Frank Beard obituary

Drummer with ZZ Top for more than five decades whose mastery of the ‘Texas shuffle’ was central to their sound

Renowned for being the only member of the Texan trio ZZ Top not to wear an outlandishly luxuriant beard, in spite of his surname, Frank Beard, who has died aged 77, spent more than 55 years as the band’s drummer, appearing on all their albums from ZZ Top’s First Album in 1971 to La Futura in 2012. He was also an indispensable fixture in their live performances, apart from brief interludes caused by illness in 2002 and 2005. Earlier this month, he was forced to miss further shows on ZZ Top’s The Big One! Tour, including a date at the Hollywood Bowl.

ZZ Top carved a singular niche for themselves with their unique blend of stripped-down blues and gutsy rock’n’roll, played with economy and focus. Beard was a master of the “Texas shuffle” beat, of which the critic David Sinclair noted that “it required looseness and absolute precision at the same time. ZZ Top’s grooves swing hard, but they never drift.”