Timeline Frank Beard

American drummer and co-founding member of ZZ Top, the Texas blues-rock band that became one of the best-selling groups in rock history. Ironically the only member of the famously bearded band without a long beard, Beard anchored ZZ Top's sound for 57 years with a precise, tireless backbeat that drove hits from La Grange to Sharp Dressed Man. The band's 1983 album Eliminator sold over 10 million copies and was certified Diamond. ZZ Top were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

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Frank Beard 14

1949 Frank Beard born in Frankston, Texas Born Frank Lee Beard in the small town of Frankston, Texas. Raised in Irving, near Dallas, where he took up the drums in high school.
1966 – 1968 Dallas Music Scene Became a fixture of the Dallas music scene, playing in several bands including the Warlocks and American Blues, where he met bassist Dusty Hill. The two also briefly toured as a fake version of the British band The Zombies.
1969 ZZ Top Formed Joined guitarist Billy Gibbons in Houston to form ZZ Top in 1969, with Dusty Hill completing the trio. The first time he and Gibbons played together, Beard recalled: 'I was jacked up on speed, so I made him jam for about eight hours.' Gibbons said he knew within 30 seconds that Beard was the drummer he needed.
1971 ZZ Top's First Tres Hombres Released the band's debut album ZZ Top's First Album, beginning a run of Texas blues-rock records that would establish them as one of the great American bands.
1973 Tres Hombres and La Grange Released Tres Hombres, featuring the song La Grange, inspired by a notorious brothel outside La Grange, Texas. The album went gold and established ZZ Top's national reputation.
1975 – 1976 Fandango! and Worldwide Texas Tour Released Fandango! featuring the hit Tush. The band's Worldwide Texas Tour featured a stage set with live longhorn cattle, rattlesnakes and a buffalo.
1979 Rehab and Hiatus Entered rehabilitation for substance abuse, leading to a three-year hiatus for the band. 'In the late '70s, I entered rehab,' Beard later told CBS. The break allowed him to get clean and would ultimately extend his career by decades.
1983 Eliminator Released Eliminator, which fused blues-rock with synthesisers and drum machines. The album produced the hits Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man and Legs, selling over 10 million copies in the US alone and earning Diamond certification.
1985 Afterburner Released Afterburner, continuing the synth-rock sound of Eliminator with hits including Sleeping Bag and Stages. The album sold over five million copies.
1990 The Beard Without a Beard While Gibbons and Hill became famous for their chest-length beards, Beard remained clean-shaven for decades — the man named Beard was the only one without one. He said he could still go to the supermarket without being recognised.
2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Gibbons and Hill, recognising ZZ Top's enduring contribution to American rock music.
2013 Finally Grew a Beard After decades of ironic beardlessness, finally grew a short ZZ goatee around 2013, ending one of rock's longest-running visual jokes.
2021 Death of Dusty Hill Dusty Hill died in his sleep at the age of 72. At Hill's request, his longtime bass tech Elwood Francis replaced him, and ZZ Top continued touring.
2026 Frank Beard dies in Richmond, Texas Died while in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, at the age of 77, surrounded by family. Billy Gibbons, now the sole surviving original member, said: 'His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top.'