Frank Zappa
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.
Sex in Today's World
(Self)
Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution
(Self)
Frank Zappa - Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily
(Himself (archive Footage))
Video From Hell
(Self)
Cheepnis
(Himself)
Frank Zappa filmt 200 Motels
(Self)
200 Motels
(Member of Mothers of Invention (uncredited))
Frank Zappa: The Torture Never Stops
(Self)
Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere
(Self)
Frank Zappa: The Present-Day Composer Refuses To Die
(Self (archive footage))
Frank Zappa: Phase II - The Big Note
(Self (archive footage))
Burnt Weeny Sandwich
(Self)
Zapped: Frank Zappa par Frank Zappa
(Self - Subject (archive footage))
Funny
(Self)
Hey, Hey We're The Monkees
(Mike Nesmith (archive footage))
Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s
(Self (archive footage))
Fuck
(Self (archive footage))
EAV Rarities
(Self (archive footage))
Super Duper Alice Cooper
(Self (archive footage))
Deep Purple: Made In Japan
(Self (archive footage))
Made in Japan: The Rise of Deep Purple Mk II
(Himself (archive footage))
Led Zeppelin Played Here
(Self (archive footage))
Feats First: The Life and Music of Lowell George
(Self (archive footage))
Stupor Mundi: Livre 1, Rituel de décapitation du pape
(Self (archive footage))
Head
(The Critic)
Frank Zappa: Music In Review
(Self (archive footage))
A Life of Extravaganza - The Genius Frank Zappa
(Self)
Tom Arnold: The Naked Truth
(Self)
Amougies (Music Power - European Music Revolution)
(Self)
Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here
(Self)
The Rolling Stones - The First 20 Years
(Self)
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
(Self (archive footage))
Echo in the Canyon
(Self (archive footage) (uncredited))
Take Your Pills
(Self (archive footage))
Larry Flynt for President
(Self (archive footage))
The Amazing Mr. Bickford
(Self)
Classic Albums: Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (') Over-Nite Sensation
(Self (archive footage))
Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
(Self)
Night Flight with Frank Zappa, Porn Wars
(Self)
Baby Snakes
(Self)
Frank Zappa: We Don't Mess Around
(Self)
Pražákům, těm je hej
(Self)
Uncle Meat
(Self / The Imaginary Director)
Frank Zappa: The Broadcast Archives
(Self)
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention: In the 1960's
(Himself)
Frank Zappa - Live in Paris 1980
(Self)
The Big T.N.T. Show
(Self (uncredited))
Kalvøyafestivalen - 50 år siden første riff
(Self (archive footage))
The Art of Dissent
(Self - Subject (archive footage))
The Velvet Underground
(Self (archive footage) (uncredited))
Stupor Mundi: Livre 2, Les Hommes qui mangèrent la montagne
(Self (archive footage))
Manson: Music From an Unsound Mind
(Self (archive footage))
Stupor Mundi: Livre 3, La plus dangereuse rencontre
(Self (archive footage))
Hart & Soul - The Hart Family Anthology
(Self (archive footage))
An American Dissident: un tributo a Frank Zappa
(Self (archive footage))
Frank Zappa: The Dub Room Special!
(Self)
The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
(Self)
Frank Zappa: A Token of His Extreme
(Himself)
Frank Zappa - John, Dan And Me
(Himself)
Rock this Town
(Self (archive footage))
Frank Zappa: A Token Of His Extreme
(Himself)
Classic Albums: Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out!
