ZZ Top Early years (1969-1972) what happened in 1969 They released their first single, "Salt Lick", in 1969, who started zz top I don't know. who were the members The original line-up was formed in Houston and consisted of Gibbons, organist Lanier Greig (died February 2013) and drummer Dan Mitchell.
who was a leader
who was ZZ Top's leader?
The original line-up was formed in Houston and consisted of Gibbons, organist Lanier Greig (died February 2013) and drummer Dan Mitchell.  The name of the band was Gibbons' idea. The band had a little apartment covered with concert posters and he noticed that many performers' names utilized initials. Gibbons particularly noticed B.B. King and Z.Z. Hill and thought of combining the two into "ZZ King", but considered it too similar to the original name. He then figured that "king is going at the top" which brought him to "ZZ Top".  ZZ Top was managed by Bill Ham, a Waxahachie, Texas native who had befriended Gibbons a year earlier. They released their first single, "Salt Lick", in 1969, and the B-side contained the song "Miller's Farm". Both songs were credited to Gibbons. Immediately after the recording of "Salt Lick", Greig was replaced by bassist Billy Ethridge, a band-mate of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Mitchell was replaced by Frank Beard of the American Blues. Due to lack of interest from U.S. record companies, ZZ Top accepted a record deal from London Records. Unwilling to sign a recording contract, Ethridge quit the band and Dusty Hill was selected as his replacement. After Hill moved from Dallas to Houston, ZZ Top signed with London in 1970. They performed their first concert together at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Beaumont on February 10.  In addition to assuming the role as the band's leader, Gibbons became the main lyricist and musical arranger. With the assistance of Ham and engineer Robin Hood Brians, ZZ Top's First Album (1971) was released and exhibited the band's humour, with "barrelhouse" rhythms, distorted guitars, double entendres, and innuendo. The music and songs reflected ZZ Top's blues influences. Following their debut album, the band released Rio Grande Mud (1972), which failed commercially and the promotional tour consisted of mostly empty auditoriums. CANNOTANSWER
In addition to assuming the role as the band's leader, Gibbons became the main lyricist and musical arranger.
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, the band comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound based on Gibbons' blues guitar style and Hill and Beard's rhythm section. They are popular for their live performances, sly and humorous lyrics, and the similar appearances of Gibbons and Hill, who were rarely seen without their long beards, sunglasses, and hats.

ZZ Top formed after the demise of Moving Sidewalks, Gibbons' previous band. Within a year, the members signed with London Records and released ZZ Top's First Album (1971). Subsequent releases, such as Tres Hombres (1973) and Fandango! (1975), and those albums' singles, "La Grange" and "Tush", gained extensive radio airplay. By the mid-1970s the band became renowned in North America for its live act, highlighted by its performances during the Worldwide Texas Tour from 1976 to 1977, which was a critical and commercial success.

After a hiatus, ZZ Top returned in 1979 with a new musical direction and image, with Gibbons and Hill wearing sunglasses and matching chest-length beards. With the album El Loco (1981), the group began to experiment with synthesizers and drum machines. They established a more mainstream sound and gained international favor with Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985), which integrated influences from new wave, punk, and dance-rock. The popularity of these albums' music videos, including those for "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs", helped propel them onto the television channel MTV and made the band one of the more prominent artists in 1980s pop culture. The Afterburner Tour set records for the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour of 1986. After gaining additional acclaim with the release of their tenth album Recycler (1990) and its accompanying tour, the group's experimentation continued with mixed success on the albums Antenna (1994), Rhythmeen (1996), XXX (1999), and Mescalero (2003). They most recently released La Futura (2012) and Goin' 50 (2019), a compilation album commemorating the band's 50th anniversary. By the time of Hill's death in 2021, ZZ Top had become the longest-running band with an unchanged lineup in the history of popular music. Per Hill's wishes, he was replaced by their longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis on bass.

ZZ Top has released 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million albums worldwide. They have won three MTV Video Music Awards, and in 2004, the members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Gibbons the 32nd greatest guitarist of all time. The band members have supported campaigns and charities including Childline, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and a fundraiser for the Delta Blues Museum.

