Frank Zappa

Frank Vincent Zappa (English: Frank Vincent Zappa, December 21, 1940 - December 4, 1993), American composer, singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and film director. Throughout his career spanning more than 30 years, his musical output has spanned rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, electronic, orchestral and concrete styles. At the same time, Frank Zappa also participated in directing feature films and music videos, and designing album covers. He produced and released over 60 albums both with the band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. His work is known for its unconventional approach, improvisation, sonic experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire on popular culture. He is considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation. As a nearly self-taught composer and musician, Zappa was influenced by a wide range of music, so much of the music he composed sometimes defied categorization. As a teenager he became interested in 20th century modern classical music, Afro-R&B and doo-wop. He began composing classical music in high school while playing drums in a rhythm and blues band, and later switched to playing electric guitar. His 1966 debut studio album with the Mothers of Invention, Freak out!, combined seemingly traditional but ironic rock music with avant-garde sound collage. He continued this eclectic, experimental approach throughout his career. Zappa's work is united by a continuum of what he calls "plans/goals," and many phrases, ingenuities, and characters recur throughout his albums. His lyrics reflected his iconoclastic views on existing social trends, political institutions and movements, and were often humorous, and he was considered the godfather of comedy rock. He was a strident critic of mainstream education and the church, and an outspoken and passionate advocate of free speech, self-education, political participation and the abolition of censorship. Unlike many rock musicians of his generation, he disapproved of the use of recreational drugs but supported their legalization and regulation. Zappa was a controversial, criticized, and prolific musician whose fans appreciated the complexity of his compositions while critics considered it to lack emotional depth. He achieved greater commercial success outside the United States, particularly in Europe. Although Zappa is an independent musician, his main source of income relies on his relationship with