Few rock and roll icons can match the originality, innovation, and prolific output of Frank Zappa. His synthesis of blues, rock, jazz, doo-wop, classical, and avant-garde, combined with irreverent lyrics and politically-oriented stage theatrics expanded the range of popular music. From his work with seminal 1960s freak band the Mothers of Invention to his final, posthumously-released studio project called Civilization: Phaze III (1994), Zappa made music by his own rules, rewriting the rules of the music industry in the process.

Frank Zappa

Frank Vincent Zappa was born December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Zappa family moved often, his father following wartime civil service employment until 1956 when they settled in Lancaster, California, north of Los Angeles. Frank's main interests during his formative years were chemistry (specifically explosives), drums, and the dissonant music of Edgard Varèse, a modern composer who worked with sound effects, electronics, and large...