was in hospice care with family members present. The cause of death was not disclosed. Beard had stepped back from touring last year due to health issues, and the group had canceled a show in Los Angeles earlier in August. Band co-founder and guitarist Billy Gibbons paid tribute to his longtime bandmate in an official statement.

Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top. The band of which he was part for six decades is going to keep on keeping on as he had wished.

Formation and five decades of music

Born on 11 June 1949 in Frankston, Texas, Beard joined ZZ Top in Houston in the summer of 1969 alongside Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill. The trio performed their first concert together in 1970 and maintained the same three-man lineup for over fifty years until Hill died in 2021 at age 72. Paradoxically, Beard was the only member of the trio who did not grow the long beard that came to define the group's visual identity. ZZ Top achieved a commercial breakthrough in 1973 with their third studio album, "Tres Hombres," featuring the track "La Grange." During the 1970s alone, the band released six albums and staged the "World Wide Texas Tour" between 1976 and 1977 with nearly 100 shows. In the 1980s, the group integrated synthesizers into their heavy blues foundation, reaching new commercial heights with the 1983 album "Eliminator."

Commercial achievements and accolades

Over their career, ZZ Top released 15 studio albums and four live albums, accumulating more than 50 million record sales worldwide, including 25 million in the United States. Beard supplied the rhythmic backbone for charting singles such as "Sharp Dressed Man," "Legs," "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sleeping Bag," and "Viva Las Vegas." The trio scored six number-one singles on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and placed eight tracks in the Top 40. Seven of the band's albums reached the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart. In addition to three Grammy Award nominations, the group won three MTV Video Music Awards for their visual productions. On 15 March 2004, Beard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Gibbons and Hill.

Band plans and tour continuity

Following Beard's death, ZZ Top canceled scheduled tour stops in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group, which currently features Gibbons, bassist Elwood Francis, and touring drummer Michael Monahan on "The Big One!" tour, announced that performances will resume over the weekend at Austin City Limits in Texas. Band representatives noted that Austin had long served as a secondary home for Beard. In the 2019 documentary "ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas," Beard reflected on his lifelong commitment to the rhythm section.

I've found the people I was meant to play with. I never wanted to quit, and never wanted to get fired.