In 1970, ZZ Top played its first show at a Knights of Columbus Hall in Beaumont, Texas; 51 years later, the band sold its entire catalog to BMG and KKR for $50 million

ZZ Top established its place in rock history after reaching the height of its global fame in the mid-1980s with a string of hit songs. Before achieving massive success, the blues-rock and hard-rock band had its fair share of humble beginnings dating back to 1970. More than five decades later, the musicians reached a major milestone by selling ZZ Top’s music catalog for $50 million.

Formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969, the trio of longtime members Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard spent the early 1970s touring extensively, bringing their songs across Texas and neighboring states like Oklahoma and Louisiana…