(Self)
Frank Zappa: Live in Barcelona
Frank Zappa: Peefeeyatko
(Self)
All My Loving
(Self)
Cocaine Blues
(Himself)
Porridge and kerosene
(Self (archive footage))
The Male Swagger
(Guitarist (archive footage))
The Revenge of the Dead Indians
(Himself)
Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention - The Lost Broadcast: The Beat Club '68
(Self)
Steve Vai - His First 30 Years: The Documentary
(Self (archive footage))
Over-Nite Sensation
(guitar & vocals)
Your vote
(Self)
From Straight to Bizarre
(Self)
The Wrecking Crew
(Self (archive footage))
Roxy: The Movie
(Himself)
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
(Self (archive footage))
Live at Whisky a Go Go 1968
Frank Zappa
(Self)
Frank Zappa: A Pioneer of the Future of Music
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
(Attila)
The Artist Formerly Known As Captain Beefheart
(Himself (archive footage))
You Are What You Eat
Marian Briozzo
(Himself (archive footage))
Mondo Hollywood
Služební cesta podporučíka Svěráka
(Self (archive footage))
The Yellow Shark
(Self)
Decade
(Self)
Derailroaded
(Self (archive footage))
Uncle Howard
(Self (archive footage))
Frank Zappa: The Freak Out List
(Himself)
Zappa
(Self (archive footage))
Frank Zappa - Over-Nite Sensation
Cover Your Ears
(Self - Musician (archive footage))
Miami Vice
The Monkees
Saturday Night Live
(Self - Musical Guest)
Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop
(Self (archive footage))
Laurel Canyon
(Self (archive footage))
The Ren & Stimpy Show
(The Pope (voice))
Good Evening — I'm Jonathan King
(Himself)
Late Night Line-Up
(Himself)
Omnibus
(Self)
Beat-Club
(Self)
Faerie Tale Theatre
(Attilla)
Saturday Night Live
(Self - Host & Musical Guest)
Classic Albums
(Self (archive footage))
Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution
(Self)
200 Motels
(Director)
200 Motels
(Screenplay)
The Amazing Mr. Bickford
(Director)
The Amazing Mr. Bickford
(Writer)
Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
(Director)
200 Motels
(Music)
Baby Snakes
(Director)
Baby Snakes
(Producer)
Uncle Meat
(Director)
Uncle Meat
(Writer)
Frank Zappa: Peefeeyatko
(Producer)
Frank Zappa: Peefeeyatko
(Music)
Video From Hell
(Director)
Band from Utopia: A Tribute to the Music of Frank Zappa
(Music)
Frank Zappa: A Token Of His Extreme
(Editor)
Run Home Slow
(Original Music Composer)
Over-Nite Sensation
(Compositor)
Over-Nite Sensation
(Orchestrator)
Over-Nite Sensation
(Author)
The World's Greatest Sinner
(Original Music Composer)
Roxy: The Movie
(Director)
Roxy: The Movie
(Writer)
Baby Snakes
(Music)
Video From Hell
(Writer)
Video From Hell
(Producer)
Video From Hell
(Music)
Video From Hell
(Camera Operator)
Cheepnis
(Director)
Cheepnis
(Producer)
Cheepnis
(Editor)
Cheepnis
(Music)
Frank Zappa: The Dub Room Special!
(Music)
The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
(Director)
Cousteau: Alaska: Outrage at Valdez
(Music)
The Yellow Shark
(Music)
The Yellow Shark
(Conductor)
Frank Zappa: The Torture Never Stops
(Music)
Frank Zappa: A Token Of His Extreme
(Music)
Roxy: The Movie
(Music)
The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
(Writer)
The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
(Producer)
The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
(Music)
Burnt Weeny Sandwich
(Music)
Baby Snakes
(Writer)
Baby Snakes
(Editor)
Uncle Meat
(Producer)
Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
(Writer)
Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
(Producer)
Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
(Music)
The Amazing Mr. Bickford
(Music)
The Amazing Mr. Bickford
(Producer)
Zappa
(Music)
200 Motels
(Music Arranger)
Frank Zappa - Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily
(Music)
1982. L'estate di Frank
(Music)
Beasts
(Music)
Stupor Mundi: Livre 1, Rituel de décapitation du pape
(Music)
Live at Whisky a Go Go 1968
(Music)
Night Flight with Frank Zappa, Porn Wars
(Director)
Night Flight with Frank Zappa, Porn Wars
(Writer)
Roxy: The Movie
(Producer)
The Manipulator
(Props)
Frank Zappa: The Dub Room Special!
(Director)
Frank Zappa: The Dub Room Special!
(Writer)
Burnt Weeny Sandwich
(Director)
Frank Zappa
(Music)
Frank Zappa - Over-Nite Sensation
(Director)
Frank Zappa - Over-Nite Sensation
(Writer)
Duckman
(In Memory Of)