ZZ Top recipients of Recording Academy Honors

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Chapter of The Recording Academy has named Texas blues-rock icons ZZ Top, three-time GRAMMY winner Yolanda Adams, hip-hop music label SWISHAHOUSE, and South By Southwest Music Festival co-founders Nick Barbaro, Louis Black and Roland Swenson as recipients of its Recording Academy Honors 2006. The Recording Academy Honors was established to celebrate outstanding individuals whose work embodies excellence and integrity and who have improved the environment for the creative community. The event — which will attract recording artists, key entertainment executives and community leaders — will be held Monday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Austin Convention Center Ballroom. Formerly known as the Governors Awards, this gala supports the Texas Chapter's ongoing programs, with this year's silent auction proceeds benefiting MusiCares for support of Texas-based musicians.

The evening will begin with a cocktail hour and silent auction. A dinner and awards show will follow and recognize the careers of the esteemed honorees with celebrity presenters and performers.

After almost 36 years of rock and blues, ZZ Top (a/k/a "That Little Ol' Band From Texas") is the longest running major rock band with original band members Billy F. Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard. Their third album, Tres Hombres, catapulted them to national attention with the hit "La Grange," still one of the band's signature pieces today. Their 1983 release, Eliminator, was something of a paradigm shift for ZZ Top. Their roots skew was intact but added to the mix were tech-age trappings that soon found a visual outlet with the nascent MTV. Suddenly, Gibbons, Hill and Beard were video icons. ZZ Top accomplished keeping up with the times while simultaneously bucking ephemeral trends that crossed their path. A certified rock institution, contemporary in every way, yet still completely connected to the founding fathers of the genre, ZZ Top's music is instantly recognizable, eminently powerful, profoundly soulful and 100 percent Texas American in derivation.

Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., also known as The Recording Academy, is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs.

Tickets for The Recording Academy Honors are $150 for Academy members and $175 for non-members. Qualified music professionals can join The Academy for $100 and purchase tickets at the member price. Sponsorship packages are also available. Purchase tickets before November 3rd.

Phone: 512-328-7997 - Email: texas@grammy.com

Texas rockers ZZ Top split with manager, label

Texas rock trio ZZ Top has parted ways with the manager who helped form the band in 1969, according to a statement issued on Sunday.

In addition to splitting with Bill Ham, the band has also ended its tenure at RCA Records, 14 years after signing a five-album contract.

ZZ Top -- comprised of singer/guitarist Billy Gibbons, singer/bass player Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard -- last toured in 2005, ending a trek dominated by casinos and state fairs at New York's Beacon Theater in November.

Upcoming plans for the band will be announced in the near future, the statement said. The band is due to receive an honor from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences in November, a spokesman said.

Ham, the president of Austin, Texas-based Lone Wolf Management, first partnered with Gibbons in the late 1960s. The former record promoter helped Gibbons put together ZZ Top, which settled on its current lineup in late 1969.

Specializing in Texas blues boogie, the band issued its debut release, ZZ Top's First Album, in 1970. Amid constant touring, it broke through with 1973's Tres Hombres, featuring the classic-rock radio staple La Grange.

Pop success beckoned with Eliminator, which sold millions and propelled the band to stadium status, thanks to slick videos for tunes like Gimme All Your Lovin and Legs, featuring pretty women and souped-up cars.

For nearly four decades we have made music history together, Ham said in a statement. Lone Wolf will always be grateful for the overwhelming loyalty and support from fans around the world, the labels, the promoters, the agencies, the vendors, the media, and so many others who helped make this possible. We wish the band all the best for continued success.

ZZ TOP SET FOR HOUSTON HALL OF FAME HONOR

The members of ZZ Top – Billy F Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard – are set to be inducted into the City of Houston’s Hall of Fame at a gala dinner set for August 23 2006 at the Worthham Theater in downtown Houston.

ZZ Top, over the course of more than 36 years, has come to be known as “that little ol’ band from Texas” but traces its roots specifically to Houston where, in 1969, Billy, of the Moving Sidewalks, joined forces with Dusty and Frank of the American Blues.

ZZ Top have received many honors in the past including having been named Heroes of the State of Texas by the legislature, proclaimed Ambassadors of Goodwill for the state numerous times and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. This latest acknowledgement of their place in the pantheon of Houston greats coincides with the city’s celebration of its 170th birthday and the evening August 23rd has been designated as “A Night of Cowboys and Culture” by Houston Mayor Bill White.

