Texas’ ZZ Top Had Epic Victories at the Inaugural MTV VMAs
"I want my MTV...". That's not just a line from a Dire Straits song; for decades the world has been saying & we're still saying it. Since 1984, MTV hold their annual Video Music Awards (VMAs), where they proudly present the best of the best. During that very first MTV VMA in 1984, Houston's ZZ Top became the first Texas band to win a Moon Man and it wasn't just one Moon Man either. They would win a total of 2 awards that night.
What did ZZ Top win at the 1984 MTV VMAs award?
On September 14, 1984, MTV would air their very first Video Music Award ceremony at the Radio City Hall in New York. The event would be hosted by Dan Aykroyd & Bette Midler. Think of all the 80s stars back in the day: Madonna, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Van Halen. They would all be there & would win various awards.
So would ZZ Top; this was shortly after they would release their iconic Eliminator album (1983). In fact during the 1984 VMAS, ZZ Top would win 2 separate categories:
- ZZ Top would win the "Best Group Video" category with "Legs". The other nominations included Van Halen's Jump, The Police's Every Breath You Take, Huey Lewis & The News's The Heart of Rock N Roll, and another ZZ Top song, Sharp Dressed Man.
- Sharp Dressed Man would end up winning the "Best Direction" category beating favorites Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper, The Police, Ian Hunter, Huey Lewis & The News, The Bongos & their own video for "Gimme All Your Lovin'".
They would end up winning more awards during the MTV VMAs but it's pretty special that they won during that very first one. And they certainly wouldn't be the last artist from Texas to win.