Frank Zappa

"Zappa" redirects here. For other uses, see Zappa (disambiguation).

Frank Zappa
Zappa performing at Ekeberghallen in Oslo, Norway, in 1977
Born
Frank Vincent Zappa

(1940-12-21)December 21, 1940
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedDecember 4, 1993(1993-12-04) (aged 52)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placePierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary
Occupations
  • Composer
  • guitarist
  • bandleader
Years active1955–1993
Spouses
  • Kay Sherman
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1960; div. 1963)​
  • ​
    (m. 1967)​
Children
Musical career
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
DiscographyFrank Zappa discography
Labels
Formerly of
Websitezappa.com

Frank Vincent Zappa[nb 1] (/ˈzæpə/ ZAP-ə; December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral and musique concrète works; he also produced almost all of the 60-plus albums that he released with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist.[2] His work is characterized by nonconformity, improvisation[3] sound experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture.[4] Zappa also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. He is considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation.[5][6]

As a mostly self-taught composer and performer, Zappa had diverse musical influences that led him to create music that was sometimes difficult to categorize. While in his teens, he acquired a taste for 20th-century classical modernism, African-American rhythm and blues, and doo-wop music.[7] He began writing classical music in high school, while simultaneously playing drums in rhythm and blues bands, later switching to electric guitar. His debut studio album with the Mothers of Invention, Freak Out! (1966), combined satirical but seemingly conventional rock and roll songs with extended sound collages. He continued this eclectic and experimental approach throughout his career.

Zappa's output is unified by a conceptual continuity he termed "Project/Object", with numerous musical phrases, ideas, and characters reappearing across his albums.[4] His lyrics reflected his iconoclastic views of established social and political processes, structures and movements, often humorously so, and he has been described as the "godfather" of comedy rock.[8] He was a strident critic of mainstream education and organized religion, and a forthright and passionate advocate for freedom of speech, self-education, political participation and the abolition of censorship. Unlike many other rock musicians of his generation, he disapproved of recreational drug use, but supported decriminalization and regulation.

Zappa was a highly productive and prolific artist with a controversial critical standing; supporters of his music admired its compositional complexity, while detractors found it lacking emotional depth.[9] He had greater commercial success outside the US, particularly in Europe. Though he worked as an independent artist, Zappa mostly relied on distribution agreements he had negotiated with the major record labels. He remains a major influence on musicians and composers. His many honors include his posthumous 1995 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the 1997 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Occhiogrosso was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Frank Zappa – Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
  3. ^ "Dweezil Zappa Teaches Frank Zappa's Improvisation Techniques". Youtube. Reverb.com. 2016-12-06. Retrieved 2024-04-12. Zappa regularly used structured improvisation in a Jazz-like context but also occasionally used what he called "spontaneous composition"
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference semley2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Whitaker, Sterling (2015-12-04). "The Day Frank Zappa Died". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  6. ^ Maume, Chris (2015-10-12). "Gail Zappa: Frank Zappa's wife, muse and manager who ferociously protected his musical legacy". The Independent. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
  7. ^ Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock: [The Definitive Guide to More Than 1200 Artists and Bands] (3rd ed.). London: Rough Guides. p. 1211. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0. As a teenager, Zappa was simultaneously enthralled by black R&B (Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, Guitar Slim), doo-wop (The Channels, The Velvets), the modernist 20th century composers, such as Igor Stravinsky, Anton Webern and Edgard Varèse.
  8. ^ "Comedy rock". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  9. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (1993-12-12). "Pop Recordings". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-10-13.


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