ZZ Top confirmed that drummer Frank Beard has taken a leave of absence from the band’s 2025 tour for health reasons.
“Mr. Frank Beard has temporarily stepped away from the current tour to attend a health issue requiring his focus in the near term,” ZZ Top said in a statement via their Instagram account Sunday, March 17.
The group has not publicly revealed the nature of Beard’s medical problem but confirmed “longtime tech member, percussionist and drummer” John Douglas would fill in “for the interim.”
“[Beard] is looking forward to a speedy recovery,” ZZ Top said.
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This is not the first time Douglas, 63, has replaced Beard, 75, as he previously filled in in 2002 when the drummer underwent an emergency appendectomy in Paris. Douglas temporarily served as touring drummer for Aerosmith in 2019 as well, following original drummer Joey Kramer suffering an injury.
ZZ Top’s 21-date tour kicked off at the Dothan Civic Center in Dothan, Alabama, on March 5, and the group is next scheduled to perform Tuesday, March 18, in Hiawassee, Georgia, at Anderson Music Hall. The legendary blues-rock group will also headline gigs Wednesday, March 18, at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, South Carolina, and Friday, March 21, at the Crown Theatre in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The group originally formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969 and have gone on to sell 50 million records worldwide. ZZ Top were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
In July 2021, Beard and bandmate Billy Gibbons announced via Facebook that original bassist Dusty Hill had died at age 72 following a battle with chronic bursitis.
“We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX,” Gibbons and Beard said. “We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the ‘Top.’ We will forever be connected to that ‘Blues Shuffle in C.’ You will be missed greatly, amigo.”
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Gibbons told SiriusXM Radio in July 2021 that Hill insisted ZZ Top continue in the event of his death, so the group hired Elwood Francis as its new bassist.
ZZ Top returned to performing two days after Hill’s death in July 2021 and were back on the road full-time in 2023 as part of a package lineup with fellow classic rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd for the Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour.
During a 2022 interview with Classic Rock, Gibbons said he was aware Hill was having health problems but noted his bandmate’s death was “totally unexpected.”
“It took a moment for the reality to sink in,” he recalled. “But, you know, he’s no different from the rest of us; unfortunately we’re all going to go some time. We prefer to put it off, if you know what I mean.”
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Asked whether ZZ Top considered retirement after Hill’s death, Gibbons replied: “Well, it was an unexpected reality that landed not only in my lap, but allowed me to hunker down and get serious with Mr. Beard. And the two of us both agreed that as an honor to the legacy of the band, we felt it would be more suitable to try to pick up sticks and carry on, rather than just throw in the towel.”
The musician went on: “Elwood’s background is steeped in the punk-rock world. We were curious if such a background was going to enter the ZZ Top world. But I must say that Elwood’s presence brings a robust energy that is actually a boost to ZZ Top. You might even consider us being somewhat new as a band. Which we are! It’s really entertaining, I’ll say that.”
