Founding member of ZZ Top, Lanier Grieg, dies at 64

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Lanier Greig, an immensely talented keyboardist, bassist, composer and arranger who was also a member of an early iteration of ZZ Top, died in his sleep this week at his home in Austin; he was 64.

“He was a brilliant natural musician,” says friend and musician Guy Schwartz. “He was able to fit into any situation and add value to anybody’s music.”

Greig’s tenure in ZZ Top was brief, but he could count himself an original member of the enduring blues rock band. The band’s name was trademarked in June 1969 when singer and guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Dan Mitchell, formerly of the band the Moving Sidewalks, enlisted Greig to help them move away from psychedelic rock and into a more blues and boogie-based sound. Greig can be heard on the ZZ’s first single, “Salt Lick” and its b-side, “Miller’s Farm,” which were first released as a single in 1969. Greig’s snaky keyboard line is an integral part of the song’s eerie vibe before setting up a wild solo by Gibbons.

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