ZZ Top have released the first song, “Brown Sugar,” from their upcoming live album, Raw.
Not to be confused with the Rolling Stones song of the same name, ZZ Top’s “Brown Sugar” first appeared on the band’s 1971 debut, ZZ Top’s First Album, which was released several months before the Stones’ “Brown Sugar.”
ZZ Top’s new version of the song is accompanied by a music video, which you can watch below.
Raw, which is set for release on July 22, was recorded and filmed for ZZ Top’s 2019 Netflix documentary, That Little Ol’ Band From Texas, in Gruene Hall, an intimate venue famous for its title as Texas’ oldest continually operating dance hall. Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and the late Dusty Hill recorded “Brown Sugar” and 11 other songs at the venue. Other notable tracks that will appear on Raw include ”La Grange,” “Tush” and “Gimme All Your Lovin’.”
“‘Brown Sugar’ has been sweetening our concert sets for many decades now, so it seemed like the right song to kick off Raw,” Gibbons said in a statement. “The Gruene Hall session was a satisfying return to our roots and a very special circumstance that we’re delighted to share with the friends and fans who have stuck with us all this time.”
ZZ Top will launch their Raw Whisky North American tour on May 6 at Niagara Falls, and the trek will stretch through the summer until the end of August. Gibbons and Beard will be joined by Elwood Francis, their longtime guitar tech, who stepped in on bass after Hill’s death. A full list of show dates can be viewed on the band’s website.
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