Icon of 2021 - Billy Gibbons

In a year when many legendary guitarists made fine music – from Steve Cropper to Carlos Santana – TG salutes Billy Gibbons, who dug deep in ZZ Top’s darkest hour

- By Grant Moon

For over 50 years Billy Gibbons has been retooling the blues and infusing it with timeless gih-tar. His musical ear, soulful style and tasty Tex-Mex tone – his own ‘Texas mud’, as his friends in Depeche Mode aptly put it – are vital ingredients in ZZ Top’s irresistible mix. The sad, untimely passing this year of bassist Dusty Hill – Gibbons’ bandmate of 50 years – may ultimately mean the band itself passes into history, but in 2021 The Reverend’s third solo album proved that, in his 71st year, he remains a powerful creative force.