ZZ Top – La Grange (Live From Gruene Hall)

“La Grange” – Single by ZZ Top from the album Tres Hombres
B-side “Just Got Paid”
Released 1973
Label London
Songwriters Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard
Producer Bill Ham
Charted No.41 in US; No.15 in Australia.

This video has been recorded during a live performance at Gruene Hall in 2019 for the 2019 Netflix documentary, “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas”.

The initial groove of the song is based on a traditional boogie blues rhythm used by John Lee Hooker in “Boogie Chillen'”.

The song’s title and lyrics refer to a brothel on the outskirts of La Grange, Fayette County, Texas. Mostly known as the Chicken Ranch, it was a Texas brothel open from 1905 to 1973. A simple farmhouse with no signs advertising its purpose, the Chicken Ranch ran with the knowledge, if not the blessing, of local politicians and law enforcement.

The first time ZZ Top played the song in La Grange was during the Fayette County Fair, on September 5, 2015.

In March 2020 the song re-entered the Billboard charts following the release of the documentary ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas.

Musicians:
Billy Gibbons – vocals, lead and rhythm guitar
Dusty Hill – bass guitar
Frank Beard – drums, percussion