SpeedTV.com Book Review: BILLY F. GIBBONS: Rock + Roll Gearhead
Written by: Gregg Leary Charlotte, NC – 1/30/2006

BILLY F. GIBBONS, Rock + Roll Gearhead is available HERE from the SpeedTV.com Bookstore.

“BILLY F. GIBBONS, Rock + Roll Gearhead”
Author: Billy F. Gibbons with Tom Vickers
Photography: David Perry
Review by: Gregg Leary

It’s all here …from AA to ZZ. The book, “BILLY F. GIBBONS: Rock + Roll Gearhead” is divided into three tracks—”The Life”—”The Cars”—“The Guitars.” It is presented as a deluxe “boxed set” featuring a nifty bonus, a “Hot Cars + Cool Guitars” bigger-than-an-album-jacket poster from SPEED Books, reflecting to days before album art was miniaturized and diluted in impact to fit an eight track, cassette and CD.

As I flipped through the 190-plus-page work, I was immediately struck by the outstanding quality of the presentation. The photographs by David Perry are stunning. They literally snap off the page with the impact of mini-MTV videos. Perry’s portraits of Gibbons, his cars or guitars are equally impactful, showing Perry’s photographic prowess. His eye for composition is as adept as Gibbons’ ear.

Billy’s autobiographical sketches of his early years are a sensory delight. He tells of wandering around Houston, Texas …”a night stroll ‘round the nightclubs after we were supposedly tucked in for the night. Seein’ what we saw, hearing what we heard…passion to the marrow. Seeing live performers in person, then reliving ‘em and replaying ‘em thru the mystery of that spinning vinyl disc.”

Billy tells of joining his first band, “The Saints” when he was 14. (“Doin’ the do …and doin’ the don’t too!”) “Billy G. and the Ten Blue Flames” followed. Billy’s “The Moving Sidewalks” opened for the Jimi Hendrix Experience in Dallas.

Gibbons’ apartment was Spartan to say the least. “I noticed how these posters had been tacked up in no particular order—B.B. King … ZZ Hill … I liked the ZZ part …I liked the King part …but together, no …too much like ‘B.B. King.’ But KING is like …the TOP, so we changed the name of the band …ZZ Top!”

Parts One and Three of the book (“The Life” and “The Guitars”) unite on page 13. “Christmas Day in ’63, that first guitar showed … ELECTRIC GUITAR at that! Within about half an hour, I had ‘What’d I Say,’ Ray Charles’ famous one, and a couple of Jimmy Reed’s tunes down good. As soon as I picked up that primitive Gibson Melody Maker, single cutaway, single pickup, sunburst finish, and a Fender amp, you just couldn’t stop me. Still got one, still remember my first few licks on it, still remember puttin’ the amp in the window, aimed down the street.”

Billy’s reverence for his first guitar is a passion that is documented in text and photographs of many of the famous pieces in his collection. The nicknames of the guitars could as easily be the names of ZZ Top singles or cars from Billy’s collection .”Pearly Gates,” “Lil Red,” “Pawn Shop Special,” “Lone Star Slim Special,” “The Dizzy One,” “21 Balls,” “Cowhide Special,” ”Taboo Tiki,” and “Muddywood.” (Made from a timber from Muddy Waters’ cabin in Mississippi.)

Chapter Two—”The Cars,” are interwoven through the other two chapters. Billy tells of a memorable pyrotechnic show ON THE WAY to a gig …”shooting bottle rockets outta the band car, an errant firecracker flew out the window, then back IN the window, and right back into the entire pack. Imagine 144 Black Cat Specials poppin’ off at 90 MPH. We escaped but the car burned to the ground.” They hitchhiked to the gig and made the show. That vehicle is NOT in Billy’s collection.

However, The Eliminator Coupe, Leapin’ Limo, CadZZilla, HogZZilla, Mambo Coupe, Kopperhed, Slampala and others ARE. They represent some of the finest work by Boyd Coddington, California Street Rods, SO-CAL Speed Shop and others.

The Eliminator Coupe became perhaps the most famous hot rod on the planet when it graced the cover of ZZ Top’s “Eliminator” album and appeared on MTV videos of “Gimme All Your Lovin,’” “Sharp Dressed Man,” and “Legs.” It even “starred” in its own Monogram plastic model kit. “Billy F. Gibbons:Rock + Roll Gearhead” tells the tale not of “Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll,” but perhaps the more politically correct and I think, more interesting, “Cars, Guitars and Rock and Roll.” I give it 4 lug nuts out of five. It’s a great ride.

Click HERE to purchase BILLY F. GIBBONS: Rock + Roll Gearhead from the SpeedTV.com Bookstore, or HERE to browse all titles.

Gregg Leary, a researcher/writer for “Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain” and
Book critic for SPEEDTV.com, was the track announcer for Hooter’s IHRA Drag Racing at National Events in the USA and Canada and entertained event crowds during “down time” by conducting “crowd participation” and product giveaways with the Hooter’s Girls.

He also was Marketing/PR Director and track announcer at Lake Erie Speedway.

As photo editor, feature writer, columnist and swimsuit calendar chief photographer for “Sports Jam Magazine,” Leary covered Auto Racing, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. He has photographed dozens of celebrities from A-Z, including Mario Andretti, Jim Brown, AJ Foyt, Ken Griffey Jr., Michael Jordan, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Mark McGwire, Paul Newman, Walter Payton, Alex Zanardi and Presidents Gerald Ford, George Bush and Bill Clinton.

Gregg’s wife, Lynn, and daughter, Caitlynn, live in Jefferson, Ohio. His son, Sean is a student at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Leary has conducted motivational seminars and performed stand-up comedy around the country. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio and Exeter University in England. Gregg has hitchhiked 40,000 miles through 36 states and 10 European countries and is a licensed pilot and skydiver. Leary is available for motor sports consulting on a limited basis.

Contact him via email at gleary@speedtv.com .