[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 77 (Thursday, May 9, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ZZ TOP

 Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, today I recognize and congratulate 
the Texas blues rock band ZZ Top on their 50th anniversary. It is only 
fitting that this group kicks off their anniversary tour in their home 
State of Texas.
  With plenty of gas in the tank, Dusty, Billy, Frank, and the rest of 
their crew will be traveling to more than 60 cities across 14 countries 
in their commemorative tour. An appropriate reminder of ZZ Top's 
history, this tour clearly shows they have been able to reach millions 
of fans across the globe for decades.
  In 1969, two rival blues rock bands in Houston, TX--Billy's Moving 
Sidewalks and Frank and Dusty's American Blues--coalesced into one 
band, ZZ Top. Two years later, they dropped their first album, aptly 
titled, ``ZZ Top's First Album.''
  Bandmates Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Dusty Hill have been 
writing songs and creating a musical fusion between blues and southern 
rock since their formation and have never looked back. Though they draw 
inspiration from music greats like Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Cream, George 
Jones, and Texas blues guitarist Freddie King, all of their influences 
transform into one singularly unique sound.
  In 1973, the band released its third album ``Tres Hombres,'' which 
catapulted them to the national spotlight with the hit song ``La 
Grange,'' still one of ZZ Top's signature songs.
  ZZ Top's momentum and success built during its first decade 
culminated in the legendary 1976 tour entitled the World Wide Texas 
Tour, a production that included a longhorn, a buffalo, buzzards, 
rattlesnakes, and a Texas-shaped stage. If their tour wasn't proof 
enough that things are bigger in Texas, then maybe their record sales 
will convince you otherwise.
  The band has sold over 50 million records worldwide, and their 1983 
album ``Eliminator,'' sold more than 10 million copies and included 
rock hit ``Sharp Dressed Man.''
  ``The Little Ol' Band From Texas'' has played for millions of fans 
across the globe, Sweden to Australia, Japan to Germany. The band is 
among a select few to say they have toured the globe for half a 
century.
  ZZ Top also lays undisputed claim to being the longest running major 
rock band with the original members intact. Their iconic beards, 
powerful rock anthems, dedication to music, and impressive artistic 
talent has sustained them as a perennial rock power, whose music will 
stand the test of time.
  Over five decades of creating music, ZZ Top earned eight Top 40 hits 
on the Billboard Hot 100; six No. 1 mainstream rock hits; and ranked 
44th on VH1's 2000 ``100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists.''
  ZZ Top's accomplishments throughout the years culminated in their 
induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, where they are 
recognized as some of the greatest rock artists in the world.
  I congratulate Billy, Frank, and Dusty on their 50th anniversary and 
wish them luck as they embark on their year of touring around the 
world.

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