History

Early years (1969–1972)
The original line-up was formed in Houston and consisted of Gibbons, bassist/organist Lanier Greig, and drummer Dan Mitchell. The name of the band was Gibbons' idea. The band had a small apartment covered with concert posters and he noticed that many performers' names used initials. Gibbons particularly noticed B.B. King and Z. Z. Hill and thought of combining the two into "ZZ King", but considered it too similar to the original name. He then figured that "king is going at the top" which brought him to "ZZ Top".

ZZ Top was managed by Bill Ham, a Waxahachie, Texas, native who had befriended Gibbons a year earlier. They released their first single, "Salt Lick", in 1969, and the B-side contained the song "Miller's Farm". Both songs credited Gibbons as the composer. Immediately after the recording of "Salt Lick", Greig was replaced by bassist Billy Etheridge, a bandmate of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Mitchell was replaced by Frank Beard of American Blues. Due to lack of interest from the major American record companies, ZZ Top accepted a record deal from London Records, the American affiliate of the British Decca Records label. Unwilling to sign a recording contract, Etheridge quit the band and Dusty Hill, Frank Beard's American Blues bandmate, became his replacement. After Hill moved from Dallas to Houston, ZZ Top signed with London in 1970. They performed their first concert together at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Beaumont, Texas, on February 10, 1970.

In addition to assuming the role as the band's leader, Gibbons became the main lyricist and musical arranger. With the assistance of Ham and engineer Robin Hood Brians, ZZ Top's First Album (1971) was released and exhibited the band's humor, with "barrelhouse" rhythms, distorted guitars, double entendres, and innuendo. The music and songs reflected ZZ Top's blues influences. Following their debut album, the band released Rio Grande Mud (1972), which produced their first charting single, "Francine".

First decade and signature sound (1973–1982)

ZZ Top released Tres Hombres in 1973, which reached the No. 8 position on the Billboard 200 albums chart by early 1974. The album's sound was the result of the propulsive support provided by Hill and Beard, and Gibbons' "growling" guitar tone. Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the album "brought ZZ Top their first Top Ten record, making them stars in the process". The album included the boogie-driven "La Grange" (written about the Chicken Ranch, a notorious brothel in La Grange, Texas, that also inspired the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas). On the subsequent tour, the band performed sold-out concerts in the US. ZZ Top recorded the live tracks for one side of their 1975 album, Fandango!, during this tour. Fandango!, which also contained one side of new studio songs, was a top-ten album; its single "Tush" peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Tejas, released in 1976, was the final ZZ Top album under their contract with London Records. It was not as successful or as positively received as their previous efforts, but reached number 17 on the Billboard 200. ZZ Top continued the Worldwide Texas Tour in support of Tejas through most of 1977.

In 1976, after almost seven years of touring and a string of successful albums, ZZ Top went on hiatus for three years while Beard dealt with drug addiction. Gibbons traveled to Europe, Beard went to Jamaica, and Hill went to Mexico. Hill also spent the period working at Dallas Airport, saying he wanted to "feel normal" and "ground himself" after years spent performing. In 1979, when the group returned with the album Degüello, Gibbons and Hill wore chest-length beards and sunglasses. Their hit singles from this period, "Cheap Sunglasses" and "Pearl Necklace", showed a more modern sound.

In 1979, ZZ Top signed with Warner Bros. Records and released the album Degüello. While the album went platinum, it only reached number 24 on the Billboard chart. The album produced two popular singles: "I Thank You", a cover of the David Porter/Isaac Hayes composition originally recorded by Sam & Dave, and the band original "Cheap Sunglasses". The band remained a popular concert attraction and toured in support of Degüello. In April 1980, ZZ Top made their first appearances in Europe, performing for the German music television show Rockpalast, later released as Disk 1 of the 2009 DVD Double Down Live: 1980 & 2008 and the BBC show The Old Grey Whistle Test. The band shared the BBC's studio with English electronic group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), whom Gibbons felt "were great". Inspired by OMD, ZZ Top introduced a jerky dancing style to their live show and began to experiment with synthesizers, which featured prominently on the October 1981 album El Loco. The album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard chart, and featured the singles "Tube Snake Boogie", "Pearl Necklace", and "Leila".

