Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. Zappa produced almost all of the more than 60 albums he released with the band The Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. While in his teens, he acquired a taste for percussion-based avant-garde composers such as Edgard Varèse and 1950s rhythm and blues music. He began writing classical music in high school, while at the same time playing drums in rhythm and blues bands; he later switched to electric guitar. He was a self-taught composer and performer, and his diverse musical influences led him to create music that was often impossible to categorize. His 1966 debut album with The Mothers of Invention, Freak Out!, combined songs in conventional rock and roll format with collective improvisations and studio-generated sound collages. His later albums shared this eclectic and experimental approach, irrespective of whether the fundamental format was one of rock, jazz or classical. He wrote the lyrics to all his songs, which—often humorously—reflected his iconoclastic view of established social and political processes, structures and movements. 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. Zappa was a highly productive and prolific artist and gained widespread critical acclaim. Many of his albums are considered essential in rock and jazz history. He is regarded as one of the most original guitarists and composers of his time. He also remains a major influence on musicians and composers. He had some commercial success, particularly in Europe, and for most of his career was able to work as an independent artist. Zappa was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Zappa was married to Kathryn J. "Kay" Sherman from 1960 to 1964. In 1967, he married Adelaide Gail Sloatman, with whom he remained until his death from prostate cancer in 1993. They had four children: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. Gail Zappa manages the businesses of her late husband under the name the Zappa Family Trust. Description above from the Wikipedia article Frank Zappa, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
Nova '78
as Self (archive footage)
Nova '78
as Self (archive footage)
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
as Self (archive footage)
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
as Self (archive footage)
Steve Vai - His First 30 Years: The Documentary
as Self (archive footage)
Steve Vai - His First 30 Years: The Documentary
as Self (archive footage)
Rock this Town
as Self (archive footage)
Rock this Town
as Self (archive footage)
Kalvøyafestivalen - 50 år siden første riff
as Self (archive footage)
Kalvøyafestivalen - 50 år siden første riff
as Self (archive footage)
The Velvet Underground
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Velvet Underground
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Classic Albums: Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out!
as Self
Classic Albums: Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out!
as Self
The Art of Dissent
as Self - Subject (archive footage)
The Art of Dissent
as Self - Subject (archive footage)
Larry Flynt for President
as Self (archive footage)
Larry Flynt for President
as Self (archive footage)
Zappa
as Self (archive footage)
Zappa
as Self (archive footage)
Stupor Mundi: Book 3, The Most Dangerous Encounter
as Self (archive footage)
Stupor Mundi: Book 3, The Most Dangerous Encounter
as Self (archive footage)
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
as Self (archive footage)
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
as Self (archive footage)
Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind
as Self (archive footage)
Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind
as Self (archive footage)
Cosmic Debris
as Himself (archive footage)
Cosmic Debris
as Himself (archive footage)
Take Your Pills
as Self (archive footage)
Take Your Pills
as Self (archive footage)
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
as Self (archive footage)
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
as Self (archive footage)
Stupor Mundi: Livre 2, Les Hommes qui mangèrent la montagne
as Self (archive footage)
Stupor Mundi: Livre 2, Les Hommes qui mangèrent la montagne
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention - The Lost Broadcast: The Beat Club '68
as Self
Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention - The Lost Broadcast: The Beat Club '68
as Self
Frank Zappa & The Mothers: Roxy: The Movie
as Himself
Frank Zappa & The Mothers: Roxy: The Movie
as Himself
Feats First: The Life and Music of Lowell George
as Self (archive footage)
Feats First: The Life and Music of Lowell George
as Self (archive footage)
Led Zeppelin Played Here
as Self (archive footage)
Led Zeppelin Played Here
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Zappa – Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily
as Himself (archive Footage)
Frank Zappa – Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily
as Himself (archive Footage)
Made in Japan: The Rise of Deep Purple Mk II
as Self (archive footage)
Made in Japan: The Rise of Deep Purple Mk II
as Self (archive footage)
Cheepnis
as Himself
Cheepnis
as Himself
Super Duper Alice Cooper
as Self (archive footage)
Super Duper Alice Cooper
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Zappa: A Token Of His Extreme
as Himself
Frank Zappa: A Token Of His Extreme
as Himself
Hart & Soul - The Hart Family Anthology
as Self (archive footage)
Hart & Soul - The Hart Family Anthology
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Zappa - Live in Paris 1980
as Self
Frank Zappa - Live in Paris 1980
as Self
Frank Zappa: The Broadcast Archives
as Self
Frank Zappa: The Broadcast Archives
as Self
The Wrecking Crew
as Self (archive footage)
The Wrecking Crew
as Self (archive footage)
Classic Albums: Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (') Over-Nite Sensation
as Self (archive footage)
Classic Albums: Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (') Over-Nite Sensation
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Zappa: A Pioneer of the Future of Music
Frank Zappa: A Pioneer of the Future of Music
Fuck
as Self (archive footage)
Fuck
as Self (archive footage)
Derailroaded
as Self (archive footage)
Derailroaded
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Zappa: Phase II - The Big Note
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Zappa: Phase II - The Big Note
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Zappa: The Present-Day Composer Refuses To Die
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Zappa: The Present-Day Composer Refuses To Die
as Self (archive footage)
The Artist Formerly Known As Captain Beefheart
as Himself (archive footage)
The Artist Formerly Known As Captain Beefheart
as Himself (archive footage)
Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees
as Mike Nesmith (archive footage)
Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees
as Mike Nesmith (archive footage)
An American Dissident: un tributo a Frank Zappa
as Self (archive footage)
An American Dissident: un tributo a Frank Zappa
as Self (archive footage)
A Life of Extravaganza - The Genius Frank Zappa
as Self
A Life of Extravaganza - The Genius Frank Zappa
as Self
Frank Zappa: Peefeeyatko
as Self
Frank Zappa: Peefeeyatko
as Self
Decade
as Self
Decade
as Self
Funny
as Self
Funny
as Self
The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
as Self
The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
as Self
Frank Zappa: Live in Barcelona
Frank Zappa: Live in Barcelona
Video from Hell
as Self
Video from Hell
as Self
Uncle Meat
as Self / The Imaginary Director
Uncle Meat
as Self / The Imaginary Director
Frank Zappa: The Dub Room Special!
as Self
Frank Zappa: The Dub Room Special!
as Self
Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere
as Self
Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere
as Self
Baby Snakes
as Self
Baby Snakes
as Self
Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here
as Self
Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here
as Self
Deep Purple: Made In Japan
as Self (archive footage)
Deep Purple: Made In Japan
as Self (archive footage)
200 Motels
as Member of Mothers of Invention (uncredited)
200 Motels
as Member of Mothers of Invention (uncredited)
Frank Zappa
as Self
Frank Zappa
as Self
Head
as The Critic
Head
as The Critic
You Are What You Eat
You Are What You Eat
Mondo Hollywood
Mondo Hollywood
The Big T.N.T. Show
as Self (uncredited)
The Big T.N.T. Show
as Self (uncredited)