BILLY GIBBONS Discusses ZZ TOP's Formation And His Friendship With JIMI HENDRIX On 'Rock & Roll High School' Podcast

The "Rock & Roll High School" podcast, hosted by two-time Grammy Award-winning producer and music executive Pete Ganbarg, continues its anticipated fourth season with an episode featuring rock legend Billy Gibbons of ZZ TOP.

One of the most iconic guitarists and vocalists in rock history, Gibbons has been at the helm of ZZ TOP for over five decades, blending blues and rock into an unmistakable sound. ZZ TOP was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2004, with none other than Keith Richards of THE ROLLING STONES doing the honors.

In this episode, Gibbons recounts stories from his legendary career, from the formation of ZZ TOP to their rise as global rock superstars. He reflects on his father’s career in music, his first guitar and band, discovering the music of Jimmy Reed (who he would later induct into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame) and opening for and befriending Jimi Hendrix. Gibbons also dives into the band's iconic look, and shares some fun anecdotes, including Billy Bob Thornton's time in a ZZ TOP tribute band called TRES HOMBRES (and yes, there were five of them in the band). He opens up about his collaboration with Rick Rubin, who pushed ZZ TOP to create new sounds and discusses the distinctive sound that made ZZ TOP a household name.

Ganbarg says: "I love Billy Gibbons. We worked and traveled together for around a year in 2006-2007 and his guitar chops and knowledge of music are rivaled only by his charm and personality. Very happy to reunite with him for this episode of 'Rock & Roll High School'."

The new season of "Rock & Roll High School" continues to showcase intimate, first-hand stories from the legends who shaped contemporary music. Following the season premiere with Chaka Khan and today's episode featuring Gibbons, upcoming guests will include Tony Orlando, John Sebastian (THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL),Curt Smith (TEARS FOR FEARS),Chris Difford (SQUEEZE),Al Stewart, Gerry Beckley (AMERICA),Randy Bachman (BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE/THE GUESS WHO),and many more.

Last month, Concord Records announced the release of "Livin' It Up Down In Texas", a new track by Gibbons that was previewed earlier that month in an episode of the hit Paramount+ series "Landman" created by Taylor Sheridan.

The single was written by the ZZ TOP founder and frontman along with "Landman" stars Billy Bob Thornton (Tommy Norris) and Mark Collie (Sherriff Walt Joeberg). Its release coincided with the start of a solo tour by Gibbons and his band THE BFG that includes Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Chris "Whipper" Layton and Austin music stalwart Mike "The Drifter" Flanigin.

"Livin' It up Down In Texas", as heard on the "Landman" episode titled "WolfCamp", was produced by Gibbons at Level14 Studios in Nashville. It is anticipated that the recording will be part of a forthcoming release that will be Gibbons's fourth full-length for the label. His alliance with Concord previously yielded the critically lauded "Perfectamundo" (2015),"The Big Bad Blues" (2018) and "Hardware" (2021).

Gibbons states about "Livin' It up Down In Texas": "A hard-hitting, hard rock bombast of sonic Texas soulfulness!"

Billy F Gibbons and Billy Bob Thornton have been friends for many years. The latter, an Academy Award and Golden Globes winner, had decades ago been a member of TRES HOMBRES, a ZZ TOP tribute band for which he played drums. Billy Gibbons cited them as "the best little cover band in Texas." Thornton co-founded THE BOXMASTERS in 2007 and toured with them as recently as this past fall. Mark Collie, likewise, has pursued a career in music with numerous country chart recordings to his credit as well as his having written songs for Aaron Tippin, ALABAMA, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw, among others. He's also recorded with Thornton and THE BOXMASTERS.

Said Gibbons, "It seemed really natural to team up with Billy Bob and Mark to write a song for 'Landman'. 'Livin' It Up Down In Texas' isn't, per se, autobiographical, but does encapsulate the oil-stained Lone Star lifestyle as seen each week in the series."