Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa ( 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. His work is characterized by nonconformity, improvisation sound experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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References
Title | Summary | |
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Colin Richardson's 1978 Interview with Harry Nilsson | ... Randy Newman, Laura Nyro , Frank Zappa . COLIN: He ... | |
The Monkees | ... Cooper , Spandau Ballet , Frank Zappa , Harry Nilsson , ... | |
Hal Zieger | ... Safaris. [1] Life Magazine , Frank Zappa (1968-06-28) ... | |
Fred Wolf | ... The Box and had worked on Frank Zappa's 200 Motels . ... |
Connection Chains
- From One to Frank Zappa in 17 Steps
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- From Frank Zappa to Harry Nilsson in 15 Steps
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- From How Can I Be Sure of You to Frank Zappa in 14 Steps
- From The Lottery Song to Frank Zappa in 14 Steps
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- From Frank Zappa to Joe Ely in 14 Steps
- From Frank Zappa to Walking on Thin Ice in 14 Steps
- From Frank Zappa to Celeste Alone in 13 Steps
- From Bobby Keys to Frank Zappa in 13 Steps
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- From Together to Frank Zappa in 13 Steps
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- From Frank Zappa to Guess Who's Coming To Lunch in 13 Steps
- From Frank Zappa to Daylight Has Caught Me in 12 Steps
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Connections
- 200 Motels featured Frank Zappa
- Chad Wackerman played drums for Frank Zappa
- Frank Zappa starred in 200 Motels