Eliminator, Afterburner, and Recycler (1983–1991)

Gibbons pushed the band into a more modern direction for Eliminator, released in March 1983. The album featured two Top-40 singles ("Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Legs"), and two additional Top Rock hits ("Got Me Under Pressure" and "Sharp Dressed Man"), with the extended dance mix of "Legs" peaking at number 13 on the Club Play Singles chart. The album became a critical and commercial success, selling more than 10 million copies while peaking at No. 9 in the U.S. Billboard pop charts. 

Several music videos from the album were in regular rotation on MTV, attracting many new fans. The band won their first MTV Video Music Awards in the categories of Best Group Video for "Legs", and Best Direction for "Sharp Dressed Man". The music videos were included in their Greatest Hits video, which was later released on DVD and quickly went multi-platinum.

Eliminator retained Gibbons's signature guitar style while adding elements of new wave music; electronic band Depeche Mode have been cited as an influence on the album. To compose the songs, Gibbons worked closely with live-in engineer Linden Hudson at the band's rehearsal studio in Texas, setting a faster tempo with drum machines and synthesizers. The main recording sessions were once again supervised in Memphis by Terry Manning who collaborated with Gibbons to replace much of the contributions from Hill and Beard. Singer Jimi Jamison joined Manning to provide backing vocals for the album. 

Stage manager David Blayney described how Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the album without receiving credit. The band recorded Hudson's song "Thug" without permission, finally paying him $600,000 in 1986 after he proved in court he held the copyright.

Despite selling fewer copies than Eliminator, Afterburner (1985) became ZZ Top's highest-charting album (No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard chart), with sales of five million copies. All of the singles from Afterburner were Top-40 hits, with "Sleeping Bag" and "Stages" reaching number one on the Mainstream Rock chart. The music video for "Velcro Fly" was choreographed by pop singer Paula Abdul. In 1987, ZZ Top released The Six Pack, a collection of their first five albums plus El Loco. The albums were remixed with new drum and guitar effects for a more "contemporary" sound similar to Eliminator.

Recycler, released in 1990, was ZZ Top's final studio album under contract with Warner Records. Recycler was also the last of a distinct sonic trilogy in the ZZ Top catalogue, marking a return towards a simpler guitar-driven blues sound with less synthesizer and pop bounce than the previous two albums. This move did not entirely suit the fan base that Eliminator and Afterburner had built up, and while Recycler did achieve platinum status, it never matched the sales of those albums. However, the single "My Head's in Mississippi" did reach No. 1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart that year.

Return to guitar-driven sound (1992–2003)
In 1992, Warner released ZZ Top's Greatest Hits, along with a new Rolling Stones-style cut, "Gun Love", and an Elvis-inflected video, "Viva Las Vegas". In 1993, ZZ Top inducted a major influence, Cream, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1994, the band signed a $35 million deal with RCA Records, releasing the million-selling Antenna. Subsequent RCA albums, Rhythmeen (1996) and 1999's XXX (the second album to feature live tracks) sold well, but did not reach the levels enjoyed previously. In 2003, ZZ Top released a final RCA album, Mescalero, an album thick with harsh Gibbons guitar and featuring a hidden track—a cover version of "As Time Goes By." RCA impresario Clive Davis wanted to do a collaboration record (in the mode of Carlos Santana's successful Supernatural) for this album. In an interview in Goldmine magazine, Davis stated that artists Pink, Dave Matthews, and Wilco were among the artists slated for the project. ZZ Top performed "Tush" and "Legs" as part of the Super Bowl XXXI halftime show in 1997.

