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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThroughout his career with ZZ Top, Beard played on all 15 of the band\u2019s studio albums. His steady drumming helped shape many of the group\u2019s best-known recordings, including \u201cLa Grange,\u201d \u201cTush,\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGimme All Your Lovin\u2019,\u201d \u201cSharp Dressed Man,\u201d and \u201cLegs.\u201d His playing was often understated but essential, providing the rhythmic foundation that allowed Gibbons\u2019 guitar work and Hill\u2019s bass lines to stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ZZ Top reached an especially broad international audience during the 1980s. The success of the album Eliminator introduced the band to a new generation of listeners through songs and music videos that <\/p>\n\n\n\n
became closely associated with the era. The group\u2019s distinctive appearance, sound, and Texas identity also became part of its enduring cultural presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2004, ZZ Top received one of rock music\u2019s highest honors when the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Beard continued performing with the band for many years afterward, maintaining a career that spanned several generations of music fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following Dusty Hill\u2019s death in 2021, Beard and Gibbons continued ZZ Top with Elwood Francis, who had worked with the band for years as a guitar technician and took over bass duties. The group remained committed to performing and preserving the musical legacy it had built together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gibbons remembered Beard as both a close friend and an important creative partner. He highlighted Beard\u2019s distinctive drumming and the role his rhythm played in defining ZZ Top\u2019s sound. Gibbons also indicated that the band would continue moving forward, reflecting Beard\u2019s own long-standing commitment to the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beard once spoke about his remarkable career in the documentary ZZ Top: That Little Ol\u2019 Band from Texas. Looking back on his time with the group, he described finding the musicians he was meant to play with and expressed how much the band meant to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His passing marks the loss of a musician whose work became an enduring part of American rock history. For generations of listeners, Frank Beard\u2019s drumming will remain an essential part of the ZZ Top sound and the songs that helped define the band\u2019s remarkable career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beard is survived by his wife, Debbie Meredith, and their three children. His contribution to ZZ Top\u2019s music will continue to be remembered through the band\u2019s extensive catalog and the many recordings that introduced his playing to audiences around the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Frank Beard, the longtime drummer of ZZ Top and an important part of the band\u2019s unmistakable sound, has died at the age of 77. Beard passed away at his Texas ranch while receiving hospice care, with members of his family by his side. His exact cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. Beard had…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/flarumtr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-19-122310.png\")
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