Tush

Zoo Freaks, get ready for some juicy trivia about "Tush" by ZZ Top, the track we're spinning from The Best Of ZZ Top! This blues-rock banger from their 1975 album Fandango! was born during a soundcheck in Florence, Alabama, when Billy Gibbons hit that iconic opening riff, and Dusty Hill started improvising vocals. Hill once shared in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock that they were just "farting around" with a cassette recorder running, capturing the magic in about six to eight minutes. The lyrics, far from Bob Dylan territory, were mostly off-the-cuff, with only a couple of words tweaked before recording. The song’s title, a double entendre for buttocks and something "deluxe" or lavish, draws from Texas slang and was inspired by Roy Head’s 1967 track "Tush Hog," as Gibbons revealed to Songfacts. It became ZZ Top’s first Top 40 hit, peaking at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, and VH1 later ranked it the 67th best hard rock song ever.

Another fun tidbit: "Tush" is gender-neutral, as the band pointed out to deflect any controversy, and this was proven when the all-female group Girlschool covered it in 1981 on their album Hit & Run. Dusty Hill typically sang lead, but after his passing in 2021, the band performed it in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with Gibbons placing Hill’s hat on the mic and taking vocals, later using a Memorex recording of Hill’s voice to close shows, as noted on Wikipedia. The song also got a nod on @ZZTop’s X account in 2016, promoting it with their Live Greatest Hits pre-order. Oh, and in Chicago, it climbed to #5 on WLS radio charts, cementing its status as a dance-floor filler with that slide guitar groove.

Now, let’s rewind to how ZZ Top got their start. Formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969, the trio—Billy Gibbons (guitar, vocals), Dusty Hill (bass, vocals), and Frank Beard (drums)—came together after Gibbons’ previous band, Moving Sidewalks, disbanded. Gibbons, already known for his bluesy guitar chops, linked up with Hill and Beard, who’d played together in American Blues, as detailed on Britannica. Inspired by blues legends like John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters, they signed with London Records and dropped ZZ Top’s First Album in 1971. Their raw, blues-driven sound started building a following with Rio Grande Mud (1972), but it was Tres Hombres (1973) and its hit "La Grange" that put them on the map with radio play. By the time Fandango! and "Tush" rolled out, their live shows, like the epic Worldwide Texas Tour of 1976-77 with a Texas-shaped stage and live animals, made them legends.

ZZ Top’s consistency is wild—they kept the same lineup for over 50 years until Hill’s death in 2021, with Elwood Francis stepping in on bass. Their mix of humor, Texan swagger, and evolving sound (think synthesizers in the ‘80s with Eliminator) kept them relevant, earning them a 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, where Keith Richards gave the intro speech. You can keep up with them on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and X. For Zoo Freaks wanting more, check out fan sites like DaveGott.com for album details or join the ZZ Top Fans Facebook group to connect with fellow bearded-boogie lovers. There’s also ZZ Tush, a tribute band site that nails the ZZ Top vibe for fans craving that live experience.