Frank Beard, ZZ Top drummer, dies at age 77

ZZ Top Drummer Frank Beard Passes Away at 77

Wertynews.com – The Texas rock trio ZZ Top confirmed to CBS News that their longtime drummer, Frank Beard, has died. He was 77 years old at the time of his passing on Monday. No specific cause of death was released, though the band’s publicist noted that Beard was receiving hospice care when he died at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, surrounded by family.

“He was in hospice care when he passed away at his ranch in Richmond, TX with family members at his side.”

A Career Spanning Five Decades

Beard co-founded ZZ Top in 1969 alongside guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill. Over a career stretching more than 50 years, the group sold over 50 million albums, placed six singles at No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, and received three Grammy nominations. Eleven of their records earned Gold certification, seven reached platinum, and the 1983 album Eliminator — home to hits including “Sharp Dressed Man,” “TV Dinners,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” and “Legs” — surpassed 10 million copies to achieve Diamond status.

Hill, who passed in 2021, was succeeded at the bass by his longtime technician, Elwood Francis, at Hill’s own request.

Origins and the Audition That Changed Everything

Born on June 11, 1949, in Frankston, Texas, Beard grew up in Irving. He first crossed paths with Hill, and the two played together in various local groups before Beard joined Gibbons in the band The Moving Sidewalks. It was Beard who, near the end of 1969, proposed that Gibbons — then a frontman still searching for a rhythm section — audition Hill on bass.

Gibbons recalled the moment in a 2019 appearance on “CBS Sunday Morning”:

“It was a club called The Catacombs. It was a day that Frank Beard, the man with no beard, he and I were gathered together to audition bass players. And about that time Dusty strolled up, strapped on the guitar, and I think we wound up playing one song for about three hours straight!”

The Man Without the Beard

While Gibbons and Hill became iconic for their long, unkempt facial hair, Beard typically appeared clean-shaven or with merely a mustache — an ironic contrast to the band’s name.

Struggle and Loyalty

After the group’s rise to fame in the 1970s, Beard faced battles with substance abuse, prompting a three-year band hiatus.

“In the late ’70s, I entered rehab,” Beard told CBS News’ Jim Axelrod. “Somebody asked Dusty what he was gonna do. ‘Hey what are y’all gonna do, you know? Frank’s in rehab.’ And Dusty said, ‘Well, I’m goin’ fishing!'”

When asked whether he had ever contemplated replacing Beard during that period, Gibbons was unequivocal:

“No. There is no other drummer. There’s one guy!”

Tributes and Canceled Dates

Gibbons posted a statement on social media mourning the loss:

“Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top.”

The band announced it would cancel two upcoming performances in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs. The tour, however, would proceed that weekend at Austin City Limits — a venue the band described as one of Beard’s favorites, in a city that had served as something of a second home to him.