The band, delighted with their having been cited for this extraordinary honor, released the following statement: “We’re thrilled to be recognized by the city we love for doing what we love for all these years. We did a song a while back entitled, ‘Heaven, Hell or Houston’ and we’re now quite convinced that the city is much closer to the former than the latter.”

Dusty Hill of ZZ Top is the Grand Marshal of Houston's 19th Annual Art Car Parade.

As a founding member of ZZ Top, Dusty’s love of awe inspiring, mysterious and fun automobiles is no secret. On Saturday, May 13, 2006, he proclaims his Art Car love as Grand Marshal of the world’s oldest and largest Art Car Parade.

RUBBERNECK, TEXAS A.K.A HOUSTON (April 20, 2006) – Welcome to Rubberneck, Texas, home of the EV1.net ART CAR WEEKEND and the 2006 Everyones Art Car Parade. On Saturday, May 13, 200,000 Art Car aficionados will gather in Downtown Houston – where rubbernecking is allowed and gawking is encouraged – to celebrate the most fun and exciting traffic jam on Earth.

The Parade – featuring 250 Art Car entries, half which have never been seen before and lead by Grand Marshal Dusty Hill of ZZ Top – is produced by The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, an organization that preserves and promotes visionary art environments and provides opportunities to discover and celebrate the artist in everyone. The Orange Show, title sponsor Everyones Internet and media partners the Houston Chronicle and KPRC LOCAL 2 warn ogling pedestrians to expect anything … from the showy Phantoms (a 1930s roadster with a Hollywood gangster vibe) to the Bone Bike (a tandem bicycle decorated with bone like shapes and sponsored by the Houston Museum of Natural Science Body World exhibit).

Since it first hit the pavement in 1988, Everyones Art Car Parade has been the leader of the pack of all Art Car parades. Now 19 years later, dazzling Art Car parades are showing up across the country; still, none surpass the world’s oldest and largest Art Car parade, Everyones Art Car Parade.

This year, artists from more than 17 states including Texas will participate in the parade, while many Art Car entries are created by local schools and churches.

The Art CARtailgater! kicks off the parade day excitement at 9 a.m. as spectators watch the cars line up. The VIPit Party at the historic Heritage Society begins at 11 a.m. and the Parade starts at 1 p.m. at Allen Parkway and Taft and ends at 2:30 p.m. The Traffic JAM! after party in Sam Houston Park continues the Art Car fun until 5 p.m.

In addition to the parade, the weekend is jam-packed with exciting events (see attached schedule), from Main Street Drag on Friday, May 12 (80 jaw-dropping Art Cars will visit children’s hospitals and community centers to inspire fans who otherwise may not be able to experience the Parade) to the Art Car Awards Ceremony and Junkyard Brunch at the world famous Orange Show on Sunday, May 14 when they will announce the winning creations in 14 categories and award more than $10,000 to parade participants.

For the first time ever, the parade will include Spanish language commentary provided courtesy of KROI 92.1 FM La Mera Mera in Sam Houston Park at Allen Parkway and Bagby. Additionally, KPRC LOCAL 2 will feature the Parade in a prime time broadcast on Thursday, May 25 at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit www.orangeshow.org or call 713-926-6368.

11th ANNUAL NSRA APPRECIATION DAY HONORS NHRA FOUNDER WALLY PARKS AND ZZ TOP’S FAMOUS CAR COLLECTOR BILLY F GIBBONS

California Car Cover Company Sets May 7, 2006 To Host Annual Hot Rodding Enthusiasts Event

CHATSWORTH, Calif. (March 2006) – California Car Cover Company (CCCC) announced today that Wally Parks, the founder of the National Hot Rod Association, and Billy F Gibbons, ZZ Top guitarist and car collector extraordinaire, will be the honored celebrated guests of the 11th annual National Street Rod Association (NSRA) Appreciation Day. The respected single-day celebration is scheduled for Sunday, May 7th at California Car Cover Company’s headquarters, located at 9525 DeSoto Ave, Chatsworth, CA, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

This year’s event will feature special guest appearances by legends Wally Parks and Billy F Gibbons.

Wally Parks, a true legend in the hot rodding community and the man who is regarded as the father of the National Hot Rod Association, the largest racing organization in the world. Parks guided the NHRA through its formative years and created an outlet for drag racing enthusiasts that features safe, spirited, and wildly entertaining competition, from its grassroots levels to its professional ranks.

Billy F Gibbons, renowned both as a musician and an avid car collector, has supported the hot rodding and collector car hobbies for countless years. His sleek and seductive “CadZZilla” custom, based on a vintage 1940’s Cadillac, with its long, low, streamlined silhouette, is one of the most famous, and coveted vehicles in the world. And oh yes, for his day job he fronts “That little ol’ band from Texas.”

