I found this snippet of an interview with Billy Gibbons fascinating, and despite my long tenure as a Lubbock air personality, I somehow never heard this story.
Sitting down with Dan Rather, Billy Gibbons cited a very unconventional inspiration for some of the lyrics of one of ZZ Top’s biggest hits. If I were to tell you that one of their most iconic songs was inspired by a Buddy Holly tune, what would you guess? First, you’d need to identify the ZZ Top song in question — and then, the Buddy Holly one. Even with a hundred guesses, this match-up would be nearly impossible to make.
The Answer: “La Grange” Meets “Peggy Sue Got Married”
The song in question is the bluesy Texas anthem “La Grange.” It’s that muddy, distorted boogie that defined early ZZ Top — a raw celebration of rhythm and swagger. Gibbons revealed that the lyrical inspiration for parts of La Grange came from none other than Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue Got Married.”
It’s a wild crossover between two very different worlds: Holly’s clean, melodic rock ‘n’ roll and ZZ Top’s gritty, amplified Texas blues. Yet, at the heart of both lies that same West Texas spirit — simple storytelling, local roots, and a rhythm that feels like home…