About
Frank Vincent Zappa was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and died in Los Angeles, California. A prolific figure in 20th-century music, he produced nearly all of his more than 60 albums, both solo and with his band The Mothers of Invention. His work spans rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral, and musique concrète. He released landmark albums such as Freak Out! (1966), Hot Rats (1969), and Apostrophe (') (1974). A First Amendment advocate, he testified before the U.S. Senate in 1985 against music censorship. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
* 1940-12-21 — † 1993-12-04
Major works
- Freak Out! (1966)album
- Hot Rats (1969)album
- Apostrophe (') (1974)album
- Sheik Yerbouti (1979)album
- Joe's Garage (1979)album
Key milestones
- 1966Release of the album Freak Out! with The Mothers of Invention, one of the earliest double albums and concept albums in rock.
- 1985Testified before the U.S. Senate against music censorship proposals by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC).
- 1995Posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Themes
Social satireFreedom of speechMusical experimentationCritique of censorshipEclecticism
Sources: id.loc.gov · library.rockhall.com · cleveland.com
