Photo from: ZZTop.com
It remains unclear to these days whether Billy Gibbons is more famous for his music or for the long, flowing manly beard.
The member of the ZZ Top band grew his signature beard for so many years, so if you’re looking for a way to copy his style, you’ll need a lot of time and patience.
But, if you’ve already been growing your mane for years, you might stand a chance.
Gibbons has a very expensive insurance policy on his beard, which shows how much he appreciates it.
Read on to discover the story of Billy and his beard, as well as to see if this is the style you want to pursue and what you need in order to grow and style it.
The Beginning of the Beard
Billy did not always have that trademark chest-length beard you see him with today. In fact, Billy Gibbons and Dusty did not even have beards when they first started touring. ZZ Top was a huge success right out of the gates, and they toured the world right up until 1977, when the band needed a break.
The three took an extended hiatus, while the band manager began work on negotiating new deals. Over two years later when they reached a deal with Warner Bros. Records, the band got back together to work. During that long time out of the limelight, two of the band members, Billy and Dusty, grew their now trademark chest-length beards.
Ironically, Frank Beard, has never allowed his facial hair to compete with the rest of the band and has only grown a mustache.
The $1 Million Dollar Offer
There has been some speculation about whether Billy was ever offered money to shave his beard, and he sets the record straight with the world. Dusty and Billy by the 80’s had become iconic in the industry, and their beards were getting as much or more publicity that the band.
When you think of all those infamous ZZ Top music videos, you can not imagine those two strumming their guitars without their manly beard getting in the way. The beards of these two were cemented in the minds of their fans, and the boys were not going to disappoint their fans.
So when Gillette came along in 1984 and offered them $1 million dollars to use their razors to go clean-shaven, Billy says the decision was a no-brainer. These Rock ‘N Roll Hall Of Fame inductees declined the money and have never regretted turning down all that cash.
Billy Gibbons Today
Billy told countless newspapers and magazines recently that even if the offer to shave his beard was adjusted for inflation today, the answer would still be no. Today Billy Gibbons is all about the beard, the music, and those cars.
The cars that you saw featured in all those ZZ Top music videos come from his personal collection. Billy says he feels that fast cars and fast women just go hand-in-hand with the Rock-n-Roll lifestyle. He enjoys finding old classic cars in a state of disrepair and bringing those old contenders back to life.
Photo from: TheThrottle.com
He credits his 46+ years in ZZ Top to the beard. Billy says the beard brings him good luck, and many other benefits you might not think a legend in the rock world would consider.
Billy says the beard affords him the ability to be lazy, and that the world might not be ready to see what is under all that facial hair. To be safe and protect his future, Billy confirms that he does have a very expensive insurance policy on the beard. That is a typical Rock-n-Roll bad boy.
Vinnie is one of the members of the Beardoholic writers team. He’s also a barber and hairstylist for 15 years now and he has a kick-ass beard of his own, so he surely knows what makes a magnificent beard and hair and how to achieve them. He’s our go-to guy for all the latest beard and hairstyle trends and he always has a tip or two on how to grow and style a thick beard fast.
Legend
I am growing a fine blonde full beard. I am 64 years young and when I was about 25 years old and worked as the front end checker in a Mom and Pop grocery store I had an eighteen inch mustache. It was a lot of fun while it lasted. I have a few funny stories. Peace
jtmj
I play in a ZZ Top Tribute Band, and without the beards that dog just don’t hunt. Fake beards are lame and out of the question, so we started growing our beards a year and half ago. It is indeed a painfully slow process to produce a beard worthy of the task at hand. So painful, I even tried a sewn in beard weave at one point! We dyed it and textured it, and it still looked like a pony tail hanging from my chin LOL!
I’m happy to say the foolishness ended then and there, and now we are well on our way to awesome beardness. Another six months and they will be just about chest length.
We were honored to be asked to play at a recent “Pink Beards For Breast Cancer Awareness Benefit”. We love beards AND boobs, so how could we refuse? Little did we know there would be a pink beard contest! Oh yes we did! We spray dyed our beards bright pink, and although the competition was stiff, my bassist took first place and I came in runner up!
Look us up on Facebook… XYZZ and yes, there are pics of the pinkness!
a few years ago, I tried start growing my beard and my wife hated it so I trimmed it once. then when it started to really grow my grandkids loved it and said I had to grow it down to my knees. they love it and don’t ever want me to shave it so my wife has to deal with it. it is now down to the middle of my chest and gray. and of course everybody calls me ZZ Top.