Synopses & Reviews
Imagine stepping out of an air-conditioned Kwik-E-Mart and into the hot summer sun, cold soda in hand, when a long-and-low baby blue 62 Chevy Impala slowly trolls into the parking lot. How about rolling to a stoplight in West Hollywood and spying a bearded motorist with an 8-ball logo on the louvered and striped hood of his BMW? Theres no mistaking the common thread in these remarkable scenariosBilly F Gibbons, be-shaded axe-man extraordinaire from ZZ TOP and certified Texas Grade-A gearhead. As with many rockers, Gibbons jones for hot rods and customs is the stuff of legend. But beyond this bona fide bluesmans mastery of the six-string and unrepentant love for internal combustion is a noted collector whose own designs have manifested themselves in his cars and in hundreds of mind-bending custom guitars. In Billy F Gibbons: Rock + Roll Gearhead, Gibbons riffs on his Texas youth, four-decade recording career, and life on the road, but also reveals the tales behind dozens of guitars, including the Famed Pearly Gates, the red Gretsch given to him by Bo Diddley, and the Muddywood guitar commissioned as a fundraiser for the Delta Blues Museum. Also profiled are 10 of Gibbons outstanding rods and customs, including Kopperhed, CadZZilla, and the Eliminator coupe. In addition to exclusive photography by Bay Area shooter David Perry, the book is illustrated with dozens of images from Gibbons personal archive.
Review
New York Times (Automotive section), June 4, 2006
“This personal album of notes and images transcend the private, because Mr. Gibbons’ private obsessions are so widely shared. His patronage of custom car builders like Boyd Coddington and Pete Chapouris is a public service.
"The cars and music are part of the same enterprise: creating a shared landscape of mind, a fantasy land where Mr. Gibbons’ music provides a soundtrack for imagined journeys in fantasy cars. Many will be happy to ride along.”
Review
Road and Track, May 2007
“The book [Billy F. Gibbons] is a fascinating look at the history of a great band and Gibbons’ life-long twin passions. His design flair and ample funds have produced a long series of hot rods."
Review
New York Times, Nov. 10, 2005“In addition to the hundreds of guitars he has acquired, Mr. Gibbons has a celebrated stable of hot rods and custom cars … Both collections are chronicled in the just-published Rock & Roll Gearhead. It’s a combination memoir, band scrapbook and catalog of his favorite autos (including the ‘CadZZilla’ and the ‘Slampala’) and six-strings (like the cowhide-covered Fender and the Gibson in the shape of Texas) … ‘Rock ’n’ roll and automobiles have always had this synergistic connection,’ Mr. Gibbons said. He will be signing copies of the book on Monday from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble store at 555 Fifth Ave.”
Synopsis
The lead guitarist for ZZ Top riffs on his life as a noted collector whose own designs have manifested themselves in his cars and in hundreds of mind-bending custom guitars.
Synopsis
Now available in paperback, Billy F Gibbons throws wide his garage and studio doors for an exclusive look at his exquisite vintage and way-out custom guitars and his influential hot rods and custom cars. From the mythical ’59 Les Paul sunburst known as Pearly Gates and the “Furry One” of MTV renown to cars like the Eliminator, CadZZilla, and Kopperhed, they’re all here—more than four dozen guitars and ten astounding vehicles, all expounded upon by BFG himself and shown in specially commissioned color photography. And while BFG’s cars n’ guitars are the stuff of legend, no less intriguing are the tales behind his incredible music career. From teenage Houston garage rock to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the whole story is between these covers, told in the Good Reverend Willie G’s own words and illustrated with photos and memorabilia from his personal archive.
Synopsis
Billy F Gibbons is a musician, actor, and hot rod and car customizer perhaps best known as the lead guitarist for ZZ Top. Tom Vickers is a longtime music industry pro, having worked as a journalist, manager, A&R man, publicist, and producer. A renowned photographer residing in the Bay Area, David Perry defined the modern hot rod pin-up in the early 1990s. His other books include Hot Rod Pin-Ups and Hot Rod Kings.
Synopsis
Now available in a compact, econo paperback! Rock legend Billy F Gibbons throws wide his studio and garage doors for a tasty sampling of his exquisite vintage and way-out custom guitars, as well as his most influential hot rods. On each lavishly layered page, the Good Reverend Willie G is revealed to be not just a bluesman extraordinaire but a top-notch design mind and a certifiable hepcat gearhead. Backing up these credentials is some of the baddest gear on Planet Earth. From the mythical '59 Les Paul 'Burst known as Pearly Gates and the Furry One, of MTV renown to such lowdown pavement shakers as the Eliminator Coupe, CadZZilla, andKopperhed, more than four dozen guitars and ten cars are expounded upon by da man hisself and depicted in specially commissioned color photography from Bay Area ace lensman David Perry. And while BFG's cars 'n' guitars are the stuff of legend, no less intriguing are the tales behind his incredible music career--from teenage Houston garage rock, to Texas psychedelia, to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the whole back story is laid down between these covers, told in BFG's own words and illustrated with images from his personal archive.
Synopsis
Praise for
Billy F Gibbons: Rock + Roll Gearhead:"Any fan of cars or guitars will welcome this hefty document as an irresistible document of politically correct pornography, staring with envy at Gibbons' gorgeous axes and hipster wheels for hours on end."
--Jim DeRogatis, Chicago Sun-Times"A fascinating look at the history of a great band and Gibbons' life-long twin passions."
--Peter Egan, Road & Track"The cars and the music are part of the same enterprise: creating a shared landscape of the mind, a fantasy land where Mr. Gibbons' music provides a soundtrack for imagined journeys. . . . Many will be happy to ride along."
--New York Times"A love letter to rodded '34 coupes, chopped Cadillacs . . . and assorted customized Gibsons, Fenders, and Magnatones, punctuated with some fine pictures of girls who seem to have had most of their clothes stolen."
--Daily Telegraph"Part tome, part bio, and all definitively Billy."
--Vintage Guitar"Reveals the tales behind dozens of his favorite guitars, and offers the lowdown on 10 of his hottest hot rods. . . . Of course, the book also offers plenty of Gibbons' Texas-fueled pearls of wisdom."
--Guitar World
About the Author
Hollywood, CA - Los Angeles, CA - Benicia, CA