ZZ Top makes first late-night appearance on The Tonight Show

On May 18, 1986, the rock band ZZ Top made their first late-night television appearance on ‘The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson’. Although the band was promoting their 1985 album ‘Afterburner’, they performed horn-driven versions of ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ and ‘Tush’ instead of new material.

Accompanied by the NBC Orchestra led by Doc Severinsen, the performance featured a unique collaboration where Severinsen played trumpet while wearing a fake beard and sunglasses to match band members Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill. Johnny Carson also participated in the theme by wearing a beard and a ZZ Top hat during the segment. The performance is highlighted in Christopher McKittrick’s 2024 book, ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’: The Blues, Boogie and Beard of Billy F. Gibbons.