Latest news with #ShelterMusicGroup
Fox News
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard leaves tour to address 'health issue'
ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard is taking a leave of absence due to an upcoming medical procedure. On Sunday, the band's official Instagram account announced that Beard, 75, will be stepping away from their Elevation Tour to tend to "a health issue." "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," the message 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." "Mr. Douglas has maintained a close relationship with Beard and bandmates, having served with the group in the past." "He is looking forward to a speedy recovery," the post concluded. This isn't the first time a health concern has affected the band and its members. In 2021, the band announced the sudden death of their longtime guitarist, Dusty Hill. "We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX," the band said in a statement to Fox News at the time. "We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the 'Top.'" "We will forever be connected to that 'Blues Shuffle in C,'" the statement continued. "You will be missed greatly, amigo." At the time, Hill had been dealing with a health concern related to a hip issue, the band had previously revealed, adding that they were awaiting "a speedy recovery" and hoping to "have him back pronto."
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.
Express Tribune
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard takes leave from Elevation Tour due to health issue, John Douglas steps in
Frank Beard, the longtime drummer of legendary rock band ZZ Top, has announced a temporary leave of absence from the band's ongoing Elevation Tour due to a health issue. The band confirmed the news on Saturday, 15 March, stating that Beard will undergo an unspecified medical procedure and will not perform during upcoming dates. '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,' read a statement shared on the group's official social media channels. To fill the gap, ZZ Top has enlisted John Douglas, a fellow Texan and long-time drum technician for the band. Douglas, also a seasoned percussionist, has a longstanding relationship with ZZ Top and notably filled in for Beard during a 2002 performance in Paris when the drummer underwent an emergency appendectomy. '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 statement continued. 'He is looking forward to a speedy recovery,' the band concluded, showing optimism about Beard's return. ZZ Top resumed their Elevation Tour on 5 March, following an initial U.S. leg in late 2024. The tour is set to run through April with international stops in Australia and New Zealand. Additional North American dates are planned, but it remains uncertain when Beard will rejoin the tour. Frank Beard has been with ZZ Top since 1969, joining shortly after the band's formation. He, Billy Gibbons, and the late Dusty Hill held one of the longest-running line-ups in rock history until Hill's passing in 2021. Since then, Elwood Francis has taken over bass duties.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
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.
