ZZ Top has been rocking the stage since 1969, yet many of their fans still don’t know about how they got their name. The legendary American rock band, known for its distinctive sound, wowed fans for 51 years. The members, Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and the late Dusty Hill, continue to be legendary figures in the realm of rock music, so it’s not surprising that there’s still enough curiosity surrounding their unique stage name.
The question once again surfaced on the popular site Quora, where one user asked, “What does the ZZ in ZZ Top stand for?”
To this, one fan commented, “The legend goes that back in the day, there were two nationally marketed brands of cigarette rolling papers, ZigZag’ and ‘Tops.’ These rolling papers were almost exclusively used for rolling joints, doobies, and blunts. The iconic Texas band is said to have taken the name ZZ Top in honor of those products.”
An alternate theory has also been discussed on the platform. “The alternate story is that Gibbons particularly noticed B.B. King and Z. Z. Hill and thought of combining the two into ‘ZZ King,’ but considered it too similar to the original name. He then figured that ‘the King is at the top,’ which gave him the idea of naming the band ‘ZZ Top.'”
“Billy Gibbons was particularly influenced by B.B. King and Z.Z. Hill and toyed with the idea of merging the two into Z.Z. King, but felt it was too close to the original name. He then realized that ‘King is at the top,’ which inspired him to name the band ‘ZZ Top,'” commented one fan.
Another chimed in, “ZZ Hill is an American vocalist. His real name is Arzell J. Hill, but he’s better known as ZZ Hill. I can’t seem to figure out what the ZZ stands for, but it appears to be derived from his first name, Arzell.”
Amid confusion and curiosity, the American Songwriter probably has the best explanation. They echoed one of the fans’ comments, reporting that legends like B.B. King and Z.Z Hill were seemingly the inspirations behind ZZ Top’s stage name.
“Guitar player, singer, and songwriter William Gibbons founded ZZ Top in late 1969. Before Gibbons brought in Hill and Beard (an ironic last name given ZZ Top’s affiliation with chest-length beads belonging to Hill and Gibbons), the guitar player brought in bassist Lanier Greig and drummer Dan Mitchell,” the statement read. They continued that even before this, Gibbons had a chance encounter with Jimin Hendrix when he formed Moving Sidewalks at 18.
Jimi Hendrix and members of ZZ Top, 1968. Photo from Getty Images. pic.twitter.com/TX6dt8ZrVx
— Classic Rock In Pics (@crockpics) July 6, 2020
The website noted, “Moving Sidewalks even opened for the Jimi Hendrix Experience during Hendrix’s first American tour as a headliner. Gibbons had said during live performances that Hendrix even taught him how to play guitar when Gibbons was ‘about 17’ in Dallas, Texas.”
They explained that while coming up with a name for his band, he discovered that many popular singers used two initials, which inspired him. According to American Songwriter, initially, Gibbons came up with Z.Z King, combining the names of his heroes. However, it didn’t take him too long to realize that it was too similar to their original name.
“He finally settled on ZZ Top. The rest, as they say, is history.”
