ZZ Top's Frank Beard take leave due to 'health issue'
ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard will be absent from the group's upcoming tour plans, citing a "health issue" as the reason for his absence.
The Texas trio announced the news that Beard would be absent from the group's current Elevation tour due to the need to undergo an unspecified health procedure.
"Shelter Music Group, ZZ Top's management, has announced the band's drummer, Mr Frank Beard, has temporarily stepped away from the current tour to attend to a health issue requiring his focus in the near term," a social media post from the band read.
"Beard, along with fellow ZZ Top members Billy F Gibbons and Elwood Francis, presently on the Elevation tour since 5 March, have engaged fellow Texan and longtime tech member, percussionist and drummer, John Douglas, for the interim."
The post noted that Douglas has "maintained a close relationship with Beard and the bandmates," and had sat in before for Beard during a Paris performance in October 2002 when he underwent an emergency appendectomy.
"He is looking forward to a speedy recovery," the post concluded.
It's currently unknown when Beard will resume his place behind the kit.
Beard has been the drummer of ZZ Top since 1969, when he took over from co-founder Dan Mitchell. Alongside vocalist and guitarist Billy Gibbons, Mitchell and bassist Lanier Greig had founded the band that same year.
Following Grieg's replacement by Billy Ethridge, Dusty Hill assumed the role of bassist in 1970, with their lineup remaining unchanged for 51 years until Hill's death at 72 in 2021.
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'It's an African tradition to adorn oneself and show up with pride and presence,' says Mbaye. He worked with his tailor aunt to create his traditional outfit — called mbubb ak sër in Wolof, one of Senegal's main languages, that often includes embroidery on the long tunic and is paired with loose-fitting pants. Two options were made for him: white and blue, and white and gold; he chose the latter, as it represented a 'celebration of culinary excellence.' Expressing the importance of family in his life is top of mind for Mbaye. 'As an entrepreneur, my aunt has taken care of people by styling and clothing them in the same way that I do in satisfying them through food,' he says. 'Wearing that style in public to the Beards was more than just fashion. It's a cultural expression and expresses my love and appreciation for Senegal and West Africa.' His style tip for this year's nominees: 'Wear something that when you look back at images from that evening in 10 years a smile comes to your face.' Like the owner of the restaurant she works at, Fariyal Abdullahi, executive chef at Marcus Samuelsson's Hav & Mar, is a fan of boldly expressing who she is beyond the kitchen. Nominated in 2024 for Emerging Chef, Abdullahi wore a traditional Harari garment that reflects the Ethiopian tribe she grew up with. The ensemble included intricately embellished pants and a shawl along with a gold headpiece called a zargaf. She omitted the traditional oversized dress and opted instead for a contemporary Harari slip-style dress. 'I often talk about carrying four of the most underrepresented voices in America as a Black Muslim woman who is a first-generation immigrant,' says Abdullahi. 'Because last year was my first nomination, I wanted to proudly show up as all these voices.' Just five years ago, the Beard Awards canceled the award ceremony amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and cascading scandals, not the least of which being a report by the New York Times that not a single Black winner was named across 23 categories that year. Other nominees included those who had faced controversy and criticism, which, under the foundation's rules, should have disqualified them from consideration. In 2022, the James Beard Awards returned with new policy standards in place, including an independent ethics committee to handle misconduct allegations and a pledge that a minimum of 50 percent of committee members and judges would come from BIPOC backgrounds by 2023. Efforts were also made to broaden the pool of chefs, restaurants, and bars under consideration. 'The industry should stop gatekeeping the highest accolades to white male chefs,' Abdullahi says. 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'I am always skeptical, but he is usually always right.' Last year, as presenters, the couple wore Western-style tan suits complete with cowboy hats and bolo ties. The fact that they were presenting for Best Chef: Texas was purely coincidental as they had already planned their outfits. 'People have come to expect it now,' says Kwon. 'Hopefully, the food can speak louder than the outfits.' As a nominee this year for Outstanding Bar, Kumiko's Julia Momosé is planning on wearing a dress made from a vintage kimono. While wearing a formal kimono to an event like the Beards has always been a dream of hers, as someone who is 'mixed' — Momosé is Japanese American and grew up in Japan — she was concerned that it would be viewed as disrespectful or inauthentic. 'Still, I want to wear something that feels like home,' she says. 'Something that reflects my culture and my identity — not just as a Japanese person, but as a mixed person, navigating both honor and nuance.' 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