ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard steps away from the band to deal with a 'health procedure'

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard is stepping distant from the band’s Elevation circuit to acquisition a process related to his health.

Beard “has temporarily stepped distant from the existent circuit to be to a wellness contented requiring his attraction successful the adjacent term,” the band’s absorption institution posted Saturday connected X (formerly Twitter).

“Beard, on with chap ZZ Top members Billy F. Gibbons and Elwood Francis, presently connected the Elevation circuit since March 5, person engaged chap Texan and longtime tech member, percussionist and drummer, John Douglas, for the interim.”

Douglas antecedently filled successful for Beard successful 2002 erstwhile the second had an exigency appendectomy successful Paris.

The band’s anchor, bass subordinate Dusty Hill, died successful 2021 successful his sleep. He was 72, and his decease marked the extremity of the band’s 51-year tally with its archetypal members: Hill, Gibbons and Beard.

Francis, who had been moving arsenic a guitar technician with the band, started covering Hill’s gigs soon earlier his decease and has coiled up staying successful the role.

“When I archetypal started doing it, Dusty was conscionable sick and going location for a fewer weeks. It was wholly different; I was conscionable helping out,” helium told Guitar World past summer. He said astatine archetypal helium didn’t person to interest astir the “weight of the crown” due to the fact that helium was conscionable helping out. But stepping into the relation wasn’t easy.

“It’s conscionable weird,” Francis said. “Dusty is their bass player. I’m not the bass player. I’m not successful the band. I’ll ne'er beryllium successful the band. I shouldn’t beryllium successful the band. It’s Dusty’s thing.”