1973 Blues Rock Classic Named Among Greatest Guitar Riffs of All Time
The greatest blues, rock and metal songs of all time have one thing in common: a slamming guitar riff that elevates the song to iconic status.
Guitar World knew that when it placed ZZ Top's La Grange at No. 9 on the greatest guitar riffs of all time.
"For the suitably lowdown 'n' dirty riff, Billy Gibbons took a hoary, John Lee Hooker-style I-bIII-IV vamp in A (A-C-D), and poured his trademark tone all over it," Guitar World wrote.
Gibbons revealed the details of the iconic riff.
"That's a 1955 Fender Strat maple neck with a hardtail [fixed bridge], running through a 2x10 Fender Tremolux – a little blonde piggyback amp that happened to be in the studio at the time," he said. "The riff's in the key of A, but don't forget to use the little finger on the G string [C note, 5th fret] and pull it slightly up to pitch."
'La Grange' Sparked a Controversy
Recognized as one of the greatest blues rock songs of all time, La Grange brought with it a local controversy and got the band sued.
ZZ Top took flak for the song's close resemblance to Boogie Chillun from the trailblazing John Lee Hooker, which was released in 1948.
According to American Songwriter, music publisher Bernard Besman, who was the first in the business to record Hooker and who is credited with co-writing some of Hooker's songs, sued the members of ZZ Top in 1992. After three years a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by Besman.
Not only did the song get ZZ Top sued, but it also (allegedly) helped shut down a locally well-known brothel in Texas.
The song received extensive radio play and rose all the way to No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1974.
Related: 1980 Rock Classic Named Among Greatest Guitar Riffs of All Time
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 9:26 PM.