ZZ Top

Band

Photo: Rickmkent · CC BY-SA 4.0
Active 1969-present
Origin Houston, Texas
Albums 15
Tracks 162
Most frequent collaborator Bill Ham · 123 tracks
Genres Blues RockHard RockBoogie RockSouthern Rock
Complete Artist
97%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 157 of 162 tracks

Did ZZ Top write their own songs?

Yes. Billy Gibbons has a writing credit on 156 of the 162 tracks across the fifteen studio albums, and 96 of those tracks are credited to Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard together with nobody else on them. The only tracks without a Gibbons credit are five covers.

By the Numbers

15
Studio Albums
162
Tracks Credited
97%
Self-Written
an estimated 50 million
Records Sold
57
Years Active
30
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 157 / 162 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 162 tracks: how many ZZ Top wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

ZZ Top has a writing credit97%
81%
16%
3%
Sole author131tracks81%
Co-written26tracks16%
Outside writers5tracks3%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
ZZ Top's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 162 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)96%
Composer (music)96%
Producer38%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 162 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Billy Gibbons 1969-present
96%
96%
38%
0%
Dusty Hill Died July 28, 2021 1970-2021 (died July 28, 2021)
65%
65%
0%
0%
Frank Beard Died August 17, 2026 1969-2026 (died August 17, 2026)
62%
62%
0%
0%
Elwood Francis 2021-present
0%
0%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

ZZ Top's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 97%
100%
100%
100%
89%
100%
80%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
92%
94%
100%
1971ZZ Top's First Album
1972Rio Grande Mud
1973Tres Hombres
1975Fandango!
1976Tejas
1979Degüello
1981El Loco
1983Eliminator
1985Afterburner
1990Recycler
1994Antenna
1996Rhythmeen
1999XXX
2003Mescalero
2012La Futura
Early · 98% written
Mid · 96% written
Late · 97% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

95%
1970s
ZZ Top's First Album, Rio Grande Mud +4 more
100%
1980s
El Loco, Eliminator +1 more
98%
1990s
Recycler, Antenna +2 more
94%
2000s
Mescalero
100%
2010s
La Futura

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where ZZ Top sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

ZZ Top
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Tina Turner0%
Diana Ross10%
Eric Clapton40%
Santana59%
Donna Summer68%
The Rolling Stones76%
Lynyrd Skynyrd89%
97%ZZ Top
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Francine
Rio Grande Mud
Written by Billy Gibbons, Steve Perron, Kenny Cordray, William Frederick Gibbons
Co-wrote
La Grange
Tres Hombres
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Tush
Fandango!
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
It's Only Love
Tejas
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Arrested for Driving While Blind
Tejas
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
I Thank You
Degüello
Written by Isaac Hayes, David Porter
Outside writers
Cheap Sunglasses
Degüello
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Leila
El Loco
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Legs
Eliminator
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Gimme All Your Lovin'
Eliminator
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Sharp Dressed Man
Eliminator
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Sleeping Bag
Afterburner
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Stages
Afterburner
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Rough Boy
Afterburner
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Velcro Fly
Afterburner
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Doubleback
Recycler
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it
Give It Up
Recycler
Written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, William Frederick Gibbons, Joe Michael Hill, Frank Lee Beard
Wrote it

Discography 15 albums

All fifteen studio albums. The live albums and compilations sit outside this catalogue.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

ZZ Top162 tracks
BH123Bill Ham, 123 tracks 10Rick Rubin, 10 tracks JH8Joe Hardy, 8 tracks GM3G.L. Moon, 3 tracks GM2Gary Moon, 2 tracks TH2Tom Hambridge, 2 tracks SP1Steve Perron, 1 track KC1Kenny Cordray, 1 track JL1Jerry Leiber, 1 track MS1Mike Stoller, 1 track WD1Willie Dixon, 1 track JL1John Lee Hooker, 1 track IH1Isaac Hayes, 1 track DP1David Porter, 1 track RJ1Robert Johnson, 1 track LI1Luther Ingram, 1 track MR1Mack Rice, 1 track SW1Stevie Wonder, 1 track BL1Bernie Lowe, 1 track KM1Kal Mann, 1 track LF1Lowell Fulson, 1 track JM1Jimmy McCracklin, 1 track DD1Dorie Dorsey, 1 track KW1Kyle West, 1 track AB1Al B. Sure!, 1 track TB1Trey Bruce, 1 track AH1Austin Hanks, 1 track DS1Dave Sardy, 1 track DR1David Rawlings, 1 track GW1Gillian Welch, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. BH Bill Ham · JH Joe Hardy · GM G.L. Moon · GM Gary Moon · TH Tom Hambridge

