1970s | Blues | Guitarists | Player History | Rock
William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949), professionally known as Billy Gibbons, and The Reverend Billy F. Gibbons, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor, best known as the guitarist and primary lead vocalist of American rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the Moving Sidewalks, who recorded Flash (1968) and opened four dates for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Gibbons formed ZZ Top in late 1969 and released ZZ Top’s First Album in early 1971.
Gibbons has made appearances with other artists and acted on television shows, most notably Bones. He was ranked at number 32 on the 2011 Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Gibbons was born to Frederick Royal (“Freddie”) and Lorraine (née Duffy) Gibbons in the Tanglewood neighborhood of Houston, Texas. His father was an entertainer, orchestra conductor, and concert pianist who worked alongside his second cousin, art director Cedric Gibbons, for Samuel Goldwyn at MGM Studios. When Gibbons was five years old, his mother took him and his sister to see Elvis Presley. At age seven, Gibbons’s father took him to a BB King recording session.
A percussionist at first, Gibbons was sent by his father to New York City to study with Tito Puente. In 1963, Gibbons received his first electric guitar following his 13th birthday, a sunburst Gibson Melody Maker, accompanied by a Fender Champ amplifier and was influenced by guitarists such as Jimmy Reed.
While attending Warner Brothers’ art school in Hollywood, California, Gibbons engaged with his first bands including The Saints, Billy G & the Blueflames, and The Coachmen. By 18, Gibbons formed an artfully designed band, conceptually inspired by friend and fellow musician, Roky Erickson and The 13th Floor Elevators, naming the group the Moving Sidewalks, penning the hit single “99th Floor”, and engaging in a friendship with Jimi Hendrix.
Andy Summers Andrew James Somers (born 31 December 1942), known professionally as Andy Summers, is an English singer and guitarist who was a member of the rock band the Police. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band in 2003. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated…
Martin Rotsey Martin Rotsey is an Australian guitarist and a member of the rock band Midnight Oil, which was active from 1977-2002 and resumed performing together in 2017. Playlist 2 Videos Midnight Oil – Saturday Night at the Capitol 0:16 The Break Cylinders 0:16 In 2006, he joined fellow Midnight Oil member Rob Hirst’s projects…
Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen “Stevie” Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues-rock band Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career only spanned seven years, he is considered to be one of the most iconic and…
Susan Tedeschi Susan Tedeschi (/təˈdɛski/; born November 9, 1970) is an American singer and guitarist. A multiple Grammy Award nominee, she is a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, a conglomeration of her band, her husband Derek Trucks’s the Derek Trucks Band, and other musicians. Playlist 3 Videos Susan Tedeschi – Just Won’t Burn (Live…
Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. In the Seventies, he led the group Foreplay with Mike Mandel, a friend since childhood, although the albums of this period, Barefoot Boy, Offering, and The Real Great Escape, were credited only to…
Guitarists 1990s Ben Harper Jeff Buckley Jim Capollingo John Frusciante Jonny Lang Sheryl Crow Sonny Landreth Susan Tedeschi Tom Morello Keb Mo Kurt Cobain Joe Stump John Petrucci Neil Zaza Tony MacAlpine Vinnie Moore Zakk Wylde