
Acting
Born December 21, 1940 · Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
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.

Frank Zappa & The Mothers: Roxy: The Movie
2015

Cheepnis
2014

Frank Zappa: Roxy, 1973
2007

The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
1988

Video from Hell
1987

The Amazing Mr. Bickford
1987

Uncle Meat
1987
Night Flight with Frank Zappa, Porn Wars
1985

Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
1985

Frank Zappa: The Dub Room Special!
1982

Frank Zappa: Baby Snakes
1979

Frank Zappa - Over-Nite Sensation
1973

200 Motels
1971

Burnt Weeny Sandwich
1969

Nova '78
2025

Frank Zappa: Cheaper Than Cheep
2025

Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
2025

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention: Live at Whisky a Go Go 1968
2024

Cover Your Ears
2023

Steve Vai - His First 30 Years: The Documentary
2022

Rock this Town
2022

Kalvøyafestivalen - 50 år siden første riff
2021

The Velvet Underground
2021

Classic Albums: Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out!
2021

The Art of Dissent
2021

Larry Flynt for President
2021

Zappa
2020
Stupor Mundi: Book 3, The Most Dangerous Encounter
2019

Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
2019

Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind
2019

Echo in the Canyon
2019

Marian Briozzo
2018

Take Your Pills
2018

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
2016
Stupor Mundi: Livre 1, Rituel de décapitation du pape
2016
Stupor Mundi: Livre 2, Les Hommes qui mangèrent la montagne
2016
Zapped: Frank Zappa par Frank Zappa
2016

Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention - The Lost Broadcast: The Beat Club '68
2016

Frank Zappa & The Mothers: Roxy: The Movie
2015

Feats First: The Life and Music of Lowell George
2015