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Ninety-six of the 162 tracks are credited to Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard together and to nobody else. That flat three-way split runs from Tres Hombres in 1973 through Recycler in 1990 with almost no variation, which is why Hill lands on 105 tracks and Beard on 100 while Gibbons has 156. The early records look different: manager Bill Ham takes a share on eleven tracks across the first two albums, and Steve Perron and Kenny Cordray brought "Francine" in from outside. The later ones look different again. From Antenna onward the credits start naming Gibbons alone, and by Mescalero in 2003 he is the sole writer on most of the record with Hill and Beard appearing on one track. Five tracks in the whole catalogue have no Gibbons credit at all, and every one of them is a cover.

Quick Facts

  • Gibbons's share156 of the 162 album tracks
  • The flat split96 tracks credited to all three and nobody else
  • Studio albumsFifteen, from 1971 to 2012
  • SalesAn estimated 50 million records
  • Biggest albumEliminator, over 11 million copies in the US
  • Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted 2004

Creative Fingerprint

A guitarist who wrote nearly everything, printed under three names for two decades and under his own once the eighties ended.

The Story

Fifty years and one line-up. Billy Gibbons has a writing credit on 156 of the 162 album tracks, and for most of the run the sleeve simply printed all three names on everything.

Awards & Recognition

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted 2004
Three MTV Video Music Awards, for "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Rough Boy"
Grammy nomination for Best Music Film in 2021, for the documentary That Little Ol' Band from Texas

Frequently Asked Questions ZZ Top

Did ZZ Top write their own songs?
Yes. Billy Gibbons has a writing credit on 156 of the 162 tracks across the fifteen studio albums, and 96 of those tracks are credited to Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard together with nobody else on them. The only tracks without a Gibbons credit are five covers.
Who wrote ZZ Top's songs?
Billy Gibbons wrote or co-wrote nearly all of them. Dusty Hill has 105 credits and Frank Beard 100, mostly from the years when the sleeve printed all three names on every track.
Who wrote "La Grange"?
Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, credited together, like every other track on Tres Hombres.
Why is Bill Ham credited as a songwriter?
Ham managed the band and produced or co-produced their first twelve albums. He also takes a writing share on eleven tracks across the first two records, which stops after Rio Grande Mud.
How many studio albums did ZZ Top release?
Fifteen, from ZZ Top's First Album in 1971 through La Futura in 2012. The live albums and compilations are counted separately.
What is ZZ Top's biggest album?
Eliminator, from 1983. It had sold more than 11 million copies in the US by December 1996, ten times more than any album they had made before it.
How many records has ZZ Top sold?
An estimated 50 million across fifteen studio albums.
What was ZZ Top's biggest hit single?
"Legs" and "Sleeping Bag" both reached number 8 on the Hot 100, in 1984 and 1985. "Tush" got to number 20 in 1975.
Is ZZ Top in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes, inducted in 2004. They have also won three MTV Video Music Awards, for the videos to "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Rough Boy".
Who were the members of ZZ Top?
Billy Gibbons on guitar and vocals, Dusty Hill on bass and Frank Beard on drums, together from 1970 until Hill's death in 2021. Elwood Francis took over on bass that year, and Beard died in 2026.

Sources

Wikipedia: ZZ Top Wikipedia: ZZ Top discography Wikipedia: Billy Gibbons Wikipedia: Dusty Hill Wikipedia: Frank Beard Wikipedia: Elwood Francis File:ZZ.TOP 2 rkent at mac dot com.jpg - Wikimedia Commons