They were so damn good," Hocott says. "They were the perfect Zombies. If you heard them play ‘Time of the Season’ you couldn’t tell the difference.” They were so good that Delta Promotions felt comfortable increasing the size and scale of the tours. “They had a tour bus,” Hocott says. “We sent a road manager out with them.” Beginning with the comparatively obscure Brown Sugar from ZZ Top’s First Album (released three months before the Rolling Stones song of the same name in 1971), and then working through a bunch of gems including Blue Jean Blues, Just Got Paid and I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide, and carrying on to the monster hits Legs and Gimme All Your Lovin’ from Eliminator, the trio embraced their musical legacy in one final, joyful and entirely spontaneous performance, which according to Gibbons they weren’t even aware was being recorded at the time.

Nearly 50 years later, what happened with the Zombies is now more myth than scandal, hazy details further lost to history, with many of its principal players gone or forgotten. But, in terms of sheer audacity and brazenness, it’s a story that’s still hard to top. The man hired by Bill Kehoe to handle the fake Archies was Bay City native Thomas "Joe" Jamrog. Jamrog was a good friend of Tom Smith, one of the founders of a Bay City teen band called The Epics, and he hung out with the band at Smith's house where they usually rehearsed. Jamrog helped carry the band's equipment which got him in free at their gigs and also gave him an in when chatting up the girls who were attracted to the bands and the local music scene.

3 letter words containing zz

And finally he said: ‘I’d like to take a moment and go see the physician and see if we can iron out what’s got me on the ropes.’ He returned to Texas and made an appointment to see the doc. And it was that night he went to sleep and it was… lights out. It was just… it was totally unexpected.” If ever there was the perfect plant for the ultimate brown thumb, the easy ZZ plant is it. This virtually indestructible houseplant can take months and months of neglect and low light and still look amazing. As far as the Zombies, I was told they didn’t exist,” he recalls. “That they were only a studio sound. I was just excited and flattered. I’d only been playing for a few years and the other guys were pro-level at that point. I didn’t look at it as anything more than a chance to have some fun, hang out with some cool guys, learn some songs, go somewhere outside of this Hillbillyville, and earn a little money.” The building that housed the Delta Promotions offices still stands, just as it did in 1969, alone on a dusty stretch of Tuscola Road on the outskirts of Bay City, Michigan. From this secluded spot, local businessman Bill Kehoe and his partner Jim Atherton managed Question Mark and the Mysterians and a number of smaller local bands. Tom Hocott was the first employee of Delta Promotions. He now lives in Grand Rapids where he plays music and lives a quiet life. He reluctantly agreed to meet me at a Chili’s outside of town to discuss his time with Delta Promotions. When we sit down to eat, he places a manila envelope on the table. He keeps his hand on it while telling me the story of his involvement with the fake Zombies.

Kehoe admitted that he had put two fake Zombies groups on the road in the first Rolling Stone story, The 'Zombies'Are A Stiff,published in the December 13, 1969, issue of the magazine. Kehoe was interviewed and stated that after the "original" Zombies from Texas and Florida disbanded, another group took their place. "They really liked the original Zombies", Kehoe stated, "They really admired them." Kehoe went on to say: "They're not a new group, they used to be the Excels....oh, for about five or six years."

11 letter words containing zz

Hill and Beard formed ZZ Top with guitarist and singer Billy Gibbons; they released their first album in 1970 and have since sold around 60 million albums worldwide. Ramsey crossed paths with them a few times over the years that followed before all communication eventually stopped. ZZ Top 1971: Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, and Billy Gibbons

Elwood Francis onstage with ZZ Top at the Reno Ballroom In Reno, NV (Image credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

3. Platinum Weird

At the end of last year they sold off their publishing catalogue, together with their income from recorded royalties and performance royalties, to BMG. It’s a move that has not only secured their individual positions financially, but also “ensures the band’s recorded legacy will endure for generations to come”, according to their manager Stubner.