ZZ Top

Dusty Hill, ZZ Top Bassist, Dead at 72

Dusty Hill, whose bass offered bluesy bottom end for ZZ Top for more than 50 years, has died, his band members confirmed. He was 72 years old.

"We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at his home in Houston, TX," bandmates Billy F. Gibbons and Frank Beard wrote in a statement. "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.'...You will be missed greatly, amigo."

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As Fast As They Can: In Praise of ZZ Top's 'Eliminator' Videos

As MTV started beaming into more households through the early '80s, viewers were seeing and hearing music that they might not have caught elsewhere, and some acts were able to reach a completely new audience. In 1983, few bands benefited from the exposure quite like ZZ Top, that "little ol' band from Texas" who broke big on the pop charts with their album Eliminator.

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