Duff Goldman Shares Touching Tribute To ZZ Top Bassist Dusty Hill
ZZ Top took to their website earlier today to announce the death of their longtime bassist, Dusty Hill, aged 72. Condolences and tributes have already begun to pour in on Twitter — many from fellow musicians, including Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Christopher Cross, and Paul Young.
Hill has also received kind words from celebrities outside of the music industry, notably, "Ace of Cakes" star and Food Network regular Duff Goldman. Responding to a notice tweeted by Rolling Stone, Goldman shared his own brief tribute to the ZZ Top bassist, reflecting on the significance Hill's work held for him. "Man, I've learned so many of Dusty's basslines over the years," he tweeted. "He was such a machine. A powerhouse and a driver. RIP my man."
A seventies-baby, Goldman grew up around the same time ZZ Top's star began to rise, with the Houston-based band scoring hits early in the decade with "La Grange" and "Tush," and releasing later-career hit "Gimme All Your Lovin'" in 1983 (via Ultimate Classic Rock).
A layered career
As fans of Duff Goldman's baking shows will already know, the professional baker and Culinary Institute of America grad is a man of many talents. On shows like "Ace of Cakes" and Food Network's "Baking Championship" series, Goldman brings a multi-disciplinary approach to his work, giving equal weight to both the art and science of baking. Besides his culinary background, Goldman is also a skilled graffiti artist and metal sculptor, as shared on his Food Network biography. He is also a longtime musician, and plays bass for musical groups, including Elvis cover band Danger Ace and indie group Sand Ox.
Interestingly, ZZ Top's career reached its peak around the same time Goldman's began to take off, with the Houston band being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, and Goldman getting his first major Food Network show in 2006 with "Ace of Cakes" (via IMDb). Goldman is, first and foremost, a professional chef — but his respectful tribute to Dusty Hill comes from one bassist to another.