- Zappa, Francis Vincent
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▪ 1994("FRANK"), U.S. rock musician and composer (b. Dec. 21, 1940, Baltimore, Md.—d. Dec. 4, 1993, Los Angeles, Calif.), during his three-decade-long career, released over 50 albums in a variety of musical styles—from rock and jazz to avant-garde classical; Absolutely Free (1967) blended rock, rhythm and blues, and the music of Igor Stravinsky and Edgard Varèse. He was also known for his satiric works and for his sometimes scatological lyrics. Zappa moved to California with his family when he was 10 and during the 1950s began his musical studies. When he was in high school, he was a drummer with the Blackouts, and at 18 he switched to the guitar, having taught himself. Zappa wrote movie scores in 1960 and 1963 and in 1964 began working with the Soul Giants; the group later became the Mothers and then the Mothers of Invention. The band released its first album, the double record Freak Out!, in 1966. In 1967 Zappa, with a 50-piece orchestra, recorded Lumpy Gravy and with the Mothers of Invention spent several months in residence at the Garrick Theater in New York City's Greenwich Village. The group disbanded in 1969 but was re-formed in 1971. It was renamed Zappa in 1979. Over the years Zappa formed several record labels—among them, Bizarre, Straight, and Barking Pumpkin—and released such albums as We're Only in It for the Money (1967), Uncle Meat (1969), Hot Rats (1970), Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970), Sheik Yerbouti (1979), Shut Up 'n' Play Yer Guitar (1981), and Jazz from Hell (1988), a Grammy award winner. His sound track for 200 Motels was performed in concert with Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1970. His greatest commercial success came in 1982 with "Valley Girl," a parody of California slang featuring his daughter Moon Unit (his other children were named Dweezil, Ahmet, and Diva). In 1985 Zappa took up the fight against the censorship of rock lyrics, and his campaign encouraging young people to register to vote resulted in 11,000 new names on the rolls for the 1988 election.
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Universalium. 2010.