ZZ Top have said that they turned down offers worth millions from Gillette to shave off their beards.
This comes amid ongoing rumours that ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons and co turned down a huge sum of money to shave off their distinctive long beards, something which the band have become famed for.
The iconic look can be traced back to their early days, when ZZ Top started at the end of the 1960s, and embarking on an extensive tour across the mid 1970s.
Now, speaking to the Mohr Stories podcast, Billy Gibbons has said that each bandmember was offered $1 million from razor company, Gillette back in the 1980s, in exchange for shaving off their beards on television.
“They deny it", Gibbons said. “[But] it was a million dollars per man”.
The frontman later revealed that he called his publicist, Bob Merlis after hearing about the offer, who responded in a witty fashion: “‘The money’s good, you might as well consider doing it… but I’m not so sure any of you guys know what’s under there".
Last year, Billy Gibbons explained why they decided to grow out their beards in one quick phrase: “one word: lazy”.
“We started ZZ Top in 1969. We carried on non-stop until the bicentennial year of ’76,” he said. “And at that time, we were looking at an invitation to join the ranks of the Warner Bros. Group".
Gibbons then added that he and the late bassist Dusty Hill began to grow out their beards "as a disguise” initially, but then realised it had “turned into a trademark”.
Back in February, Billy Gibbons also explained why he prefers to work with three in a band. Along with ZZ Top, Gibbons also works as part of a trio with his solo group, The BFGs.
"The presence and demand of giving it 110% is always the cornerstone", he said.
"Everybody has got to be on point. I think that the simplicity and the sparseness of the trio, it's always in the back of one's mind to know that you're given the opportunity to put your best foot forward. Anything short of that, it becomes a bit too skinny. We like the sound that's big and fat". More on this from Nova here.
