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ZZ Top legend Dusty Hill's treasured items now available to fans in new estate sale
UPDATE: Due to a “clerical error,” Gilded Monkey Market’s Thom Anderson tells CultureMap, information the estate sale company released to the press incorrectly insinuated that the Dusty Hill’s family is behind this sale. Rather, says Anderson, “this is an estate sale of the contents of his prior home.” Anderson now says that the contents are for sale by the new owners of Hill’s home; this was not information initially provided.
Additionally, after further inquiry by CultureMap, an attorney for Hill’s family advises that this sale is “not in any way affiliated with Hill's estate or his family.”
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Fans who are still mourning the passing of Dusty Hill, bassist for iconic Houston rock band ZZ Top, now have a chance to own a piece of some of his belongings.
A new estate sale, which will be held from Friday, June 10 through Sunday, June 12 at The Guilded Monkey Market warehouse (7023 Rampart St.) in southwest Houston, will offer up belongings from the star’s former home.
Select pieces come from Hill’s home in a prestigious neighborhood in The Woodlands and include his collection of art, plus home and office furnishings, a wide range of rugs, personal accessories, and concert memorabilia. Notably for collectors, all items will come with a certificate of authenticity. (No word if any cheap sunglasses are available.)
“The family knows how beloved Dusty was in Houston and Texas and all around the country,” Thom Anderson, who is organizing the sale with partner Dominique Kendall, tells CultureMap. “They’re excited to share some of his most personal items with his fans.”
Anderson notes that his team are still unpacking boxes, but fans can look forward to Hill’s private desk, dining table, a bed with a 9-foot-tall headboard, and of course, swag from his ZZ Top glory days.
One standout is a simple office dry erase board, on which Hill sketched a self portrait in marker and even signed. “That, to me, is gold,” Anderson notes.
Born Joe Michael Hill, the epically bearded Dusty was born May 19, 1949 in Dallas, where he played cello as a student at Woodrow Wilson High School and picked up guitar with his brother, Rocky. The brothers played in bands around Dallas before Dusty moved to Houston with friend and future bandmate Frank Beard in the late 1960s.
Linking up with Billy Gibbons, the trio released their first record as ZZ Top in 1969. Major gigs included opening for the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. ZZ Top became a staple in MTV’s early days, where they brought their signature Houston sound and memorable videos to a legion of new fans. The trio was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Hill passed away in his sleep at his home in Houston on July 28, 2021 at the age of 72.
ZZ Top fans would be wise to arrive early, Anderson notes, as pieces will go fast. “Owning something from Dusty Hill is bragging rights for any Texan,” Anderson adds. “This is a rare opportunity to own a piece of history.”
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The Dusty Hill estate sale will be held at the The Guilded Monkey Market warehouse (7023 Rampart St.) from June 10-June 12. For more information, call 713-360-3147.
