Reverend Billy F. Gibbons talks about the "regathering" of his late '60s garage band The Moving Sidewalks with Chris T. tonight 9 pm ET and tomorrow 11 pm ET
The Moving Sidewalks was a 1960s American psychedelic blues-rock band, most notable for giving future ZZ Top guitarist, Billy Gibbons, his start in the music business. The band consisted of Gibbons on guitar, Don Summers on bass, Dan Mitchell on drums and Tom Moore on keyboards.
Gibbons founded the Texas psychedelic group in the mid-1960s and quickly drew a large following, especially in the Houston "teen scene". They recorded several singles and one full-length album, Flash. Their single "99th Floor" was a hit and topped the charts at No. 1 in Houston for six weeks. The success of this record led the Sidewalks to sign with Wand Records which then released "Need Me" which also became a Top 10 Hit. The group was asked to open for many rock tours, including Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.
After Tom Moore and Don Summers were drafted into the United States Army, Gibbons and Mitchell added Lanier Greig and formed the original ZZ Top. They recorded the first ZZ Top record, "Salt Lick", which was released on London Records.
While attending Warner Brothers' art school in Hollywood, California, Gibbons engaged with his first bands including The Saints, Billy G & the Blueflames, and The Coachmen. By 1967, Gibbons returned to Houston and went forward forming an artfully designed band, conceptually inspired by friend and fellow musician, Roky Erickson and The 13th Floor Elevators, naming the group the "Moving Sidewalks", penning the hit single, "99th Floor" and engaging a friendship with Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix went on to say on The Tonight Show that Gibbons would be the next hottest guitarist.
The Moving Sidewalks continued to appear along with the 13th Floor Elevators at the Houston, psychedelic venue, Love Street Light Circus, located on Commerce Street. The Elevators set was stopped after only a few songs by the Houston police department, who arrested the band's lead singer Roky Erickson.
In January 2013 Gibbons announced the Moving Sidewalks would reunite with all original members for one shot on March 30, 2013 at B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City.