Elwood Francis

[Lizooki]

Longtime guitar tech for ZZ Top is the apparent next bassist for ZZ Top.

Hill, the trio's bassist since 1969, died at age 72 last night, but not before insisting bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard continue without him.

"As Dusty said upon his departure, 'Let the show go on!' And ... with respect, we'll do well to get beyond this and honor his wishes," Gibbons told SiriusXM radio host Eddie Trunk in a message confirmed by ZZ Top publicist Bob Merlis.

The band's longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis, will take over on bass, per Hill's wishes. "Dusty emphatically grabbed my arm and said, 'Give Elwood the bottom end, and take it to the Top,'" Gibbons explained to Trunk. "He meant it, amigo. He really did."

Francis made his stage debut with ZZ Top last Friday, filling in after Hill was forced to leave the band's tour due to what was reported as a hip injury.



Read More: Dusty Hill Insisted ZZ Top Not Break Up Following His Death | Dusty Hill Insisted ZZ Top Not Break Up Following His Death

 

[buldog5151bass]

Who is doing Dusty's vocals - can this guy sing as well?

 

[two fingers]

Seems like a plea from a dying man. You don't know you're going to die from "hip surgery". I wonder what really was the cause of death.

Either way, if Dusty insisted on it, and this guy makes everybody involved happy, I'm all for that part.

But why all the secrecy regarding his death?

 

[buldog5151bass]

Seems like a plea from a dying man. You don't know you're going to die from "hip surgery". I wonder what really was the cause of death.

Either way, if Dusty insisted on it, and this guy makes everybody involved happy, I'm all for that part.

But why all the secrecy regarding his death?

None of our business. Dude is entitled to his privacy.

 

[two fingers]

None of our business. Dude is entitled to his privacy.

Fair enough. Then don't say he was removed from the tour for emergency hip surgery. I'm entitled to have nobody assume I'm an idiot. A man going in for hip surgery doesn't beg his band mates to go on without him. Simply say "We're respecting his privacy" and be done with it.

 

[Texaspandj]

Well Billy has a way of telling stories.
Initially, he was saying Dusty told him continue the tour with elwood til he gets back. But then he's now turned it into something more dramatic. Perhaps it's his way of dealing with his feelings in order to continue without Dusty.
Either way, the show will continue.

Side note: Elwood can play a pretty good guitar and should have no problems covering. And funny how he grew a beard during the pandemic shut down almost foretelling. However, I don't think he's a Texan but Billy and Frank are enough Texan for the three of them.

 

[DirtDog]

Longtime guitar tech for ZZ Top is the apparent next bassist for ZZ Top.

View attachment 4352172

Hill, the trio's bassist since 1969, died at age 72 last night, but not before insisting bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard continue without him.

"As Dusty said upon his departure, 'Let the show go on!' And ... with respect, we'll do well to get beyond this and honor his wishes," Gibbons told SiriusXM radio host Eddie Trunk in a message confirmed by ZZ Top publicist Bob Merlis.

The band's longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis, will take over on bass, per Hill's wishes. "Dusty emphatically grabbed my arm and said, 'Give Elwood the bottom end, and take it to the Top,'" Gibbons explained to Trunk. "He meant it, amigo. He really did."

Francis made his stage debut with ZZ Top last Friday, filling in after Hill was forced to leave the band's tour due to what was reported as a hip injury.



Read More: Dusty Hill Insisted ZZ Top Not Break Up Following His Death | Dusty Hill Insisted ZZ Top Not Break Up Following His Death

Tough shoes to fill, but if that’s what Dusty wanted, well, hell…

I enjoyed Elwood’s rig rundown appearances. Didn’t recognize him with the hair and beard! Appears as though he’s fitting right in!

Dusty will be missed but glad to see the band still doing their thing.

 

[Green Knight]

Neat story: I had, until yesterday, a Kasuga EB-3 "lawsuit bass" that the previous owner had modded with custom Curt Novak pickups. It had been for sale for a few months on several platforms, including TB, for less than what I paid for it, with a couple of reluctant price drops along the way. Imagine my surprise, then, when last week Elwood Francis wrote to me on Reverb to say ZZ Top and Cheap Trick would be in town and he wanted to buy my bass. Now, normally I'd wonder if I'm being had. Having fielded literally hundreds of suspect requests for deferred examinations over my 20+ years as a university instructor, however, I know a disingenuous voice when I read it, and from the first sentence this guy sounded as genuine as can be. Not a trace of egoism or aloofness, just a really cool guy from the start. I brought the bass to his hotel lobby--I knew him instantly despite never having seen him before--and he comped me four tickets to the show. The comp section was in an enviable spot and both bands sounded amazing. Elwood's rig sounded HUGE; he mostly played what looked to be a single single-coil bass a la Sting's Precision but with a really flamboyant design and finish. He didn't do anything fancy but was ROCK STEADY ... though how can you not be with Frank/Billy so deep in groove. Super fun night thanks to a really nice and humble guy with a healthy appreciation of Japanese lawsuit basses and shocks of hair that I'd have envied at age 20, let alone 49. I have no photographic evidence because I didn't want to bother the poor guy and also because I'm not sentimental like that.