While some musicians are known for their music only, others are known for their looks. On this matter, ZZ Top has achieved to be known for both. Still, the two members, Billy Gibbons and the late Dusty Hill, succeded to be known for their looks with their beards they refuse to cut. While some may think it’s just about the looks, it seems to be more than that. The pair, who pride themselves on being unaffected by trends, have been rocking their beards and iconic appearance since the 1970s. What, then, caused the band to maintain their facial hair for almost 40 years? The band went on a long hiatus eleven years after they formed. The band planned to get together after their trip, but only Gibbons and Hill realized that their beards had grown. It was a coincidental turn of events, but the beards finally became a look. The late Dusty Hill told the tale of his and his bandmate’s beards earlier. He said that he hadn’t seen his bandmate in over a year and went on to tell what transpired: “Well, I had a regular beard, and we all traveled separately during our time off between 1976 and 1979.
Billy and I didn’t see each other for almost 1.5 years because I was in Mexico and he was in Europe. I was living in a little fishing village without electricity for the most of the time, so I thought, “To hell with trimming my beard—I mean, what for?” The two had no idea what they were going to encounter. He went on: “And when I returned, Billy’s beard had also grown rather lengthy! It never occurred to me that it would become a look. Undoubtedly, it evolved into more than simply a glance. The two decided to make it one of their signatures and kept their beards. Did any of the members ever think about giving up? Most likely not. A substantial sum of money was offered to Gibbons and Hill in 1984 to have their beards chopped, but they finally declined. For $1,000,000., Gilette offered the musicians to shave his hair for an advertising campaign.
Gibbons stated unequivocally that he regrets turning down the offer. Regarding the offer, he stated as follows: “Not even after accounting for inflation, this isn’t going to work out. The idea of seeing oneself clean-shaven in the mirror is too similar to a Vincent Price movie.a possibility that should not be considered, regardless of the salary. Frank Beard, the drummer, wore a mustache to maintain a clean appearance despite the two members’ decision to keep growing their beards and his odd last name. Due to his persistent bursitis, Dusty Hill passed away in July 2021. A hip problem prompted him to leave the tour just five days before he passed away. Billy Gibbons is currently the only one sporting the recognizable beard, and it doesn’t appear that he will be shaving it anytime soon.
