ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas (2019)

The story of how three oddball teenage bluesmen became one of the biggest, most beloved bands on the planet.

Director:

Sam Dunn

Writers:

Ralph Chapman, Sam Dunn

Stars:

Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard

Cast

Cast overview:
Billy Gibbons	...	Self (as Billy F. Gibbons)
Dusty Hill	...	Self
Frank Beard	...	Self
ZZ Top	...	Themselves
Robin Hood Brians	...	Self - owner of Robin Hood Studios (as Robin Brians)
Josh Homme	...	Self (as Joshua Homme)
Terry Manning	...	Self
'Country' Winston Marshall	...	Self (as Winston Marshall)
Steve Miller	...	Self
Howard Bloom	...	Self - publicist for ZZ Top from 1976 to 1979
Ralph Fisher	...	Self - animal trainer and former rodeo-clown
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Self
Tim Newman	...	Self
Dan Auerbach	...	Self

Storyline

Produced by the Emmy award-winning Banger Films, ZZ TOP: THAT LITTLE OL' BAND FROM TEXAS tells the story of how Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard became one of the biggest, most beloved bands on the planet, all while maintaining a surrealist mystique that continues to intrigue fans and entice onlookers 50 years after the band's inception. Buoyed by candid band interviews, never-before-seen archive, animation, celebrity fan testimonials (Billy Bob Thornton, Joshua Homme and more), and an intimate performance at the legendary Gruene Hall shot exclusively for this documentary, "That Little Ol' Band" runs the gamut, from the absurd to the poignant, from squalid Texas bars to MTV heroics, all in celebration of this notoriously private, but larger than life, power trio. In the end, ZZ TOP: THAT LITTLE OL' BAND FROM TEXAS unravels the extraordinary tale of a band whose image we know, but whose story we don't.

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Plot Keywords:

blues | rock music | musician | texas | rock n roll | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Music

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Very early in their career, ZZ Top had a gig in Alvin, Texas, where they went on stage behind a curtain, and when it went up there was only one person in the house. He looked confused or nervous, and started to get up to leave, but they begged him to stay, played an hour set, then bought him a Coke for sticking around - and then played an encore! Hill says that man still comes to their shows, but won't ever tell them his name. He just says, "remember me, I was at that show!" and they say of course they remember him.

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Quotes

Tim Newman: [on the comic, magic persona he devised for the band in their early MTV videos] Their mission was to help young people who were having a real crappy life.

User Reviews

No Nonsense Like The Band...A Well Editied History of ZZ Top

I discovered ZZ Top when I was a seventh grader in Jr.High with Rio Grande Mud. I've remained a fan for all of these years. I can listen to all of the catalog and still connect. The band now 50-years on is the same and the core of the music is still the same. If there ever was a musical equivalent of "the right stuff" I think this band hit on it and found a path to keep making it interesting. Here's a fairly highlighted tour of their history. It's interesting enough you don't have to be a fan and if you are then all the better. What they do probably wasn't supposed to be as commercially successful as it was and therein lies the intersection of their cultivated mystery and creativity in a genre not celebrated for such. Selling albums in the realm of the rock monsters of all-time is proof that this is tasty music that won't simply fade to black in spite of the decimation of the traditional music business. Yeah, ZZ Top rocks and does so with conviction and joy. See the film and keep rockin', that's the celebration explored quite enjoyably here.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 September 2019 (Australia)

Also Known As:

ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas

Filming Locations:

Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$14,879

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,879

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eagle Rock Entertainment, Banger Films, Tower Top Tours

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1