Benztown Produces Frank Beard Audio Tribute

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, August 19, 2026 | 11:08am CT

Benztown Frank Beard Tribute

Benztown has produced a special audio tribute honoring longtime ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard, who died August 17 at the age of 77.

Beard died while in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, TX, with family members at his side. The Texas native had been the drummer for ZZ Top for more than five decades, providing the rhythmic foundation for one of rock's most recognizable bands.

The Benztown tribute celebrates Beard's music, career and influence and is being made available to radio stations for use in programming commemorating his life. The piece is voiced by Darren Silva and was written and produced by Thomas Green.

Born June 11, 1949, in Frankston, TX, Beard joined ZZ Top shortly after the band's formation, along with bassist Dusty Hill. Beard and Hill had previously played together in several groups, including American Blues.

With guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons, the trio developed a distinctive blend of Texas blues, boogie and rock that produced such staples as "La Grange," "Tush," "Cheap Sunglasses" and "Tube Snake Boogie."

ZZ Top reached an even broader audience during the MTV era with the albums "Eliminator" and "Afterburner" and hits including "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," "Legs" and "Rough Boy." The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Beard had recently stepped away from ZZ Top's The Big One Tour because of health issues, with Michael Monahan filling in on drums. He had also temporarily left the road in 2025 because of an undisclosed medical issue.

Following Beard's death, ZZ Top canceled shows scheduled for August 18 and 19. The band plans to resume touring August 22-23 at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, a venue described as one of Beard's favorites. Beard's death follows that of longtime ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill in 2021, leaving Gibbons as the sole surviving member of the trio's classic lineup.