The men who would form ZZ Top had played in several different Texas-based groups. Notable were Moving Sidewalks with Gibbons, and American Blues with Hill and Beard. They joined forces in late 1969: at first, Billy invited Frank for his project of a blues rock trio, and then, when they were looking for a new bassist, Beard proposed his former bandmate, Dusty.

The origin of the band's name was not officially known for many years. Some theories included: the two brands of rolling paper, Zig-Zag and Top; a tribute to blues legend Z. Z. Hill; and/or Billy Gibbons seeing the two words running together on a dilapidated bill board. The real origin, as told by Billy Gibbons and also recorded in his book Rock + Roll Gearhead, is derived from the name of blues master B. B. King. They wanted to call themselves Z.Z. King but sounded too similar to their blues legend hero. They figured that "King" was at the "top" so thus settled on ZZ Top.

They played their first show in February, 1970 and toured almost continually for several years. Their first two albums were recorded at Robin Hood Studios in Tyler, Texas. In 1973, they started recording with engineer Terry Manning at Ardent Studios in Memphis[3] for their third album, Tres Hombres (1973), the first for which they gained wide acclaim. This was released on London Records and contained the classic song "La Grange", referencing the bordello that is also the subject of the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
In September of 1974, ZZ Top drew 80,000 fans to a Labor Day stadium concert in Austin that they dubbed "ZZ Top's First Annual Texas Size Rompin' Stompin' Barndance and Bar B.Q." Also on the bill: Santana, Joe Cocker, Bad Company. An overhead shot of the crowds that day was used on one side of the record sleeve for the release of Fandango! in 1975.

The band continued touring, recording, and releasing albums until 1977, when they took an extended hiatus. Their long-time manager/producer/image maker Bill Ham used this time to negotiate a deal that allowed the band to keep control of their previous recordings, which would be distributed by their new label, Warner Bros. Records. They reunited two and a half years later in order to start recording under the Warners contract. Unbeknownst to the other, Hill and Gibbons had both grown their now-famous beards. Ironically, the only beardless bandmember remained Frank Beard.

They reached new heights of popularity with the 1983 album Eliminator, boosted to prominence by memorable music videos for the tracks "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man" each of which featured a small bright red 1933 Ford Coupe 3 window hotrod called The Eliminator and a trio of mysterious, beautiful women who travel around helping various people. The album also featured a distinctive synthesizer-laced sound-a rarity in the blues rock genre-, which added a modern, electronic edge to the music, and helped the album become successful and a fan favorite. Eliminator remains their most successful album to date.

Their next album, Afterburner, mostly featured the same blend of synthesizers, blues rock and the use of sequencers. But on subsequent albums, less and less synth- and sequencer-influenced music is heard. An occasional song with those elements and instruments is included on recent albums as a nod to their past.
In 1987, they released the three-disc set, The ZZ Top Six Pack. When Warner chose to remaster six select albums from 1970 to 1981, they (along with the members of ZZ Top) remixed the back catalog to make it sound like their new music output. All the drum tracks were re-recorded and other random digital effects were applied. In an attempt to fit six albums on three discs, some tracks were faded out sooner than their original release versions. At the same time, individual remixed CD releases were released. The band's actual sixth album, Degüello, was spared the "Six Pack" treatment because of a legal issue involving the estate of Elmore James, whose song "Dust My Broom" was featured on the album.

Recycler was released in 1990, and proved to be the band's last album under their contract with Warner Records. Recycler was also the last of the albums often considered a distinct trilogy in the ZZ Top catalogue. It marked a move back towards a more guitar-driven blues sound which continued in later albums, losing some of the synthesizer sounds and pop bounce of the previous two albums. This move did not entirely suit the fanbase that Eliminator and Afterburner had built up, and while Recycler did achieve platinum status, it never matched the multi-platinum sales of Eliminator and Afterburner.

ZZ Top also contributed to the soundtrack, and appeared as the band in the dance scene in the 1990 movie Back to the Future III.

In 1992, ZZ Top signed a five-disc deal with RCA Records. Sales were good, but not up to earlier standards.

In 1993, ZZ Top inducted Cream into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1997 ZZ Top recorded a song for amateur wrestler Nicholas "Wild Thing" Bauer, by request of WWE star Stone Cold Steve Austin.

In July 2000, while on tour in Europe, Hill was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, which forced the cancellation of several dates in that tour. Hill has since recovered.

RCA impresario Clive Davis wanted to do a collaboration record (in the mode of Carlos Santana's successful Supernatural) for their 2003 release Mescalero. As per an interview in Goldmine magazine, artists Pink, Dave Matthews, and Wilco were among the artists slated for the project. The band members declined this offer, and Davis and RCA subsequently shuffled the band to second-tier status.
A comprehensive four-CD collection of recordings from the London and Warner Bros. years entitled Chrome, Smoke & BBQ was released in 2003.
In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones gave the induction speech, after which ZZ Top gave a brief performance, playing "La Grange" and "Tush."

Expanded and remastered versions of the original studio albums from 70s and 80s are currently in production (removing the digital remixes of the Six Pack compilation). Marketed as "Remastered and Expanded," these releases include additional live tracks which were not present on the original recordings. Two CDs have been released to date (Tres Hombres and Fandango!), with a third (Eliminator) scheduled for release on the 24th of March. The Eliminator re-release will also feature a collector's edition version containing a DVD which holds several videos and additional live tracks.
As of 2006, it was reported that ZZ Top were recording their 15th studio album, however this album failed to appear, and on September 17, 2006 the band ended their contract with RCA Records and left their manager Bill Ham, president of Lone Wolf management. No reasons were given for these changes. In December 2006, Sanctuary Management added ZZ Top to its roster, however the band is still not currently signed to a label.

An article on Billboard in May of 2007 quotes Dusty as saying that the band is eager to sign a new contract and resume recording in the near future, but no hints at timescales have been made. Dusty did suggest that a live tour DVD is in the works. Whatever the outcome of contract negotiations, the band will have to complete their current tour before any new studio recordings take place. In a later interview on VH1's Top 20 Countdown, the band said "A new album will be coming out as soon as our tours are done and when we get a record deal."

The band were honorees by Billy Bob Thorton at the second annual VH1 Rock Honors on May 24, 2007. Nickleback performed a rendtion of Sharp Dressed Man as an introduction. The same show also included Ozzy Osbourne, Genesis and Heart.

On November 1, 2007 the band taped a live performance at the Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie, Texas, reportedly for a live DVD release.

ZZ Top's most recent high-profile gigs were the bands performances at the 2007 Orange Bowl game in Miami, and of course, who didn't see them on "American Idol" 7 perfoming with David Cook, the 2008 winner!! They definitely rocked the house. Very Cool!!