07/29/2021
RIP Dusty Hill
“Damn! Gov’t Mule is holed up in rehearsal and we just got the sad news. It's no secret that ZZ TOP was (and is) a big influence on us. I’ll never forget the first time I heard them: I had the single of “LaGrange” and the flip side was “Just Got Paid” which is odd because they’re from two different albums, but ZZ TOP always did things their own way. I moved backwards from there and discovered the “First Album” and “Rio Grande Mud” after hearing “Tres Hombres.” Man, that was/is some tasty s**t! A lot of noise for three people.
Dusty was the foundation for that sound that they discovered–that chemistry that is necessary with any great band but even more crucial for a trio. Something about the way he played with Billy and Frank made it seem like a single organism traveling through the universe and and his voice had an urgency that was a beautiful counter-balance to Billy’s more relaxed and lower-pitched blues drawl. Each new song brought something fresh and different that the one before didn’t have. This trait was indicative I guess–maybe a foreshadowing–of the many reinventions of themselves they would come up with throughout their career when faced with the challenge of how to survive in an ever-changing music business. Many bands and artists cut from similar cloth would get “lost in the shuffle” (no pun intended) but ZZ TOP somehow found their footing time and again–one foot clinging to their roots while the other touched down heavily in new uncharted territory- a bold and uncannily clever journey through the barely navigable maze.
I’m honored to have spent some time soaking up some of that vibe, be it in the studio, on stage, in the dressing room, or elsewhere and sharing a little insight into what made the Little Ol’ Band From Texas tick. These sort of observations are mostly indescribable but the one thing I can put into words is that they were three distinct personalities with a common mission. That’s what great chemistries are made of.
As we continue to trudge through today’s rehearsal which I’m sure is gonna wind up being mostly playing and listening to ZZ TOP songs, I’m thankful for the chemistry that we have and reminded that we should never take it for granted. Thanks to those like ZZ TOP that came before us, we were able to combine our collective and individual influences together in search of something unique. We should all be so lucky as to discover something as unique and buoyantly filled with personality as ZZ TOP." - WH