A comprehensive four-CD collection of recordings from the London and Warner Bros. years, Chrome, Smoke & BBQ, was released in 2003. It featured the band's first single (A- and B-side) and several rare B-side tracks, as well as a radio promotion from 1979, a live track, and several extended dance-mix versions of their biggest MTV hits. Three tracks from Billy Gibbons' pre-ZZ band, the Moving Sidewalks, were also included.

Critical acclaim and retrospective releases (2004–2011)

In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones gave the induction speech. ZZ Top gave a brief performance, playing "La Grange" and "Tush".

Expanded and remastered versions of the original studio albums from the 1970s and 1980s are currently in production. Marketed as "Remastered and Expanded", these releases include additional live tracks which were not present on the original recordings. Three such CDs have been released to date (Tres Hombres, Fandango!, and Eliminator). The first two were released in 2006 and use the original mixes free from echo and drum machines, while Eliminator was released in 2008. The Eliminator re-release also features a collector's edition version containing a DVD featuring several videos and additional live tracks.

The Eliminator Collector's Edition CD/DVD, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band's iconic RIAA Diamond Certified album, was released September 10, 2008. The release includes seven bonus tracks and a bonus DVD, including four television performances from The Tube in November 1983.

The band performed at the 2009 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on the final night on March 22, 2009. In July, the band appeared on VH1's Storytellers, in celebration of their four decades as recording artists.

La Futura and subsequent events (2012–2018)

Billy Gibbons stated in an interview in August 2011 that a new album had been recorded, with initial recording taking place in Malibu, California, before moving to Houston, but was still unnamed and had yet to be mixed and mastered. Gibbons said that the expected release date was sometime in March or April 2012 but, later, a late summer or early fall release date was announced. The album was subsequently released on September 11, 2012.

Entitled La Futura, the album was produced by Rick Rubin. The first single from the album, "I Gotsta Get Paid", debuted in an advertising campaign for Jeremiah Weed Whiskey and appears on the soundtrack of the film Battleship. The song itself is an interpretation of "25 Lighters" by Texan hip hop DJ DMD and rappers Lil' Keke and Fat Pat. The first four songs from La Futura debuted on June 5, 2012, on an EP called Texicali. DJ Screw was a major influence on the album as well, particularly because Gibbons and Screw both worked with engineer G. L. Moon during the late 1990s.

On March 3 2015 the band began a North American tour with a concert in Red Bank, New Jersey, at the Count Basie Theatre. After rescheduled dates and additions, the tour wrapped up with a concert in Highland Park, Illinois, at the Ravinia Pavilion on August 27, with opening act Blackberry Smoke. Jeff Beck joined ZZ Top for seven concerts on the tour.

On September 9, 2016, ZZ Top released a new live album entitled Tonite at Midnight: Live Greatest Hits from Around the World. In 2017, ZZ Top announced their "2017 Tonnage Tour" which was to last from February 19 to March 14. However, they were forced to cancel last few dates of their tour due to the ailment of bassist Dusty Hill. In 2018, the band announced their six-day Las Vegas run of shows to be held at the Venetian, starting from April 20, 2019.

Upcoming sixteenth studio album and death of Hill (2019–present)
Gibbons told Las Vegas Review-Journal in April 2020 that the band had been "cooking up another round of wicked sounds for the next ZZ record". On June 21, 2020, Gibbons stated interest in having guitarist Jeff Beck appear on the album.

In July 2021, Hill was forced to leave a tour after a hip injury. ZZ Top performed without him at the Village Commons in New Lenox, Illinois, with Hill's guitar tech Elwood Francis on bass. Five days later, on July 28, ZZ Top announced that Hill had died at his home in Houston at the age of 72. His wife later reported that he had suffered from chronic bursitis. Gibbons confirmed that the band would continue with Francis, per Hill's wishes. Hill had already recorded bass and vocals for ZZ Top's upcoming album.

Other appearances

ZZ Top appeared in a cameo in Back to the Future Part III as an Old west band, playing an acoustic version of their song “Doubleback” with a large fiddle band.

