The 5 Best Frank Beard Drum Solos That Cement His Place In Music History

Frank Beard of ZZ Top is among the great drummers in the history of rock, a status he acquired by showing the world what he could do beyond the kit on a consistent basis throughout the last 50 years or so. On a few standout ZZ Top hits and deep cuts, Beard absolutely took over, demonstrating his casually unparalleled percussion prowess. The tragic history of ZZ Top expanded in August 2026 with the death of Beard at age 77 after a period of illness. Here, we're going to look at five of Beard's best standout and solo performances with ZZ Top over the years.

By and large, ZZ Top's recordings were tight and efficient without a lot of fluff or extras. They weren't the kind of band that allowed or were interested in extended solos, and so the power trio's members would only shine briefly here and there when their bandmates would drop out for only a few seconds or so. Beard was a hard-working drummer who aimed to support and blend in with his bandmates, but he was just too good to ever disappear. He kept the beat in a no-nonsense way because he didn't need to prove how good he was, preferring to let his drumming do the talking and get the job done. Technically proficient and gifted with impeccable timing, he's one of the most influential and best rock drummers ever.

One could assume that ZZ Top is talking about themselves with a song called "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings," because this cut from the blues-rock trio's 1975 album "Fandango!" is just one bit after another that shows off each member's instrumental mastery, including, and especially, drummer Frank Beard. One of the heaviest and loudest ZZ Top songs ever, approaching early heavy metal levels or similar to the blues-based hard rock pioneered by Led Zeppelin, Beard keeps up with the pace and brings the heat. He makes full use of the percussion toys and tools in front of him, demonstrating a fondness for cymbals and cowbell a lot more than he ordinarily would.

Not only is it incumbent on the drumming Beard to keep "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings" from collapsing, but he also finds the time and space to have a little fun. He seemingly improvises a few times, as if taken over by the groove of his own making. He provides many surprising fills and brash extras when least expected.

Sometimes drummers are content to go about their business from the recesses of the stage or studio and provide the beat and let their flashier bandmates on guitar or bass take control and lead the way. On "Precious and Grace," a standout and gloriously grimy electric blues jam from ZZ Top's 1973 album "Tres Hombres," it's drummer Frank Beard who appears to be in charge. Contrary to the steady, perfectly timed shuffle for which he's best known, on this early catalog entry, he's quick and ferocious, drumming with urgency and mischievous spirt to keep things moving along, occasionally throwing in some tricks, like obscure rhythms, percussive sojourns, and crashing cymbals. He sounds like a drummer who wandered in from a progressive rock band or an alt-metal group like Queens of the Stone Age. 

All the while, Beard keeps "Precious and Grace" fast and immaculate but also unsettling in a good way. He really lets it rip near the end of the song, as does the rest of the band, with fills and little choices that raise his drumming above the others' play. He's one step ahead the whole time.

A No. 41-charting single that became a rock radio and concert staple, "La Grange" is a classic that still rips more than 53 years later. Initially issued as a single to promote ZZ Top's 1973 record "Tres Hombres," "La Grange" is a dusty, bluesy, playful, quiet song with only semi-sung lyrics. It sounds old and under-produced, but then Frank Beard comes charging in, bursting through with a whole bunch of loud and insistent drumming that proclaims the electric hard rock section of the song has arrived.

The kind of extracurricular, not completely rhythm-focused drum solos that are a staple of arena rock concerts when the band's lead singer goes around and introduces everybody, aren't really found on ZZ Top records. But Beard gets pretty close on "La Grange," just cutting loose on the drums and finding work for most everything on his set. Even before he's pounding away to keep time for his bandmates' electrified instruments, he provides small, ticky-ticky percussion in the early part of "La Grange," which builds palpable anticipation for what's to come.

ZZ Top broke out of the rock world into the pop mainstream in 1983 with "Eliminator," an album that's sold 10 million units and generated multiple hits, including "Legs," "Gimme All Your Lovin' (inspired by the Rolling Stones' "Emotional Rescue"), and "Sharp Dressed Man. All three of those smashes had a similar sound, and a lot of that was provided by ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard: a snare-heavy, motoring shuffle with occasional blasts of the bass drum and other tools to provide emphasis and a low and sleazy undertone. It's the definitive ZZ Top motif of the '80s, and the version Beard uses for "Sharp Dressed Man" is the funkiest and most confident. It's particularly effective when the drummer punctuates the title lyrics sung in the chorus before returning to the hard-charging riff anew.

On "Sharp Dressed Man," Beard never misses a step. Every action is carefully chosen and lasts precisely as long as it needs to, with the fills and flourishes arriving only when absolutely necessary. In lieu of a bridge, some of the instrumentation drops out, making for a moment where Beard's crisp playing pushes through.

After the unprecedented success of the "Eliminator" album and its many hit singles, ZZ Top returned with 1985's "Afterburner," wherein it wholeheartedly embraced the general sound of 1980s pop rock. "Velcro Fly," a No. 15 hit on Billboard's rock chart in 1986, is overproduced and loaded with heavily synthesized sounds and processed guitar that dilute much of ZZ Top's usual raw rock 'n' roll power. Sounding like a cross between a Phil Collins song and a new wave / power pop banger like the Knack's "My Sharona," "Velcro Fly" is saved by the heroic and mighty wallop of Frank Beard's drumming.

There's not much subtlety in the percussion, and there doesn't need to be. It's all hard-hitting blasts on every big and low drum on Beard's kit. With a riff derivative of the one used on "My Sharona," the rhythmic line to "Velcro Fry" is infectious, noisy, and potentially arena-filling. But because Beard was an idiosyncratic drummer, he adds lots of touches and fills wherever possible to make the song more interesting for himself and listeners. Beard's work is the most authentic part of what's an otherwise forgettable entry in the ZZ Top catalog.