Billy Gibbons grew up listening to music thanks to his family’s guidance, who primarily taught him about rock legends. He saw Elvis Presley’s live performance and attended BB King’s recording sessions as a child. After receiving his first guitar, he gradually created his style inspired by the names like Jimmy Reed. In his earlier career, Gibbons established the psychedelic band Moving Sidewalks before founding ZZ Top.
ZZ Top acquired a prominent place in the rock scene, with its distinctive sound assembled primarily with Gibbons’ blues guitar style and Dusty Hill and Frank Beard’s rhythm section. They became popular with their humorous lyrics, shows, and Gibbons and Hill’s matching style, with their long beards, sunglasses, and hats. Gibbons has been an admired musician, but he also has names he loves in the music scene. One of them was Scandal’s Patty Smyth, who he respected in hiding.
Billy Gibbons Secretly Appreciated Patty Smyth
Patty Smyth initially gained recognition as the vocalist of the rock band Scandal with her unique voice. She reached a broad audience with her new wave image, especially when her music videos aired on music channels. She contributed to the band’s self-titled debut EP, which came out in 1982.
With the help of the lead single ‘Goodbye to You,’ the record became the biggest-selling EP. Later, the band released the debut studio album ‘Warrior’ which reached number 17 on the US Billboard 200. The lead single ‘The Warrior’ strengthened the album’s success, becoming number 7 in the US and 1 in Canada.
ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons previously revealed in an interview with the Guardian that he secretly enjoyed Scandal’s ‘The Warrior’ although it did not receive positive reviews from music critics. According to him, Patty Smyth’s singing style was so impressive that it could make someone like the song. The guitarist also noted that Kim Wilde’s ‘Kids in America’ had the same effect on the audience.
Billy Gibbons said the following when asked the song he secretly liked:
“‘The Warrior’ by Scandal wasn’t a critics’ favorite, but singer Patty Smyth really delivers, so it kind of grabs you. ‘Kids in America’ by Kim Wilde is equally undeniable: you have no choice but to surrender.”
The Scandal was disbanded due to internal conflicts between the members. While Patty Smyth focused on her solo career, she was invited by Eddie Van Halen to join his band, filling the space of lead vocal after David Lee Roth after his resignation. However, she declined the offer as she was eight months pregnant and pursued to create solo works later.
You can listen to ‘The Warrior’ below.