ZZ Top played Super Bowl XXXI in 1997, along with the Blues Brothers and James Brown. ZZ Top also performed at the 2008 Orange Bowl game in Miami, as well as the Auto Club 500 NASCAR event at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. On June 23, 2008, ZZ Top celebrated the release of their first live concert DVD titled Live from Texas with the world premiere, a special appearance, and charity auction at the Hard Rock Cafe in Houston. The DVD was officially released on June 24, 2008. The featured performance was culled from a concert filmed at the Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie, Texas, on November 1, 2007.

On January 22, 2010, Billy Gibbons accompanied Will Ferrell and others playing Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" on Conan O'Brien's last Tonight Show appearance. O'Brien joined in on guitar.

In June 2011, various media sources reported that the new song "Flyin' High" would debut in space. Astronaut and friend of ZZ Top Michael Fossum was given the released single to listen to on his trip to the International Space Station.

On June 4, 2014, ZZ Top opened the CMT Awards ceremony, performing "La Grange" with Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line.

Style

The Guardian described ZZ Top as "part traditional, part contrary, and part of the deep seam of Texas weirdness that stretched from the 13th Floor Elevators through to the Butthole Surfers". Texas Monthly described their music as "loud, macho, greasy, and distorted", with "unrepentant misogynistic references". In the early 1980s, ZZ Top embraced synthesizers and drum machines, drawing inspiration from British electronic acts such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Depeche Mode (while deriving their dance moves from the former). Hill and Gibbons worked as a kind of double act, looking similar and employing simple stage choreography that Hill described as "low-energy, high-impact".

Band members

Current members
Billy Gibbons – guitar, lead and backing vocals (1969–present)
Frank Beard – drums, percussion (1969–present)
Elwood Francis – bass, backing vocals (2021–present)

Former members
Lanier Greig – bass, Hammond organ (1969; died 2013)
Dan Mitchell – drums (1969)
Billy Etheridge – bass (1969–1970)
Dusty Hill – bass, backing and lead vocals, keyboards (1970–2021; died 2021)

Session guests
Pete Tickle – acoustic guitar on "Mushmouth Shoutin'" from Rio Grande Mud (1971)
Terry Manning – synthesizer, drum machine on Eliminator (1982)
James Harman – harmonica on "What's Up with That" from Rhythmeen (1996); Mescalero (2002); La Futura (2012) ()
Marimbas de Chiapas – marimba on Mescalero (2002)
Dan Dugmore – pedal steel guitar on Mescalero (2002)
Joe Hardy – piano, Hammond B3 organ on La Futura (2012) ()
Dave Sardy – piano, Hammond B3 organ on La Futura (2012)

Touring guests
Jeff Beck – guitar on "Hey Mr. Millionaire" from XXX (1999)
John Douglas – drums, percussion ()

Discography

Studio albums

ZZ Top's First Album (1971)
Rio Grande Mud (1972)
Tres Hombres (1973)
Fandango! (1975)
Tejas (1976)
Degüello (1979)
El Loco (1981)
Eliminator (1983)
Afterburner (1985)
Recycler (1990)
Antenna (1994)
Rhythmeen (1996)
XXX (1999)
Mescalero (2003)
La Futura (2012)

Filmography
In addition to recording and performing concerts, ZZ Top has also been involved with films and television. In 1990, the group appeared as the "band at the party" in the film Back to the Future Part III and played the "Three Men in a Tub" in the movie Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme. ZZ Top made further appearances, including the "Gumby with a Pokey" episode of Two and a Half Men in 2010 and the "Hank Gets Dusted" episode of King of the Hill in 2007. The band also guest hosted an episode of WWE Raw. Billy Gibbons also had a recurring role as the father of Angela Montenegro in the television show Bones; though the character is never named, it is strongly implied that Gibbons is playing himself. Their song "Sharp Dressed Man" was one of the theme songs used for the television show Duck Dynasty, and on the series finale of the show they appeared with Si Robertson as a vocalist to perform the song on stage during Robertson's retirement party. Black Dahlia Films, led by Jamie Burton Chamberlin, of Seattle and Los Angeles, has contributed documentaries and back line screen work (the footage on back screens during live shows) and has become an integral part of the band's film-making.

