Fleet Foxes Named “Best Live Band," Yoko Ono, Mott the Hoople, Zombies & Joy Division Also Honored at Mojo Awards
June 12, 2009 – Listening to the Fleet Foxes is a cerebral Folk/Baroque/Pop religious experience. This is a band that can make you stop in your tracks. The eccentric group beat out Leonard Cohen and Radiohead yesterday (June 11th) to win Mojo Magazine’s “Best Live Act” award.

The Seattle band, known for their haunting vocal harmonies were nominated in three categories but only won the “Best Live” prize. Reps from Mojo said Fleet Foxes are now officially "one of the greatest live bands in the world."

Elbow, from Manchester picked up “Song of the Year” for “One Day Like This.”

Also congrats go out to Yoko Ono who was honoured with the “2009 Mojo Lifetime Achievement Award” Mojo editor-in-chief Phil Alexander said, "She may have been married to one of the most famous men in the world, but she also helped change music as we know it, She is a huge influence on modern music and this award recognizes her inspirational qualities and ongoing questing."

Mott the Hoople, the 1970’s English glam rock group headed by Ian Hunter picked up the Mojo Hall of Fame award. Hunter has recently announced two reunion shows with all five original members of the group to take place in October 2009. It’ll be the first total reunion of the band in 35 years.

The Specials, The Doors, Elton John, Madness and Arthur Lee have also won the award.

Other classic acts like Paul Weller, Joy Division, Miles Davis, the Zombies, the late Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top also won awards. Check out the full list below. – by John Beaudin

2009 - Mojo Award Winners:
- Breakthrough Act - White Lies
- Song Of the Year - Elbow (One Day Like This)
- Best Live Act - Fleet Foxes
- Best Album - Paul Weller (22 Dreams)
- Compilation Of The Year - Take Me To The River: A Southern Soul Story
- Vision Award - Joy Division
- Catalog Award - Miles Davis (Kind Of Blue 50th Anniversary Edition)
- Classic Album Award - The Zombies (Odessey And Oracle)
- Maverick Award - Manic Street Preachers
- Hero Award - The Pretty Things
- Outstanding Contribution To Music - Joe Brown
- Roots Awards - Topic Records
- Classic Songwriter Award - Johnny Marr
- Mojo Medal - Chris Blackwell/Island Records
- Inspiration Award - Blur
- Icon Award - Phil Lynott
- Les Paul Award - Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
- Hall of Fame - Mott The Hoople
- Lifetime Achievement Award - Yoko Ono

ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons Remembers Guitar Lessons from Hendrix
May 5, 2009 – One of the hottest tours this summer is bound to be the pairing of ZZ Top and Aerosmith. The tour starts on June 21 in Bristow, VA. and ends Sept. 16th in Auburn Hills MI.

Formed in Houston Texas in the late sixties, ZZ Top has become synonymous with cold beer, hot legs, sunglasses and a Bluesy/Rock guitar style that has withstood the test of time. After 40 years the original line-up of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard are still going strong.

Gibson.com recently sat down with Gibbons to talk about his early years and especially his relationship, although short, with legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Gibbons plays it down but Hendrix actually went on live TV and said that the bearded wonder was the best guitarist in America. That might seem like a stretch to most and the ZZ Top’s front man is the first to allude to the fact that it was probably the other way around.

 “When we were supporting Jimi (on tour), I was sitting in my hotel room one night and practiced a little. Then this dude stuck his head through the door — it was Jimi Hendrix! I felt paralyzed and speechless. He grabbed my guitar, laid down on the floor, looked at the ceiling and played some unbelievable licks, before asking whether I could do stuff like this, too — and then he even stepped it up a notch. Afterwards he showed me some tricks. I learned a lot from him.”

Gibbons says he met his band mates at a Halloween party in 1969, “I met Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, who were playing there. Someone suggested I should join them for a song or two during their next set. And the rest is history, I guess.”

Through the years there have been rumors on where the name ZZ Top actually came from. As Gibson.com reports, many thought the name came from two smoking products Zig Zag and Top or homage to Blues legend ZZ Hill. Gibbons says, “Nothing like that. Back then we were — and we still are — huge fans of the King of Blues, B.B. King. So we started to call ourselves Z.Z. King, but realized pretty quickly that it sounded too much like our hero, so we changed it to ZZ Top.”

As for the rumors that the band was offered $1 million to shave their beards? He says they’re staying, adding the beards are trademarks of the band. Turns out every few years the group gets huge offers to meet razors from around the world.

ZZ Top To Return to Original Sound
July 6, 2008 – Don’t expect to hear a clone of “Legs” on the new ZZ Top album. The band says their going back to the old sound of the ‘La Grange’ era. The trio have just signed on with Rick Rubin’s American Recordings and plan to have Rubin handle production duties according to band manager, Carl Stubner. This could bring the band both critical and commercial success. Let’s remember it was Rubin that brought Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond back on the charts. Stubner who just started managing the band said he’s done much to get the band in the limelight again including getting the group on the finale of American Idol a few months ago. He also had the band released a  new DVD ‘Live From Texas 2007’ which peaked at No. 1 on Billboards Top Music Video charts. ZZ Top’s last album ‘Mescalero’ sold over 100,000 copies. – by John Beaudin