ZZ Top developed a signature sound based on Gibbons' blues style and Hill and Beard's rhythm section.

They are known for their live performances, sly and humorous lyrics, and the matching appearances of Gibbons and Hill, who wore sunglasses, hats and long beards.

By the mid-1970s, ZZ Top had become renowned in North America for their live act, including the Worldwide Texas Tour (1976–77), which was a critical and commercial success.

ZZ Top returned in 1979 with a new musical direction and image, with Gibbons and Hill wearing sunglasses and matching chest-length beards.

They established a more mainstream sound and rose to international stardom with Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985), which integrated influences from new wave, punk, and dance-rock.

The popularity of the albums' music videos, including for "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs", gave them mass exposure on MTV and made them prominent in 1980s pop culture.

[4] The band members have supported campaigns and charities including Childline, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the Delta Blues Museum.

Unwilling to sign a recording contract, Ethridge quit the band and Dusty Hill, Frank Beard's American Blues bandmate, became his replacement in late 1969.

[16] The band shared the BBC's studio with English electronic group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), whom Gibbons felt "were great".

[17] Inspired by OMD, ZZ Top introduced a jerky dancing style to their live show and began to experiment with synthesizers,[18][19] which featured prominently on the October 1981 album El Loco.

[24] Eliminator retained Gibbons's signature guitar style while adding elements of new wave music; the electronic band Depeche Mode were cited as an influence.

[25] To compose the songs, Gibbons worked closely with live-in engineer Linden Hudson at the band's rehearsal studio in Texas, setting a faster tempo with drum machines and synthesizers.

The main recording sessions were again supervised in Memphis by Terry Manning who collaborated with Gibbons to replace much of the contributions from Hill and Beard.

[32] The music video for "Velcro Fly", their final Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, was choreographed by future pop singer Paula Abdul.

This move did not entirely suit the fan base that Eliminator and Afterburner had built up, and while Recycler did achieve platinum status, it never matched the sales of those albums.

[35] In 1992, Warner released ZZ Top's Greatest Hits, along with a new Rolling Stones-style cut, "Gun Love", and an Elvis-inflected video, "Viva Las Vegas".

RCA impresario Clive Davis wanted to do a collaboration record (in the mode of Carlos Santana's successful Supernatural) for this album.

received releases of expanded and remastered versions, which used the original mixes free from echo and drum machines and included additional bonus live tracks.

[41][42] The first single from the album, "I Gotsta Get Paid", debuted in an advertising campaign for Jeremiah Weed Whiskey and appears on the soundtrack of the film Battleship.

[43] The song itself is an interpretation of "25 Lighters" by Texan hip hop DJ DMD and rappers Lil' Keke and Fat Pat.

[46] On March 3, 2015, ZZ Top began a North American tour in Red Bank, New Jersey, at the Count Basie Theatre.

After rescheduled dates and additions, the tour ended in Highland Park, Illinois, at the Ravinia Festival on August 27, with the opening act Blackberry Smoke.

ZZ Top performed without him at the Village Commons in New Lenox, Illinois, with Hill's guitar tech Elwood Francis on bass.

[54] In August 2021, Gibbons confirmed that Hill had recorded bass and vocals for the band's upcoming sixteenth studio album prior to his death.

On January 22, 2010, Billy Gibbons, Will Ferrell, and Beck joined a band playing Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" on Conan O'Brien's last Tonight Show appearance.

Astronaut and friend of ZZ Top Michael Fossum was given the released single to listen to on his trip to the International Space Station.

[65][66] On June 4, 2014, ZZ Top opened the CMT Awards ceremony, performing "La Grange" with Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line.

[68] In the early 1980s, ZZ Top embraced synthesizers and drum machines, drawing inspiration from British electronic acts such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Depeche Mode (while deriving their dance moves from the former).

Francis, seeing an opportunity for a prank, jumped out the window and (unbeknownst to Hill) grabbed onto the metal bar, making it appear that he had committed suicide.

[84] Current members Timeline Studio albums In addition to recording and performing concerts, ZZ Top has also been involved with films and television.