Billy Gibbons

Latest about Billy Gibbons

Billy Gibbons [left] plays a custom T-style; B.B. King takes a solo on Lucille.

Billy Gibbons on how B.B. King changed his life

By Andrew Daly published

At the age of 7, seeing B.B. King lit the path for Gibbons as a blues guitarist. The ZZ Top legend discusses B.B.’s lasting impact

Guitarists
ZZ Top's Dusty Hill [left] and Billy Gibbons get their work clothes on as they perform live in 1981.

“An unabashed element was the constant ferociousness of the guitar tone coming from Pearly Gates”: Billy Gibbons on the making of ZZ Top’s El Loco

By Andrew Daly published

How Billy Gibbons unleashed the power of his holy grail '59 Les Paul Standard for the Texan blues-rock legend's “in-between” classic, El Loco – and set the stage for ZZ Top's domination of the decade

Guitarists
(L-R) Roger McGuinn, Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers and Eric Clapton perform onstage during Day 1 of Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival at Crypto.com Arena on September 23, 2023 in Los Angeles, California

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival announces 2026 lineup

By Janelle Borg published

Now in its seventh edition, the festival is set to take place in Austin, Texas – and features Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa, and John Mayer, while Trey Anastasio, Tommy Emmanuel, Julian Lage and Pete Townshend are all making their Crossroads debut

Concert, Gigs & Tours
Billy Gibbons and BB King

How B.B. King changed Billy Gibbons’ approach to guitar strings

By Phil Weller published

When the King speaks, his subjects listen

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Guitarists
Billy Gibbons (left) and Jimi Hendrix perform onstage

When Jimi Hendrix gave Billy Gibbons a guitar lesson unlike any other

By Jackson Maxwell published

Gibbons' pre-ZZ Top band, the Moving Sidewalks, toured with Hendrix for a time in 1968 – and he got to witness the Strat legend's magic up close

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Guitarists
Steve Cropper poses with his Peavey signature guitar and a Fender Twin combo

Steve Cropper on writing Green Onions, stressing out Brian May and the secret of Billy Gibbons’ guitar style

By Phil Weller published

The co-writer of classics including Green Onions and (Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay proved you don’t need technical wizardry to make a mark. In 2024, he walked us through a career marked by hits, groove and soul

Guitarists
Guthrie Trapp performs live on a Telecaster.

What Guthrie Trapp learned while escaping the country player label – and how the fretboard can change your life

By Amit Sharma published

The session ace explains what’s wrong with modelers, why anyone emulating SRV is doomed to fail, and how he nearly missed out on jamming with Billy Gibbons

Guitarists
John Mayer plays a Strat, Gibbons one of his custom gold Billy-Bo-style electrics, and Slash is on his Les Paul in this comped image of the three guitar superstars

Remembering the night tres hombres by the name of John Mayer, Slash and Billy Gibbons gave ZZ Top’s La Grange a triple-guitar glow-up

By Jonathan Horsley published

Iconic headgear, iconic players, a gnarly Texan blues-rock groove and a legendary all-star guitar jam came to Hollywood’s House of Blues in 2009

Guitarists
A montage image of Billy Gibbons in a blue suit playing a custom Gibson guitar and B.B. King onstage in 1968 with his Gibson ES-335, Lucille

Billy Gibbons shares the story of the “treasured moment” he sat in on a B.B. King session – as a child

By Matt Parker published

Long before he got the chance to pick it up for himself, the ZZ Top man found himself in a truly formative session with an icon of electric guitar

Guitarists
Joe Bonamassa

Joe Bonamassa swears by this easy string-saving hack – which was inspired by Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons

By Phil Weller published

Bonamassa’s go-to stringing method for his Les Pauls improves durability – and helps achieve a slinkier feel

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