Frank Beard, the drummer for the Texas boogie-rock trio ZZ Top who kept the tempo for the band’s biggest hits like “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’” and “Legs,” has died. He was 77.
Frank Lee Beard was born June 11, 1949, in Frankston, Texas. He started playing drums as a teenager and became involved in the Texas blues scene. Before ZZ Top, he and Dusty Hill played together in several groups, including American Blues. Beard also had an unusual early-career episode in which he toured with a group presenting itself as the British band The Zombies, despite not being the actual Zombies.
How he ended up in ZZ Top
In 1969, guitarist Billy Gibbons was putting together a new Houston blues-rock group. Beard joined Gibbons, and Beard then recommended his old musical partner Dusty Hill for bass.
That produced the classic lineup:
That lineup lasted for an extraordinary more than five decades, until Hill died in 2021.
Beard wasn't merely the guy sitting behind the drums keeping time. His playing was a crucial part of ZZ Top's sound. The band's official biography describes him as both a roots and progressive drummer and credits him as a key part of their powerful studio and live sound.
The funny beard situation
Here's the great irony.
Gibbons and Hill became famous for enormous beards, while Beard was generally clean-shaven.
So you had:
His name is literally Beard. 😂
The joke became such an important part of ZZ Top's identity that the band's own website has referred to him as “the man with no beard.”
Interestingly, Beard eventually grew a short beard himself in 2013, but he never came close to matching the enormous facial hair of Gibbons and Hill.
His drumming style
Beard's drumming is deceptively powerful. ZZ Top's music often sounds relatively simple, but the rhythm section has a very precise groove.
His style incorporates blues, boogie, rock and Texas shuffle rhythms. That provided the foundation underneath Gibbons' heavily distorted guitar.
You can hear Beard particularly well on songs such as “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Cheap Sunglasses,” “Gimme All Your Lovin',” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.”
The 1983 album Eliminator was especially important. ZZ Top combined its traditional blues-rock with synthesizers, sequencers and drum-machine textures, while Beard's acoustic/electric drumming remained part of the band's rhythmic identity. The album eventually sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S.
Beard's difficult period
Beard also went through a serious period of drug addiction during the 1970s. He later spoke openly about his use of LSD, cocaine and heroin and about the damage it caused to his relationships and life.
ZZ Top eventually took a hiatus while Beard worked on getting sober. He later entered rehabilitation and rebuilt his life.
He married Debbie Meredith in 1982, and they have three children. He has also been associated with ranching and golf in Texas.
His later years
After Dusty Hill died in 2021, Beard and Gibbons continued ZZ Top with Elwood Francis on bass, following Hill's wishes that the band continue. The band officially described Francis as taking Hill's place while maintaining the group's musical identity.
Unfortunately, there is very recent news concerning Beard: he died on August 17, 2026, at age 77, at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, while receiving hospice care. The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
Billy Gibbons described Beard as one of the band's most naturally innovative drummers and a great friend and collaborator. ZZ Top has said it intends to continue performing, consistent with Beard's wishes.
So Frank Beard's legacy isn't just being "the guy in ZZ Top without a beard." He was the rhythmic engine of one of rock's most durable bands, helping create that unmistakable Texas blues-boogie sound for roughly 56 years. 🥁🎸
And there's something wonderfully appropriate about his name: the man named Beard who didn't need one to become a rock legend.
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