ZZ Top

ZZ Top

Billy Gibbons, the guitarist of ZZ Top and one of the best guitarists in history.

Eddie Kendricks from Texas and I were 20 year old sailors when we snuck into the roof top dressing room of the Pensacola Civic Center. Eddie’s friends, ZZ Top were on their first US tour, supporting Black Oak Arkansas.

When we climbed up the fire escape and reached the window of a small house on the roof, Eddie knocked on the painted black window. Dusty opened the window from the inside.

“What are you doing here, Eddie?”

“We came to see y’all play,” Eddie replied.

“Well come on in…”

Eddie and I hung out in the dressing room until it was time for the band to go on stage.

ZZ Top

Dusty Hil, ZZ Top’s bassist.

ZZ Top

When I got the chance to photograph my heroes for SPIN magazine, where I was the photo editor, I asked them to bring their instruments.

Frank Beard, the drummer, forgot his drum sticks. As we were shooing in Montreal, Canada, there were hockey sticks available.

ZZ Top

Here they are posing with me after the shooting in a Montreal photo studio. The owner of the studio had painted the graphic of “Afterburner” on the wall of the studio and I let him shoot the band in front of the graphic. He got the cover of SPIN magazine…This was to say the least, a high point of my career.