Watch: BILLY GIBBONS Honored By Las Vegas With City Hall Proclamation Ceremony

ZZ TOP legend Billy Gibbons was honored with a "Billy Gibbons Day" by his hometown of Las Vegas on Sunday, December 22.

Las Vegas mayor pro tem Brian Knudsen presented Gibbons with the proclamation at City Hall on behalf of the Las Vegas City Council.

The proclamation read: "Whereas; Billy Gibbons is an American rock musician, best known as the guitarist and primary vocalist or 'That Little Ol Band From Texas' ZZ TOP. Billy began his canter in MOVING SIDEWALKS and was the opening act for JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE; and

"Whereas; Billy Gibbons formed ZZ TOP in late 1969 and released ZZ TOP's first album in early 1971, They are known for their live performances, sly and humorous lyrics, and the matching appearances wearing sunglasses, hats and long beards; and

"Whereas; ZZ TOP has released 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million records. They have won three MTV Video Music Awards, with such music hits as 'La Grange', 'Tush', 'I Thank You', 'Cheap Sunglasses', 'Gimme All Your Loving', 'Sharp Dressed Man', 'Legs', 'Doubleback' and 'Viva Las Vegas'. In 2004, ZZ TOP was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame; and

"Whereas; Billy Gibbons is an author and wrote 'Billy F Gibbons: Rock + Roll Gearhead' to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ZZ TOP; and

"Whereas; Billy Gibbons is listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Billy has supported Las Vegas entertainment, and the local community through his musical appearances for the past fifty-five years."

With his signature beard and African headgear, Gibbons is instantly recognizable. He's best known as the centerpiece and one third of ZZ TOP, the band that came together in 1969 and has stayed part of the American musical landscape ever since. Billy and bandmates Dusty Hill and Frank Beard were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2004, most appropriately by Keith Richards of THE ROLLING STONES, a longtime friend of Billy's.

His singular look notwithstanding, Billy's even more notable for having been recognized as one of the most inventive and dexterous guitarists of the rock era. Gibbons is widely regarded as one of the world's finest guitarists working in the blues-rock idiom. ZZ TOP's sound owes much to his uncanny knack to squeeze unheard of sounds out of the electric guitar that resonate with the blues, pop, R&B, country, gospel, western, hillbilly and West African influences that coalesced when rock and roll was born. His almost subconscious awareness of this heritage makes his an approach that is, at once, innovative and authentic. As a vocalist, his down-and-dirty growl is unmistakable; he sounds ominous and mirthful at the same time, as listeners to such hits as "La Grange", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Cheap Sunglasses" can attest.

Before ZZ TOP, who would go on to become a living symbol of the State of Texas, Billy fronted several bands during his formative years growing up in Houston, and soon became a local phenomenon. THE MOVING SIDEWALKS was his psychedelic pre-ZZ TOP group and had occasion to open for Jimi Hendrix, who was so taken with young Gibbons's fretwork that he called it to the attention of Dick Cavett on national TV.

Now, as then, Billy Gibbons is much more than an iconic guitar slinger with a monumental length of chin whiskers. He's an internationally recognized collector of guitars and cars, a fact chronicled in the best-selling book he wrote about his collecting obsessions, "Rock + Roll Gearhead" (MBI Publishing).

His guitar collection today numbers more than 800 instruments and includes the famous "Furry One," as seen in the "Legs" video, and his most cherished guitar, "Pearly Gates," a Gibson Les Paul that he values above all others. Years ago, when Gibbons visited the childhood home of Muddy Waters on Mississippi's Stovall Plantation, he noted that a massive cypress timber that had been part of the shotgun shack's roof had fallen. He was gifted with the huge piece of lumber and commissioned a guitar to be made out of it in tribute to Waters, a longtime hero of Billy's. Thus was born the "Muddywood" guitar that was soon donated to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale where it is on display to this day.

The cars he's built over the years have become stars in their own right: Eliminator, CadZZilla, Kopperhead, Whiskey Runner and others have been major attractions on the car show circuit and have been seen in numerous videos. They are works of art — literal museum pieces. Eliminator has been on display at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, and CadZZilla, Coupe de Grace, Slampla and HogZZilla were part of the Petersen Automotive Museum's Cars & Guitars Of Rock 'N Roll exhibition in Los Angeles, for which he served as creative consultant. Beyond guitars and cars, Gibbons has a renowned collection of African art, and an abiding interest in both the paranormal and cutting-edge technology.

Apart from his work with ZZ TOP, he's recorded with such notable artists as B.B. King, Les Paul, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, Shemekia Copeland, Kid Rock, Alice Cooper, Johnny Winter, John Mayall, Sue Foley and others.