ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons Plots Fourth Supergroup Gig, The Jungle Show

ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons will reunite with Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Flanigin, Sue Foley and Chris Layton for their fourth straight Jungle Show, set to take place December 27th and 28th at Antone’s in Austin, Texas.

The idea for the once-a-year supergroup came about four years ago when Gibbons and Flanigin, an Austin-based organist, were tapped to perform at the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame’s induction of B.B. King. By that point, most of King’s staples had been picked up by other artists, so the pair settled on the blues master’s 1967 deep cut, “The Jungle.”

The performance — featuring King’s old drummer, Herman Jackson — was enough of a success that Gibbons and Flanigin booked a follow-up show at Antone’s, despite not having a full band at the time.

Flanigin ended up recruiting Layton, a drummer who’d once played with Stevie Ray Vaughan, while Foley, a Canadian blues singer and guitarist, offered to open the show, but was asked to join the band instead.

The lineup was completed when Grammy winner Vaughan — the older brother of Stevie Ray — jumped at the chance to play with Gibbons for the first time in his career.

Speaking of the fourth annual Jungle Show, Gibbons said, “We’ve come to think of this Jungle Show thing as something of a destination musical event. Certainly, Jimmie, Mike, Sue, Chris and I all set our sights on Austin as the year winds down and that’s where the vapors coalesce, so to speak. The Jungle Show audience, coming from around the corner and across the globe zeros in on Antone’s and keeps the excitement at an intense level. Let’s put it this way, it’s well worth the trip, irrespective on which side of the footlights you may find yourself.”

Tickets for The Jungle Show will go on sale October 15th at 10 a.m. CT (9 a.m. ET). Complete information is available on the Antone’s website.