7 Wild Billy Gibbons Stories That Still Blow My Mind (Beyond the $5 Million Pearly Gates)

Here's one about the legendary tale of Billy Gibbons and his Pearly Gates Les Paul. The $250 deal under a Texas rancher's bed, the 1939 Packard car that got the guitar its name, the love note in the case, the $5 million offer Billy turned down. Pure rock and roll lore.

But the Reverend Billy F. Gibbons has been at this for 60 years. The man is a walking rock encyclopedia. So here are 7 more Billy stories that didn't make the episode. Crank it up.

Listen to the episode: YouTube · Buzzsprout · Apple Podcasts · Spotify

1. Jimi Hendrix gave Billy a pink Stratocaster as a personal gift

Billy's pre-ZZ Top band was The Moving Sidewalks, a Houston psychedelic group. They opened for Jimi Hendrix on his 1968 US tour. Hendrix was so impressed with Billy's playing that he publicly named The Moving Sidewalks his favorite opening act on the Dick Cavett show.

And then he gave Billy a pink Stratocaster. As a gift. Just handed it over. Billy was 18 years old. Imagine being a teenager in Houston and Jimi Hendrix hands you a guitar. That kind of moment shapes a life. Billy still has the guitar today. He's never sold it. Pearly Gates may be the famous one, but the Hendrix Strat is arguably more sacred.

2. Frank Beard is the only ZZ Top member without a beard

Stop and think about this. The drummer in ZZ Top is named Frank Beard. The other two guys, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, both have legendary beards down to their belts. The drummer named Beard is clean shaven. Has been for 50 years.

It is the most perfect cosmic joke in rock and roll. The universe set this one up. Frank has even commented in interviews that he gets asked about it constantly. "I'm the only one who actually has the last name Beard, and I'm the only one without a beard." Just incredible irony.

3. Gillette offered Billy and Dusty a million each to shave on TV. They both refused.

In the late 80s when ZZ Top was at peak Eliminator-era fame, Gillette offered Billy and Dusty $1 million each to shave their beards on a Gillette commercial. Two million dollars total. Both said no.

Billy reportedly said something like "the beard is part of who we are now, and you can't put a price on identity." Imagine being offered a million dollars to shave and turning it down. That is rock and roll discipline. The beards lived. Billy and Dusty's faces remained intact for the next 30 years until Dusty's passing in 2021.

4. The Eliminator car on the album cover is a real $2 million 1933 Ford that Billy still owns

The candy-apple red 1933 Ford Coupe on the cover of Eliminator (1983) is not a prop or a rendering. It is a real car that Billy owns and drives. The car was custom-built by Billy and his team in the early 80s and is now valued at around $2 million.

Billy is one of the most serious hot rod collectors in rock. His other famous car is the CadZZilla, a custom 1948 Cadillac that has been featured in countless car magazines. ZZ Top videos in the 80s used these cars almost as additional band members. The Eliminator car still gets driven. Billy doesn't believe in keeping cars in garages. They run.

5. "La Grange" is about a real brothel that closed partly because of the song

The ZZ Top hit "La Grange" (1973) is about the Chicken Ranch, an actual long-running brothel in La Grange, Texas. The Ranch had operated since the late 1800s and was protected by local Texas authorities for decades.

After "La Grange" became a hit, the brothel got nationwide attention. A Houston TV reporter, Marvin Zindler, ran an expose campaign. Public pressure built. The Texas Department of Public Safety shut the Chicken Ranch down in 1973. The song became part of the closure story. ZZ Top accidentally killed a 100-year-old institution by writing one of their best songs about it. The Chicken Ranch even inspired the movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Pure Texas history, soundtracked by Billy.

6. Billy is a self-ordained "Reverend" who actually performs weddings

Billy goes by "Reverend Billy F. Gibbons" because he is, technically, a real ordained minister. He got himself ordained through the Universal Life Church and has officiated weddings, including some celebrity ones. The "F" in his name? Frederick. Billy's full name is William Frederick Gibbons.

So if you ever want to get married by a ZZ Top member with the world's most perfectly groomed beard, technically the path exists. Reverend Billy is open for business when the calendar permits.

7. Billy plays a recurring character on the TV show Bones

This one nobody expects. From 2007 to 2017, Billy Gibbons played Angela Montenegro's father on the Fox TV show Bones. He never has a name. He's just credited as "Angela's Dad." But he appeared in over a dozen episodes across the show's run.

The role started as a one-off cameo and the writers loved Billy so much they kept bringing him back. Apparently, Billy and series star Emily Deschanel hit it off and the chemistry was strong. The character is exactly what you'd hope for. A larger-than-life Texan with a guitar always within reach. Billy basically played himself in a slightly quieter mood. Acting career? Surprisingly real.

Wear it loud

If you've made it through 7 Billy Gibbons deep cuts, you're a real one. Two picks for the certified rock heads:

Volume Knob Rock Baseball Cap →
For when "La Grange" comes on the kitchen radio.

Rock Hand Sign Graphic Tee →
Pair it with a beard. Even a fake one. Reverend Billy would approve.

Anyway

Those are 7 stories I wish I'd squeezed into the Pearly Gates episode. Billy Gibbons is more than the guitar. He's a hot rod collector, a TV actor, a wedding officiant, a Hendrix-anointed teenager who never stopped being curious. The man is a Texas institution.

If you haven't listened to the Pearly Gates episode yet, the YouTube embed is right at the top of this post.

Got a band you want me to dig into next? Hit me on YouTube, Facebook, or just drop me a message at its1louder.com. Always reading.

Crank it up 1 louder. Reverend Billy approves.

PJ Pat