Frank Zappa | Artist

Frank Zappa was an American musician, composer, activist and filmmaker born 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland. Zappa's work as a soloist and leader of The Mothers of Invention, is characterised by nonconformity, improvisation, musical virtuosity, and satire of American culture. During Zappa's lifetime, he was a highly productive and prolific artist however he enjoyed little commercial success and was generally regarded by all but die-hard fans and fellow musicians, as a fringe artist. Since his death in 1993 at the age of 53, his reputation as a gifted and highly influential composer and musician has increased greatly as his work is appreciated more widely. At Antelope Valley High School Zappa met Don Glen Vliet, who later adopted the stage name Captain Beefheart. Zappa and Vliet became close friends, sharing an interest in R&B records and influencing each other musically throughout their careers. In April 1965 Zappa was invited to take over as guitarist in local R&B band the Soul Giants. Zappa accepted, and soon assumed leadership and the role as co-lead singer. The band debuted at the Broadside Club in Pomona California and was renamed the Mothers since this gig took place on May 10, 1965, Mother's Day. They increased their bookings after beginning an association with manager Herb Cohen and gradually gained attention on the burgeoning Los Angeles underground music scene. In early 1966, they were spotted by leading record producer Tom Wilson, the producer for Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel, who signed the Mothers to the Verve label. In his lifetime Zappa released 37 studio albums plus a host of live albums. There have been almost as many posthumous archival and compilation collections released since his death. The albums tend to fall into three broad categories: Mothers of Invention group albums, Zappa solo albums, and avant-garde classical orchestral works. Standout studio albums include Freak Out! (1966), Absolutely Free (1967), We're Only in it for the Money (1968), Uncle Meat (1969), Hot Rats (1969), Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970), Weasels Ripped my Flesh (1970), Waka/Jawaka (1972), The Grand Wazoo (1972), Over-Nite Sensation (1973), Apostrophe (') (1974), One Size Fits All (1975), Zoot Allures (1976) and Joe's Garage Acts I-III (1979). Standout live albums include Roxy & Elsewhere (1974) and Zappa in New York (1978). Recommended compilations include Mothermania (1969), Strictly Commercial: The Best of Frank Zappa (1995), Läther (1996) and The Lumpy Money Project/Object (2009). Frank's honours include his 1995 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the 1997 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2000, he was ranked number 36 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at number 71 on its list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", and in 2011 number 22 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Frank was survived by his wife Gail and four children Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva Muffin.

Artist Website: zappa.com

Featured Albums: Frank Zappa

Related Artists: Mothers of Invention, Captain Beefheart, Zappa & Beefheart, Ensemble Modern, Edgard Varese

Collections: Music Visionaries