ZZ Top "Brown Sugar"

It's interesting to reflect on your own taste in music. Experiences, friends, family, and so many other factors come into play. As I've stated many times before, the foundation of my interest in music came from my parents. They both loved and still love music and always had it playing around me.

I spent a lot of time with my dad; my pops. We would drive to wrestling tournaments and listen to Santana or work on projects jamming to Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynrd. But there was one band that he listened to and knew more about than any other band... and that band was ZZ Top.

For some reason the Houston, Texas monster trio that was ZZ Top never really jived with me. It wasn’t that I disliked them, I just preferred most of the other bands my pops would play. Maybe it was their patented southern rock style or the numerous times I had heard “Cheap Sunglasses”. Whatever it was, my appreciation didn’t come until many years later when my pops and I were either working on one our cars or just shootin’ the shit and playing music.

I remember this long bluesy intro and Billy Gibbon’s deep southern drawl. Pluckin away soulfully on his guitar and singing about that "brown sugar" he just has to have. I was feelin it and then about a minute and 45 seconds in his guitar pinged high and the whole band popped in with the absolute gnarliest guitar riff. I was blown away. I couldn't get enough. And I still can't.

So here's to my pops and his favorite band ZZ Top.