Frank Vincent Zappa

@Musicians, Family and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Frank Zappa was a versatile musician who covered various musical genres over a long and productive career Maryland American Musicians Guitarists ISTP Sagittarius Celebrities Frank Zappa was a versatile musician who wore many hats—he was a guitarist, singer and composer whose works have covered a variety of musical genres like rock, jazz and orchestral symphonies. Regarded a pioneer in the field of music, Zappa found his inspiration from avant-garde musical composers and developed an unconventional and unique approach to creating music. He loved music from a young age and began composing classical music while in high school. He also played drums and guitar in rhythm and blues bands. He was largely a self-taught musician known to combine different musical genres while composing music, thereby making it difficult to precisely classify his style. What further added to his appeal was that along with creating hybrid music, he also wrote lyrics that were satirical, humourous and abstract. Zappa was asked to take over a band called The Soul Giants which he renamed as The Mothers of Invention and released his debut album, ‘Freak Out!’, considered to be rock music’s first concept album. He valued his artistic freedom more than commercial success and preferred to work as an independent artist for most of his long and productive career spanning over three decades. Unlike many other musicians who were into drugs, Zappa was a passionate anti-drug crusader.

Personal Details

Birthday: December 21, 1940 Died on: December 4, 1993 Nationality: American Famous: Musicians, Musicians, Guitarists, ISTP City/State: Maryland Spouses: Kathryn J. Known as: Frank Zappa Information Detail Birthday December 21, 1940 Died on December 4, 1993 Nationality American Famous Musicians, Musicians, Guitarists, ISTP City/State Maryland Spouses Kathryn J. Known as Frank Zappa Childrens Ahmet Zappa Birth Place Baltimore, Maryland, U.S Religion Atheist Gender Male Father Francis Zappa Mother Rose Marie Colimore Sun Sign Sagittarius Born in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S Famous as American musician Died at Age 52

Baltimore, Maryland, U.S

Frank Vincent Zappa born at Unsplash Birth Place

He married Kathryn Sherman in 1960 and divorced her in 1964. Unsplash Personal Life

He married Adelaide Gail Sloatman in 1967. The couple had a loving marriage that produced four children and lasted till his death in 1993. Unsplash Personal Life

He was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 1990 and died in 1993 at the age of 52. Unsplash Personal Life

He was born as the eldest of four siblings to Francis Vincent Zappa and Rose Marie. His father, a chemist cum mathematician worked in the defense industry and the family moved often because of his job requirements. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

As a child he was accidentally exposed to mustard gas and radium due to which he was afflicted with several sicknesses, such as, asthma, earaches and sinus. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Because of his family’s frequent relocations he attended several high schools. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

While attending Mission Bay High School, he started playing drums for a band. He did not like mainstream music and was influenced by avant-garde composers like Varese, Anton Webern, and Igor Stravinsky. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He went to Antelope Valley High School from where he graduated in 1958. He wrote orchestral pieces and conducted performances for his school orchestra. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He moved out of his house in 1959 and worked in advertising for a short period while trying to get a footing as a musician and composer. He played gigs at different nightclubs and recorded soundtracks for low-budget movies. Unsplash Career

He wrote songs and composed music for other artists during the early 1960’s. He recorded some songs with singer-songwriter Ray Collins and Paul Buff, which helped him earn enough money to stage his own concert in 1963. Unsplash Career

In 1965, he was asked to join the Rhythm & Blues band Soul Giants by Ray Collins. He joined as a singer cum guitarist, and renamed the band The Mothers of Invention. Unsplash Career

The band released their debut album ‘Freak Out!’ in 1966. Considered to be among the first ever concept albums in rock music, the album did well in Europe and has since then garnered a cult following. Unsplash Career

The very next year two albums were released: ‘Absolutely Free’ which comprised lyrics of political and social satire, and ‘Lumpy Gravy’ which featured orchestral music. Unsplash Career

Frank Zappa was a versatile musician who was highly respected and admired for his unconventional style of ‘hybrid’ music which combined rock, jazz, and classical genres. The prolific entertainer had released over 60 albums during his lifetime which continue to inspire avant-garde musicians even today. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	December 21, 1940
Died on	December 4, 1993
Nationality	American
Famous	Musicians, Musicians, Guitarists, ISTP
City/State	Maryland
Spouses	Kathryn J.
Known as	Frank Zappa
Childrens	Ahmet Zappa
Birth Place	Baltimore, Maryland, U.S
Religion	Atheist
Gender	Male
Father	Francis Zappa
Mother	Rose Marie Colimore
Sun Sign	Sagittarius
Born in	Baltimore, Maryland, U.S
Famous as	American musician
Died at Age	52

Frank Vincent Zappa

American

Dec 21, 1940

Biography

Personal Details

Baltimore, Maryland, U.S