ZZ Top`s first cartophilic appearance came in 1979, ten years after they were formed, with an unusual set issued by Warner Bros Records which they promoted as being "...the next big thing in music collectables". This never actually happened but the eighty odd cards do feature some great images, and the information on the back is very good, listing some of their hits, their birthdays, astrological signs, hometowns, and a short biography. It turns out that Billy is a Sagittarius, born on December 16th, and that Frank`s surname is actually Beard, though he does not sport one.
They were first featured on a Panini sticker in 1985, card 101 of the "Smash Hits Collection", which was available with an English language (that has a biography on the back) and a German one (which does not). The biography reads "ZZ Top formed in 1970 by Texans Billy Gibbons (guitar), Dusty Hill (bass) and Frank Beard (drums). Describing themselves as "a little ol boogie band from Texas" - toured constantly - sometimes sharing stage with live rattlesnakes and buffalo". They were also in the 1986 set (card 26) and the 1987 set but that varies as far as the numbering between the British set (No.180) and the Italian one (No.146), though the picture, as always, remains the same in all the printings.
This set is of twenty cards but each is available with two titles as an "a" and a "b". I am having trouble finding this set, but I know that this pair is
19.a - Bearded Billy
19.b. Frank Beardless
Dusty Hill died in 2021.