Elwood Francis (born August 23, 1962) is an American guitar tech and bass player. He was the guitar tech for Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, and now plays bass for the group at the request of Hill before his death in 2021.
Elwood Francis | |
|---|---|
_(cropped)_(Elwood_Francis).jpg) Francis, 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | August 23, 1962 Lexington, Kentucky |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Guitar tech, bass player |
| Instrument(s) | Bass, vocals |
| Member of | ZZ Top |
Early career
editFrom Lexington, Kentucky,[1] he started playing guitars at age 13/14 after listening to Telstar by The Tornados.[2] His grandfather got him his first guitar.[2] He started working in guitar tech through Joe Perry.[2] His influences are Frank Zappa, Geordie Walker, Steve Jones, Bob Stinson, and Kenny Hillman.[2]
Francis performs in his own group, The Mighty Skullhead, a band he formed in the 1980s.[2]
Work with ZZ Top
editFrancis worked as guitar tech for ZZ Top before, at Dusty Hill's request, being hired to be their bass player in 2021, following Hill's death.
He is largely responsible for Dusty Hill quitting marijuana. At a hotel in Amsterdam, Dusty was smoking the drug, when Francis noticed a metal bar underneath one of the hotel windows. Francis jumped out of the window while holding onto the bar, something Hill could not see from his perspective, making it look like Elwood committed suicide. Hill apparently never smoked marijuana again after the incident.[3]
In July 2021, Dusty Hill had to drop out of a concert following a hip injury, and Francis was asked to fill in. A few days later, Hill died aged 72.
Francis was chosen by Hill to replace him on bass in the band, insisting that ZZ Top not break up following his death.[4] Elwood played his first show as an official member of ZZ Top on July 30, 2021 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[5] In 2024, Francis spoke out and said that it still feels "weird" taking Dusty's place in the band, and doesn't consider himself a member of the band.[5][6]
In 2022, Francis went viral for performing on stage with a seventeen stringed bass guitar, an instrument he found "late at night while internet surfing on one of those Chinese websites".[7] He sent it to Billy Gibbons and they soon ordered the bass from China. Francis has admitted that he hates playing the instrument as it's hard to play and he struggles finding the frets on the bass' neck.[7]
References
edit- ^ Sinclairpublished, David (2022-09-13). "Interview: Billy Gibbons on Elwood Francis and the bright future of ZZ Top". louder. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ a b c d e "Elwood Francis Guitar Worlds Premiere Guitar Tech". PureSalem Guitars. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ Wilkening, Matthew WilkeningMatthew (2021-07-29). "Dusty Hill Insisted ZZ Top Not Break Up Following His Death". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ a b Blabbermouth (2024-07-11). "ZZ TOP's New Bassist ELWOOD FRANCIS: 'I'll Never Be In The Band'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ "ZZ Top's Elwood Francis: 'Dusty is their bass player, I'll never be in the band'". 2024-11-22.
- ^ a b Michael Astley-BrownContributions from Andrew Daly (2024-07-18). ""I said to Billy, 'We should order one of these, and I'll play it. It'll be hilarious.' Then it went viral. I hate playing that bass. Now I've got to play it every night": Elwood Francis on why he regrets his 17-string bass becoming a ZZ Top staple". guitarworld. Retrieved 2024-11-22.