America’s music: The inside story of the Delta Blues
As the USA nears its 250th anniversary, discover how the Mississippi Delta blues shaped modern music.
Being named Jimi Hendrix’s favorite player is the ultimate seal of approval for a guitarist. According to lore, Billy F. Gibbons earned that endorsement in the late 1960s.
As the story goes, Hendrix praised Gibbons as America’s best young guitar player after the two met in 1968, when The Moving Sidewalks – Gibbons’ band at the time – toured with the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Though unconfirmed, the tale has been handed down through generations of guitar slingers who admire the fiery, fuzzy-toned technique that earned Gibbons the No. 102 spot on Rolling Stone’s 2023 list of the 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
After The Moving Sidewalks disbanded in 1969, Gibbons formed the group that would put him, Frank Beard and Dusty Hill on the musical map: ZZ Top, known for hits including “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Cheap Sunglasses,” “Legs,” and “Sharp Dressed Man.”
Columbus fans who saw the Texas trio in August 2024 during a show at KEMBA Live! can see Gibbons when he returns for a solo performance at the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St., at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3.
Gibbons, who has released three albums, will be backed by The BFG’s, two fellow Texans boasting histories with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and other blues masters.
Ticket prices range from $54.24 to $191.70, with an eight-ticket limit per person or household.
For $241, a VIP add-on will grant ticketholders access to a meet-and-greet and photo with Gibbons, an autographed VIP-exclusive merchandise item, and other benefits.
To purchase tickets, go to capa.com, call the CAPA ticket center at 614-469-0939 or visit the CAPA ticket center at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St.
Contact features and entertainment reporter Belinda M. Paschal at [email protected].
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.dispatch.com ’
