Remembering Frank Beard: The Backbeat Behind ZZ Top

1949, 2026

Frank Beard, the longtime drummer whose unmistakable backbeat helped define the sound of ZZ Top for more than five decades, has died at the age of 77.

Beard died August 17 at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, while in hospice care and surrounded by family. A cause of death has not been announced.

For a band built around massive guitar riffs, Texas blues and an image that became instantly recognizable around the world, Beard was the engine underneath it all. His playing never needed to fight for attention. It was tight, heavy and exactly where it needed to be, giving songs like “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs” the groove that made them unmistakably ZZ Top.

Beard joined Billy F. Gibbons and Dusty Hill in 1969, completing the lineup that would remain together for more than 50 years. He played on every ZZ Top studio album from the band’s 1971 debut through 2012’s *La Futura*, helping carry the trio from Texas blues clubs to arenas, MTV and eventually the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where ZZ Top was inducted in 2004.

And, of course, there was always the joke. In a band famous for two of the most recognizable beards in rock history, the guy actually named Beard was the one without one.

But behind that bit of ZZ Top history was a musician whose contribution was impossible to replace. Beard’s shuffle, restraint and feel were every bit as important to the band’s sound as the guitars in front of him.

Following Beard’s death, Billy Gibbons remembered his longtime bandmate as a great friend and collaborator and one of rock’s naturally innovative drummers, saying his signature backbeat was essential to keeping ZZ Top moving for all those years.