If anything, a real marvel the three of them could stay together, even with some serious ups and downs in their personal lives. Had a brother, Rocky, a great glues and rock and roll Texas madman.
I grew up 60 miles away from Houston, and it was always cool that here was that 'Little 'Ol Band from Texas' touring the world on the biggest stages. Billy and Dusty were like a lot of East Texas players in that it's a real melting pot of styles. When I came up gigging, it was nothing (in an age where the different styles and music charts were FAR more segregated than they are today) to have to be able to stand and deliver old fiddle and steel country, Texas Swing, some TexMex, some Cajun or Zydeco, fifties rock and roll, sixties soul, Beatles, Stones, British rock, Texas blues, some Willie, some Johnny Bush . . . . in one set, depending on what crowd you were in front of. And Houston (and DFW) were very forward in fashion, art, and music, despite the reputation in other parts of some big, backward cowtowns.
Dusty knew where he needed to be to be that bedrock under Billy's lines (BFG isn't one of those guys like Stevie Ray or Ed Van H who would fill up any hole constantly), and occasionally would throw a ringer besides his usual economic lines: It still needs to be a good day for me to get through those continuous, steady 8th notes under 'Just Got Paid' (. . . . I hate getting older . . . . ).
The only thing I regret about living to this age, is that you live long enough to see what seems like so many pass away. This . . . . is another one.
This, from the Little Ol' Band documentary, is how I'll always remember him and ZZ: Elemental, blueprinted and balanced, chopped and channeled, a little blues band with an Iskendrian cam and Edelbrock carbs. THIS is how it's SUPPOSED to sound. When they drove off in the high boy at the end of the movie, leaving Gruene, I'll always wonder if they were headed for chicken-fried-steak, or a #4 Combination at El Real with muy cervesas.
