On This Day In METAL History – December 16th… And A Rockin’ Birthday Salute To Billy Gibbons!
On December 16th, 1966 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience releases their single Hey Joe in England. This song is featured on their debut studio album from 1966: Are You Experienced?.
On this day in 1976 – Foghat and Ted Nugent performed at the Riverfront Coliseum, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Foghat were touring in support of their sixth studio album: Night Shift. Ted Nugent was touring in support of his second studio album: Free-For-All. Whoa!
On December 16th, 1977 – Detective, The Edgar Winter Group and Blue Öyster Cult performed at the Riverfront Coliseum, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Blue Öyster Cult were touring in support of their fourth studio album from 1976: Agents Of Fortune.
On this day in 1989 – KIX hits #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with their power ballad: Don’t Close Your Eyes. This song is featured on the fourth studio album from KIX, released in 1988: Blow My Fuse.
On December 16th, 1989 – Whitesnake peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart with Slip Of The Tongue. This studio album was their second release to land in the Billboard Top 10 Albums Chart. Slip Of The Tongue was the eighth studio album from Whitesnake. Metal be thy name!
On this day in 1989 – Bon Jovi hits #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with Living in Sin. This song is featured on Bon Jovi’s fourth studio album, released in 1988: New Jersey. Living In Sin was the fifth hit song to reach the Billboard Top 10, from the New Jersey album.
BILLY GIBBONS
On December 16th, 1949, Billy Gibbons was born in Houston, Texas. Happy Rockin’ birthday, Billy! Hell, yeah and whoa! Billy Gibbons is world-famous for being an outstanding and influential guitarist for the legendary ZZ Top. As a founding member of ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons is also their lead vocalist and co-songwriter. Billy Gibbons is such an exceptional guitarist that even the late and ultra great Jimi Hendrix was a fan of his. It’s historic Rock And Roll truth.
ZZ Top, from l to r: Dusty Hill (bass), Billy Gibbons (guitar) and Frank Beard (drums).
Billy Gibbons’ first successful band was Moving Sidewalks, a Psychedelic Rock band that supported The Jimi Hendrix Experience on their 1968 Are You Experienced tour for a handful of dates. A recent Moving Sidewalks reunion took place in 2013, as they performed as headliners at the 2013 Austin Psyche Fest in Austin, Texas.
Above, Billy Gibbons is third from the left! Whoa!
With bluesy Rock as their calling card, ZZ Top eventually evolved into a Hard Rock juggernaut during the 1980’s, selling-out arenas everywhere you looked. The blues have never left ZZ Top and thankfully so. ZZ Top were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, back in 2004.
Top photo: January 2012 issue of Guitar World, Billy Gibbons cover feature.
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LONG LIVE METAL.
LONG LIVE THE ROOTS & FAMILY TREE OF METAL.
Stone.
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