ZZ Top did get a chance to play with Lightnin' Hopkins and Jimmy Reed, there's still that one, single song we just can't shake... J.B. Hutto's "Combination Boogie".

Billy Gibbons

Categorized in : Song Play Reeds

Lightnin' Hopkins taught us, "the rubber on a wheel is faster than the rubber on a heel" and Muddy Waters taught us "you don't have to be the best one; just be a good 'un" .. that just about says it all, always strive to be a good 'un.

taught-us music water

Well, everybody faces the fact there really aren't many records stores around to just go and browse. Maybe browse online, yet that tactile feel of flipping through a stack of vinyl remains one of life's simple pleasures.

records simple faces

Every once in awhile I'll call up Eddie (Van Halen) and ask, Foun... by Billy Gibbons

Every once in awhile I'll call up Eddie (Van Halen) and ask, Found that fourth chord yet?

chords guitar found

The blues is a mighty long road. Or it could be a river, one that twists and turns and flows into a sea of limitless musical potential.

sea rivers long

The rawness and the richness of music on vinyl almost went away, but it still seems to be on a lot of people’s radar, and for good reason. It does something different than more accessible means of music playing, like MP3 players and downloads and whatnot. You get in front of these archaic contraptions that go ’round and ’round.

mp3 player mean

Turn on, tune up, rock out. by Billy Gibbons

Turn on, tune up, rock out.

rock-n-roll rocks tunes

It doesn't take much to be good, but it takes a lot to be real go... by Billy Gibbons

It doesn't take much to be good, but it takes a lot to be real good.

being-real be-good real

I too once belived in the heavier gauge string as a superior tone source. However, thanks to the graciousness of B.B. King I learned that a lighter-gauge string offers superior playing comfort ... try it, you may like it.

music kings trying

Each guitar has its own character and personality, which can be magnified once the player engages in beatin' it up

music player character

Until you learn to play what you want to hear, you're barking up... by Billy Gibbons

Until you learn to play what you want to hear, you're barking up the wrong tree.

want play tree

My discussion with Keith Richards about the creative process led me to believe that there's an invisible presence of a stream of ever-flowing creativity that we overhear-all you have to do is pull up the antenna and dial it in. This presence allows you to maintain your sense of origin and move forward.

music moving-forward believe

A blown-out tube ripped some of the grind from the amplifier, throwing us into a momentary tizzy. The unusual sound led me to play unusually, and the recorded take turned out to be a keeper. Insriration can come from the most unlikely places ... keep your head on and your ears open.

music sound play

If you're really looking for something in particular, it helps to... by Billy Gibbons

If you're really looking for something in particular, it helps to take your time.

take-your-time particular helping

White people get nervous and speed things up. You don't have to be in a hurry because you ain't got nothing to gain and you ain't got nothin' to lose. And that's where the groove lies.

white lying people

They prospect of seeing oneself in the mirror clean-shaven is too close to a Vincent Price film... a prospect not to be contemplated, no matter the compensation.

film mirrors matter

Sounds like the blues are composed of feeling, finesse, and fear. by Billy Gibbons

Sounds like the blues are composed of feeling, finesse, and fear.

music sound feelings

Lightnin' Hopkins was something of a fixture on the Houston coffee house scene so we were witness to eccentric blues brilliance close up. Then, believe it or not, along came the wave of the English cats like John Mayall, Eric Clapton and the Stones embracing the great American art form - the blues.

coffee believe art

Can't do it, simply cause underneath 'em is too ugly. by Billy Gibbons

Can't do it, simply cause underneath 'em is too ugly.

ugly ems causes

The blues is life itself. by Billy Gibbons

The blues is life itself.

One springs to mind: one of our very first gigs in a small East Texas town was not well promoted. At least, that was our conclusion. After the band loaded in and the curtain opened, we realized there was exactly one paying customer in the audience. We kind of made the best of it playing through the first set, took a break and bought him a Coke and then went on to perform for the remainder of the night. It wasn't exactly a catastrophe but it certainly stands as legendary.

texas spring night