Ravinia 2024 Issue 5

ZZ TOP “That Little Ol’ Band from Texas” has been at it for well over a half-century, delivering rock, blues, and boogie. With iconography as distinc- tive as their sound, ZZ Top is virtually synon- ymous with beards, hotrod cars, and spinning guitars. It was in 1969 Houston that ZZ Top co- alesced from the core of two rival bands, Billy Gibbons’s Moving Sidewalks and Frank Beard and Dusty Hill’s American Blues. Their third album, 1973’s Tres Hombres , catapulted them to national attention with the hit “La Grange,” still one of the band’s signature pieces today. Elimi- nator , their 1983 album, was something of a par- adigm shift for ZZ Top. Their roots-blues skew was intact, but added to the mix were tech-age trappings that soon found a visual outlet with such tracks as “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs” on the nascent MTV. It was one of the music in- dustry’s first albums to have been certified Dia- mond—over 10 million units sold. As a touring group, they’ve been without peer over the past five decades, having performed on four con- tinents and starred as the subject of their own Grammy-nominated documentary, That Little Ol’ Band from Texas. The band’s lineup of the bearded Gibbons and Hill alongside Beard, who ironically is clean-shaven, remained intact for more than 50 years until Dusty’s passing. When Dusty temporarily departed the tour in the sum- mer of 2021, it was a given that longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis would be the perfect choice to stand in for Dusty until he could return. But Dusty’s return was not to be, and Elwood con- tinues to handle the bass duties for the band. As genuine roots musicians, ZZ Top has few peers. Their influences are both the originators of the form—Muddy Waters, B.B. King, et al.—as well as Jimi Hendrix and the British blues rockers who emerged the generation before ZZ’s ascen- dance. They have been officially designated as Heroes of The State of Texas, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and referenced in countless cartoons and sitcoms. They are true rock icons and, against all odds, they’re really just doing what they’ve always done. ZZ Top previously played Ravinia in 2015 and 2018. LYNYRD SKYNYRD As Lynyrd Skynyrd celebrates the 50th anni- versary of the band’s critically acclaimed debut album Pronounced ‘Lĕh-’nérd ‘Skin-’nérd , they resonate as deeply with their multi-generational fan base today as when they first emerged out of Jacksonville, FL, in 1973. The powerhouse band continually tours to celebrate a legacy that hon- ors all who have made a resonating contribution to the music that reaches globally. Former mem- bers Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Ed King, Billy Powell, Bob Burns, and Leon Wilkeson alongside others will forever remain significant contributors to this indelible repertoire and the band’s colorful history. Today, Lynyrd Skynyrd rocks on with a current lineup featuring Johnny Van Zant, Rick- ey Medlocke, Damon Johnson, Mark “Sparky” Matejka, Michael Cartellone, Keith Christopher, Peter Keys, Carol Chase, and Stacy Michelle. With dozens of studio, live, and compilation al- bums each in their catalog , billions of streams, and tens of millions of records sold, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd remain a cultural icon that appeal to all generations. After 1973’s debut, featuring the hit song “Free Bird,” propelled to group to number 19 on Billboard ’s Hot 100, the game changed again with 1974’s Second Helping and the three-guitar attack that would become their hallmark. “Sweet Home Alabama” reached number 8 on the charts that summer, on its way to becoming one of the best- known American rock anthems of all time. The band’s fifth album, Street Survivors (1977), was an instant success, going gold in just 10 days (and eventually multi-platinum), but three days later a fateful plane crash put the band out of commission for a decade. What was intended to be a tribute tour and album instead became the band’s second generation, with Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 marking their first new music since Street Survivors . Further iterations ensued, with 1997’s Twenty marking one such refreshed lineup, along with Edge of Forever (1999) and Vicious Cycle (2003), leading up to the landmark 2008 “Bama Jam” where they played to over 111,000 people—the largest crowd the band had ever entertained. Lynyrd Skynyrd previously played Ravinia in 2011. UR MOM Delivering a fresh, vibrant take on progressive rock, the four-piece Ur Mom is inspired by folk, funk, rock, and the blues. Raised in Park Ridge, IL, these soulful suburbanites are eager to bring back the importance of raw rock and roll—no backing tracks, just pure talent. They were the runners-up in the 17th Annual Bitter Jester Music Fest in 2023 (second place out of 24), where their lead singer, Maura, also won “Vocalist of the Year” at the festival’s Grand Finale. This year, they topped themselves and were crowned the 2024 Bitter Jester Grand Champions, and their guitarist, Tommy, also won “Guitarist of the Year.” Following the re- lease of a three-track EP at the beginning of this year (featuring “Conquistador,” “Coping,” and “Fender Blues”), at the end of June, the group issued “OCD,” the first single of their upcoming album. As the 2023 Bitter Jester runners-up, Ur Mom is making their Ravinia debut. Ur Mom is Maura Wolf, vocals and guitar; Andrew Vuc- sko-Cameron, bass; Alex O’Malley, drums and percussion; Tommy Hinds, lead guitar. RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 81 BLAINCLAUSEN(ZZTOP);ARTHURSIWEK(URMOM)