With approximately 500 custom and rodding vehicles of every color and style expected, hobbyists and auto enthusiasts will also be treated to a day of extraordinary automotive design and innovation, food, music and behind-the-scene tours of the California Car Cover Company facilities and showroom.

California Car Cover Company caters to automobile, street rodding, trucking, racing, and motorcycling enthusiasts with two full-color parts and accessories catalogs and classic showroom, complete with vintage automotive collectibles. For more information about California Car Cover Company, visit the Web site, and see additional products not available in the catalog, at www.calcarcover.com, or call (800) 423-5525.

ZZ TOP DOES THE TEXAS TWO STEP with DELUXE EDITIONS OF FANDANGO! and TRES HOMBRES.

Expanded and remastered editions of two ZZ TOP classics featuring unreleased live tracks are available from Warner Bros February 28.

"That little ol' band from Texas" with the big sound, ZZ TOP, makes righteous blues boogie and down-and-dirty grooves that faithfully abide by the Lone Star State's "bigger is better" philosophy. Warner Bros Records messes with Texas' musical ambassadors to the world and gets a double-barrel blast of ZZ TOP's best with remastered and expanded versions of the trio's back-to-back platinum albums TRES HOMBRES and FANDANGO! Both albums are available February 28.

The deluxe editions of TRES HOMBRES and FANDANGO! feature remastered versions of the original recordings from the ORIGINAL master tapes plus previously unreleased live tracks recorded in the early '70s. Both albums were remastered by the legendary Bob Ludwig from the original analog tapes.

Guitarist Billy F Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard hit their funky stride in 1973 with the trio's third album, TRES HOMBRES. Filled with roadhouse anthems steeped in deep blues, the band's first Top 10 album was powered by the hit single "La Grange" - the breakthrough hit that was an ode to the establishment that would later be the inspiration for the musical "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas." The album also features the irresistible rhythms and hoodoo guitar tones of "Jesus Just Left Chicago," "Waitin' for the Bus" and "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers." The deluxe edition of TRES HOMBRES includes never before released live versions of "Waiting for the Bus," "Jesus Just Left Chicago" and "La Grange."

After a triumphant tour for TRES HOMBRES, ZZ TOP returned in 1975 with FANDANGO!, an album that featured live performances on one side and studio recordings on the other. The live tracks, the only legitimately available live recordings of ZZ TOP for the past 30 years, captures the band brilliantly as they steamrolled through "Jailhouse Rock," "Thunderbird" and "Backdoor Medley," a nine-minute-plus romp that weaves ZZ TOP originals together with Willie Dixon's "Mellow Down Easy." The studio tracks are some of the band's best including "Heard It on the X," "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings" and "Tush," the band's massive second hit single that is still a favorite of concert goers today. The deluxe edition of FANDANGO! includes never before released live versions of "Heard It On the X," "Jailhouse Rock" and "Tush."

Formed in 1969 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the original Gibbons-Hill-Beard trio has remained unchanged through more than three decades, 15 studio albums, millions of albums sold and countless miles together on the tour bus. "It's the same three guys, playing the same three chords for more than three decades," Gibbons quips. A musical icon, ZZ TOP is instantly recognizable for its authentic blues rock and wry sense of humor as well as Gibbons' and Hill's chest-length beards. Frank Beard, paradoxically, is clean shaven.

TRES HOMBRES
(Expanded & Remastered)
Track Listing:

1. "Waitin' for the Bus"
2. "Jesus Just Left Chicago"
3. "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers"
4. "Master Of Sparks"
5. "Hot, Blue And Righteous"
6. "Move Me On Down The Line"
7. "Precious And Grace"
8. "La Grange"
9. "Shiek"
10. "Have You Heard?"
11. "Waitin' For The Bus" (Live*)
12. "Jesus Just Left Chicago" (Live*)
13. "La Grange" (Live*)

FANDANGO!
(Expanded & Remastered)
Track Listing:

1. "Thunderbird"
2. "Jailhouse Rock"
3. Backdoor Medley
    a. "Backdoor Love Affair"
    b. "Mellow Down Easy"
    c. "Backdoor Love Affair No. 2"
    d. "Long Distance Boogie"
4. "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings"
5. "Blue Jean Blues"
6. "Balinese"
7. "Mexican Blackbird"
8. "Heard It On the X"
9. "Tush"
10. "Heard It On the X" (Live*)
11. "Jailhouse Rock" (Live*)
12. "Tush" (Live*)

* previously unreleased