US Legends ZZ TOP Rock Bulgaria Capital

Sofia News Agency

The legendary US rock band ZZ TOP will stage a concert in Bulgaria's capital Sofia on October 21, 2009 as part of their Double Down Live tour.

This will be ZZ TOP's first performance in the Balkan country, and will take place at Sofia's Akademik.

ZZ Top is an American rock trio that formed in late 1969 in Houston, Texas, US. The group members are Billy Gibbons (lead vocals, guitar), Dusty Hill (vocals, bass, keyboards), and Frank Beard (drums, percussion).

The band holds the distinction of being among the few rock bands still composed of its original recording members for nearly 40 years and until September 2006, the same manager/producer/image maker, Bill Ham.

ZZ Top reached peak commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, scoring many hit songs during that era, but they remain together today and are still touring and releasing albums.

Nearly as well-known as their music is the group's biker-frontiersmen image: ZZ Top is almost always pictured wearing sunglasses (a nod to their 1979 song "Cheap Sunglasses"), Gibbons and Hill (the singing frontmen) wearing similar if not matching black clothing (usually biker leathers), black cowboy hats or ball caps.

Gibbons has been noted for wearing an African "artichoke" skullcap under his hat, black biker boots or comfortable substitutes, neck chains hanging beer can openers, trinkets and small tools.

Both Gibbons and Hill are noted for their trademark chest-length beards (in spite of his own surname, drummer Beard almost always sports just a trim mustache).

In 1984, the Gillette Company reportedly offered Gibbons and Hill million each to shave their beards for a television commercial but they declined, stating "We're too ugly without 'em."