In November 2020, it was announced that the 2019 Netflix documentary That Little Ol' Band from Texas was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Music Film with the award ceremony scheduled for March 2021.

Awards and achievements
ZZ Top's music videos won multiple VMA awards during the 1980s, topping the categories of Best Group Video, Best Direction, and Best Art Direction for "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Rough Boy", respectively. Among high honors for ZZ Top have been induction into Hollywood's RockWalk in 1994, the Texas House of Representatives naming them "Official Heroes for the State of Texas", a declaration of "ZZ Top Day" in Texas by then-governor Ann Richards on May 4, 1991, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. They were also given commemorative rings by actor Billy Bob Thornton from the VH1 Rock Honors in 2007.

ZZ Top has also achieved several chart and album sales feats, including six number-one singles on the Mainstream Rock chart. From the RIAA, ZZ Top has earned four gold, three platinum and two multiple-platinum album certifications, and one diamond album.

See also
List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart
American Blues

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

 
1969 establishments in Texas
American blues rock musical groups
Columbia Records artists
Hard rock musical groups from Texas
Musical groups established in 1969
Musical groups from Houston
American musical trios
RCA Records artists
Warner Records artists
American southern rock musical groups
The leader of the National Party of Australia (former the Australian Country Party and National Country Party) is elected by majority vote of the federal parliamentary party. A deputy leader is elected in the same fashion. The party's longest-serving leader is Earle Page, who held the office from 1921 to 1939. It is historically rare for the incumbent leader and deputy leader to be opposed in a bid for re-election.
In every instance when an incumbent leader retires he is always succeeded by his deputy. With the exception of the election of Ian Sinclair in 1984, every one of these deputy leaders ascended to the leadership unopposed.

1920s

1920: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 25 February 1920, prior to the opening of parliament the following day. William McWilliams was elected party leader and Edmund Jowett was elected deputy leader. Both elections were unopposed, with eleven members voting.
1921: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 5 April 1921. Earle Page replaced William McWilliams as leader. Edmund Jowett did not re-contest the deputy leadership and was replaced by Henry Gregory.
1922: A vote for the deputy leadership was held on 27 June 1922. William Fleming was elected deputy leader in place of Henry Gregory, who had resigned in February 1922 over policy differences.
1923: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 16 January 1923, following the 1922 federal election. Earle Page was re-elected unopposed as leader. William Gibson was elected unopposed as deputy leader, following William Fleming's defeat at the election.
1926: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 12 January 1926, following the 1925 federal election. Earle Page was re-elected unopposed as leader and William Gibson was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader.
1929: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 19 November 1929, following the 1929 federal election. Earle Page was re-elected unopposed as leader. Thomas Paterson was elected as deputy leader, following William Gibson's defeat at the election.

1930s
1932: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 17 February 1932, following the 1931 federal election. Earle Page was re-elected as leader and Thomas Paterson was re-elected as deputy leader.
1932: A vote for the leadership was held on 12 October 1932. Earle Page resigned the leadership to seek a vote of confidence, following criticism of his handling of negotiations to form a coalition with the United Australia Party. There was no opponent to his re-election, however Senator Charles Hardy dissented from the motion.
1934: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 22 October 1934, following the 1934 federal election. Earle Page was re-elected unopposed as leader and Thomas Paterson was re-elected as deputy leader.
1937: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 27 November 1937, following the 1937 federal election. Earle Page was re-elected unopposed as leader. Harold Thorby was elected as deputy leader following Thomas Paterson's retirement. The vote for the deputy leadership was controversial. An initial ballot was held using preferential voting, with Thorby, John McEwen, Archie Cameron, and Horace Nock as candidates. McEwen defeated Thorby by one vote following the elimination of Cameron and Nock, but there was confusion as to whether preferences had been distributed correctly. As a result, a second ballot was held in which Thorby defeated McEwen by one vote. It was reported that Larry Anthony, a newly elected MP, had abstained from voting in the first ballot due to his unfamiliarity with the candidates, but was prevailed upon to vote for Thorby in the second.
1939: A vote for the leadership was held on 13 September 1939, following Earle Page's resignation. Archie Cameron was elected leader, defeating John McEwen by seven votes to five. Before the vote, four breakaway members of the party – Oliver Badman, Thomas Collins, Bernard Corser, and Arthur Fadden – were excluded from the meeting. Earlier in the year they had left the parliamentary party in protest at Page's leadership. It was reported that the four MPs were all supporters of McEwen, and the outcome of the leadership vote would have been reversed if they had been allowed to vote.

