Latest news with #LaFutura
The Independent
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard quits tour to address ‘health issue'
ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard has announced his departure from the group's forthcoming tour plans due to an unspecified 'health issue'. The Texas band confirmed the news on Saturday (15 March), telling fans that Beard would miss their Elevation tour because he needs to undergo a 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 a health issue requiring his focus in the near term,' a social media statement posted to the band's accounts said. The announcement also revealed that 'fellow Texan and longtime tech member, percussionist and drummer' would fill in for Beard, having done so previously when he underwent an emergency appendectomy in Paris, in 2002. 'He is looking forward to a speedy recovery,' the post concluded. ZZ Top kicked off their Elevation tour in October last year in the US and began the Australia and New Zealand leg on 5 March. Beard has been a member of the band since 1969, after replacing founder Dan Mitchell on drums, with singer/guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill completing the lineup. Together with Beard, they grew their hair long and dyed it blue to match their name: 'In the Sixties, having long hair in Texas, you took your life in your hands,' Hill told the Dallas Morning News in 2008. 'But having long hair and blue hair, people just assumed we were nuts and left us alone.' Named in part for Texas blues singer ZZ Hill, the band played some of their first shows at cafeterias and lumber yards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, and have continued to experiment with their later work including 2012's La Futura, which was co-produced by the legendary Rick Rubin. The lineup has been mostly unchanged for 51 years. Longtime bassist Dusty Hill, played with the band from the late Sixties until his death in July 2021. It was announced that longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis would play bass, per Hill's wishes.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
ZZ Top's Frank Beard Announces Leave of Absence 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 newly-announced leave of absence. The Texas trio announced the news on Saturday (March 15), explaining that Beard would be absent from the group's current Elevation tour due to the need to undergo an unspecified health procedure. More from Billboard Neil Young Walks Back 'Platinum' Ticket Option Following Inspiration From Robert Smith Papa Roach Rules Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart With 'Even If It Kills Me' Journey Suddenly Halts Houston Concert Following Electrical Fire '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 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 March 5, 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 even sat in 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. ZZ Top launched their Elevation tour in October 2024, and toured throughout the U.S. until November. The trek resumed on March 5, and will see the group performing across the country until April, when they visit Australia and New Zealand. Further North American dates will be held upon their return, though 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. Elwood Francis has since served as the group's bassist. The group have not released a studio album since 2012's La Futura, though Gibbons has claimed a new record featuring contributions from the late Hill is in the works. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
