The story of a hot rodding and music legend, a Packard, and a very unique guitar.

ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons was a young musician weaned on blues and rock in Texas. He was also an avid hot rodder, and his musical and automotive lives have been interwoven from the start. As so often is the case with many starving musicians who are also car nuts, sometimes it’s necessary to sacrifice one side to benefit the other. In the case of Gibbons, it was a prized ‘30s Packard nicknamed “Pearly Gates” that was the basis of much good luck early in his career. It was also the source of funds for a guitar he desired—the fabled ’59 Les Paul. That ’59 Les Paul didn’t come to Gibbons right away, but through a girlfriend, and a part in a movie. Gibbons notes that in the early days of ZZ Top, they acquired the Packard automobile. It was a powerful and elegant car that caused a stir on the road. Not long after they acquired the vehicle, one of their girlfriends needed a way to get to California to try out for a movie part. The band gave her the Packard to get there, and the girlfriend got the part.

Thinking the car had special powers, they named it “Pearly Gates.” Later, the girlfriend sold the car to a collector and sent the money to the band. The money arrived the same day Gibbons got an offer to buy a ’59 Sunburst Les Paul, and he bought it. After calling the girlfriend to discuss the circumstances, both agreed that the money went for a good cause and since it came from the Packard, they decided to keep the name “Pearly Gates” for the guitar, and the rest is history. Billy Gibbons continues to make divine music to this day on the legendary instrument. The ’59 Gibson Les Paul is one of the most desirable guitars today.

Gibbon’s “Pearly Gates” ’59 Les Paul has been featured on every ZZ Top album since it was acquired by him, and is arguably “the sound” of ZZ Top. That sound has paid off handsomely, and it’s more than paid for the sacrifice of selling the Packard all those years ago. Recently, Gibbons loaned his Pearly Gates ’59 Les Paul Standard to the Gibson company so that they could painstakingly copy it, right down to the individual scratches in the finish. The Gibson Custom Shop has done an excellent job reproducing it, and has released a limited run of 250 copies. If you’re interested in guitars, and want Pearly Gates’ good luck to rub off on you, check out the details at www.gibson.com.