1950s
1950: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 21 February 1950, following the 1949 federal election. Arthur Fadden was re-elected unopposed as leader and John McEwen was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader.
1951: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 11 June 1951, following the 1951 federal election. Arthur Fadden was re-elected unopposed as leader and John McEwen was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader.
1954: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 7 July 1954, following the 1954 federal election. Arthur Fadden was re-elected unopposed as leader and John McEwen was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader.
1956: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 6 January 1956, following the 1955 federal election. Arthur Fadden was re-elected unopposed as leader and John McEwen was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader.

1958: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 26 March 1958, following Arthur Fadden's retirement. John McEwen was elected unopposed as leader. Charles Davidson was elected unopposed as deputy leader in place of McEwen.
1958: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held in December 1958, following the 1958 federal election. John McEwen was re-elected as leader and Charles Davidson was re-elected as deputy leader.

1960s
1961: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 19 December 1961, following the 1961 federal election. John McEwen was re-elected unopposed as leader and Charles Davidson was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader. The votes were held at a joint meeting of the coalition parties, which also saw Robert Menzies and Harold Holt re-elected unopposed to the equivalent positions in the Liberal Party.
1963: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 11 December 1963, following the 1963 federal election. John McEwen was re-elected unopposed as leader. Charles Adermann defeated Hugh Roberton and Senator Harrie Wade for the deputy leadership, following the retirement of Charles Davidson.
1966: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 8 December 1966, following the 1966 federal election. John McEwen was re-elected unopposed as leader. Doug Anthony defeated Ian Sinclair for the deputy leadership, following the retirement of Charles Adermann.
1969: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 10 November 1969, following the 1969 federal election. John McEwen was re-elected unopposed as leader and Doug Anthony was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader.

1970s

1971: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 2 February 1971, following John McEwen's retirement. Doug Anthony was elected unopposed as leader. Ian Sinclair was elected deputy leader in place of Anthony, defeating Peter Nixon by a close margin; the result was "not generally expected".
1972: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 13 December 1972, following the 1972 federal election. Doug Anthony was re-elected unopposed as leader and Ian Sinclair was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader.
1974: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 4 June 1974, following the 1974 election. Doug Anthony was re-elected as leader and Ian Sinclair was re-elected as deputy leader.

1980s
1984: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 17 January 1984, following Doug Anthony's retirement. Ian Sinclair was elected as leader, defeating Stephen Lusher by an unspecified margin. Ralph Hunt was elected as deputy in place of Sinclair, defeating Lusher, Ray Braithwaite, Tom McVeigh, and Ian Robinson.
1987: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 23 July 1987, following the Coalition's defeat at the 1987 federal election. Ian Sinclair was re-elected as party leader, defeating a challenge from Ray Braithwaite; he "won comfortably" with a vote of 20-6. Bruce Lloyd was elected deputy leader in place of Ralph Hunt, who did not re-contest the position. Lloyd defeated seven other candidates – Charles Blunt, Ian Cameron, Tim Fischer, Noel Hicks, Peter McGauran, Ian Robinson, and John Stone.
1989: A vote for the leadership was held on 10 May 1989. Charles Blunt was elected leader in place of Ian Sinclair. The Liberal Party simultaneously voted to replace its leader John Howard with Andrew Peacock.

