Dusty Hill, bassist for the enduring Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top for over half a century, has died at age 72. The trio’s other members, Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard announced Hill’s death in a Facebook post. Gibbons and Beard said that Hill had died in his sleep at his home but did not provide a date.
“We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, Tex.,” they wrote. “We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature, and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the ‘To.’. We will forever be connected to that ‘Blues Shuffle in C.’ You will be missed greatly, amigo.”
Hill — whose given names were Joseph Michael — was born in Dallas on May 19, 1949. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, into which ZZ Top was inducted in 2004, Hill already was a touring musician by age 15, and at 20 was working as a sideman with Texas country-blues icon Lightnin’ Hopkins.
In ZZ Top, Hill played bass guitar, sang, and played keyboards. Gibbons founded the trio in 1969, and both Hill and Beard signed on in 1970. They celebrated their 50th anniversary with a San Antonio concert on Feb. 14, 2020—the band’s only engagement before the pandemic forced a celebratory tour to be postponed.
