Elwood Francis

Elwood Francis
Francis, 2024
Background information
Born	(1961-08-23) August 23, 1961 (age 63) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Genres	Rock
Occupation(s)	Guitar tech, bassist
Instrument(s)	Bass, vocals
Member of	ZZ Top The Mighty Skullhead

Elwood Francis (born August 23, 1961) is an American guitar tech and bassist. The longtime guitar technician for bassist Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, Francis replaced Hill in the band after Hill's death in 2021.

Early career

From Lexington, Kentucky,[1] he started playing guitars at age 13 or 14 after listening to "Telstar" by The Tornados.[2] His grandfather got him his first guitar.[2] He started working in guitar tech through Joe Perry.[2] His influences are Frank Zappa, Geordie Walker, Steve Jones, Bob Stinson, and Kenny Hillman.[2]

Francis performs in his own group, The Mighty Skullhead, a band he formed in the 1980s.[2]

Work with ZZ Top

Francis long worked as ZZ Top’s guitar technician. He is largely responsible for Hill quitting marijuana. At a hotel in Amsterdam, Hill was smoking the drug when Francis noticed a metal bar underneath one of the hotel windows. Francis jumped out of the window while holding onto the bar, something Hill could not see from his perspective, making it look like he had committed suicide. Hill apparently never smoked marijuana again after the incident.[3]

In July 2021, Hill dropped out of a concert due to a hip injury, and Francis was asked to fill in. A few days later, Hill died at the age of 72.

Before his death, Hill asked the other band members to hire Francis as his replacement.[4] Francis played his first show as an official member of ZZ Top on July 30, 2021, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[5] In 2024, Francis said that it still feels "weird" taking Hill's place in the band, and does not consider himself a member of the band.[5][6]

In 2022, Francis went viral for performing on stage with a 17-string bass guitar, an instrument he found "late at night while internet surfing on one of those Chinese websites".[7] He sent it to Billy Gibbons and they ordered the bass from China. Francis has admitted that he hates playing the instrument as it is hard to play and he struggles finding the frets on the bass' neck.[7]

References

1. Sinclairpublished, David (2022-09-13). "Interview: Billy Gibbons on Elwood Francis and the bright future of ZZ Top". Loudersound.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
2. "Elwood Francis Guitar Worlds Premiere Guitar Tech". Puresalemguitars.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
3. "Instagram". Instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
4. Wilkening, Matthew (2021-07-29). "Dusty Hill Insisted ZZ Top Not Break Up Following His Death". Ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
5. "ZZ TOP's New Bassist ELWOOD FRANCIS: 'I'll Never Be In The Band'". Blabbermouth.net. 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
6. "ZZ Top's Elwood Francis: 'Dusty is their bass player, I'll never be in the band'". Hellorayo.co.uk. 2024-11-22.
7. Michael Astley-Brown; Andrew Daly (2024-07-18). ""I said to Billy, 'We should order one of these, and I'll play it. It'll be hilarious.' Then it went viral. I hate playing that bass. Now I've got to play it every night": Elwood Francis on why he regrets his 17-string bass becoming a ZZ Top staple". Guitarworld.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.