1990s

1990: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 10 April 1990, due to the defeat of Charles Blunt at the 1990 federal election. Tim Fischer was elected party leader ahead of four other candidates – John Sharp, Peter McGauran, Garry Nehl, and former leader Ian Sinclair. The results were not formally released, but The Canberra Times reported that Fischer defeated Sharp by 12 votes to 8 on the final ballot, with McGauran the last to be eliminated. Bruce Lloyd was re-elected deputy leader, defeating a challenge from Noel Hicks.
1993: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 24 March 1993. Tim Fischer defeated Ian Sinclair to retain the leadership of the party. The margin of the vote was not released and different sources reported different figures. John Anderson was elected deputy leader ahead of five other candidates, including shadow ministers Peter McGauran, John Sharp, and Bruce Scott.
1999: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 1 July 1999, following the resignation of Tim Fischer. John Anderson was elected leader unopposed, with Mark Vaile elected as his deputy.

2000s
2005: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 23 June 2005, following John Anderson's retirement announcement. Mark Vaile was elected unopposed as the new leader, while Warren Truss was elected deputy leader ahead of four other candidates – Peter McGauran, John Cobb, Ian Causley, and De-Anne Kelly. Anderson's resignation as party leader did not take effect until 6 July 2005.
2007: A vote for the leadership and deputy leadership was held on 3 December 2007, following Mark Vaile's resignation and the Liberal-National coalition's defeat at the 2007 federal election. Warren Truss was  the only announced candidate and had Vaile's support. At the party meeting, Truss was elected as leader unanimously and Country Liberal Party senator Nigel Scullion was elected as his deputy.

2016

On 11 February 2016, National Party leader, Warren Truss announced his intention to retire at the 2016 federal election would immediately stand aside as Leader of The Nationals. Truss's deputy Barnaby Joyce, was elected unopposed as Truss' replacement, with Fiona Nash as his deputy. Consequently, Joyce was then sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister of Australia on 18 February 2016.

2018

On 26 February 2018, the Nationals held a party room meeting at which Barnaby Joyce formally resigned to the backbench. Michael McCormack was seen as the favourite to become leader, and was the only declared candidate as at 25 February. At the meeting he secured the support of a majority of the 21 National Party parliamentarians, seeing off a last-minute challenge from Queensland MP George Christensen.

2020

2021

References

National Party of Australia
Australian leadership spills Michael Leader (12 September 1938 – 22 August 2016) was an English actor known for his roles in the British television programmes, notably the soap opera EastEnders, and for a minor part in the 1977 film Star Wars.

Life
Leader was born in Hackney, London, in 1938. He was the son of the jazz band leader Harry Leader.

Michael was married to a Dutch woman and became father of one daughter in 1975.

In his spare time, he liked to be around in the Leyton Orient F.C. Stadium, as he was a fan of the team.

Career
Leader had a number of minor parts and appeared as an extra in a range of television programmes.

His debut film appearance was a minor role as an imperial stormtrooper in the original Star Wars film (1977). Although only on-screen for a matter of seconds, Leader's appearance has attracted particular interest in Star Wars fan culture as he has claimed to be the stormtrooper who bangs his helmeted head on a door frame in a scene on board the Death Star. This was a blooper which was overlooked during editing and has remained part of the film ever since. A rival claim to the part of the "clumsy stormtrooper" has been made by fellow actor Laurie Goode, who has stated that it was he who bumped his head in the scene, not Leader.

Leader's most substantial role was a recurring part as Michael the milkman in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a part he played since its first episode in 1985. The role was not a speaking part until the Christmas Eve Episode in 1991 when Frank Butcher, Mike Reid (actor) invites him into the B&B for a drink. Michael says "It's a bit early", and has a small amount of dialogue with Frank after this.

Leader also had minor appearances in the television programmes Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, and Keeping Up Appearances.

Leader died on 22 August 2016.

Filmography

As actor

References

External links
 

English male film actors
English male television actors
1938 births
2016 deaths
People from the London Borough of Hackney