Frank Vincent Zappa's biggest idol was the classical composer "Francesco Zappa", who lived in the 18th century in Milan. He was known for his brilliant Trisonatas.

Zappa's first band was named "The Blackouts", renamed a little later to "The Omens". His one and only schooltime friend Don van Vliet took part within this project. Later He became known as "Captain Beefheart".

Don van Vliet 2002. 
He nowadays lives in 
the Mojave Desert and dedicated his live
to painting. His former band - "the Magic Band"
is presently touring around the globe.

Frank had to go to to prison for 10 days when he was 18. He also was judged not to get close to a woman aged under 21 without an adult.

His first successful band  "The Mothers" was so bizare, that even the Rolling Stones seemed to like Quireboys compared to them. For the release of their first record "Freak Out", they were forced to change their name.  The label manager thought, no radiostation ever is gonna play a song fo a band with this name. From then on the "Mothers" became the "Mothers Of Invention".

the mothers of invention #1 1966
Jimmy Carl Black (drums)  -  2nd from the right
  Roy Estrada (Bass)
Elliot Ingber (git.)
Frank Zappa (Git)

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Jimmy Black 2002
nowadays lives close to Munich
and played with Farrel & Black and 
The Grandmothers Of Invention

In 1966, Frank Zappa was the first musician, who released a Double-Album.

No other rockband suffered more line up changes than the band of Frank Zappa. Zappa had never been 100% happy with his musicians and his music. There were presumingly  over 100 musicians, who played with Zappa throughout the years. 
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Terry Bozzio 2002
..was just one of many drummers playing 
with Zappa. Nowadays he's a successful
musician and belongs to the best on the planet

Zappa did many gueststints with other artists. One of them were "The Monkees", who were known, that in the beginning, they even couldn't play an instrument.

In 1985 Frank Zapps went to president Ronald Reagan to protest against the strict US-law about song lyrics.

In 1986 Frank took part in the TV series "Miami Vice". He played a drugdealer, who fell from a speedboat at the end. .

With his second wife Gail, an English woman and passionate tea drinker (married in 1969), he had 2 sons. Dweezil (named after his little toe) and Ahmed Redan, and also two daughters, Moon Unit and Diva. All four of them became musicians.  
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Ahmed & Dweezil Zappa 1991
 in London for the release of Dweezils first record

With his daughter Moon, Frank recorded a song "Valley Girl" in 1982. The song was a parody about the Californian way of life. It became Zappa's one and only commercial successful hit in the US.

The astronom L.Brozek discovered the astroid Nr. 3834 on may 11th 1980. He took his rights to give this star a name and christened him "Zapparfrank". A real star.

In 1992 tschech. president Vaclac Havel named Zappa as his cultural minister. After that, Frank seriously considered to go for the US president elections, but pulled out because of his wick health conditions.

Frank Zappa had never touched drugs throughout his life. Only once he tried to smoke marihuana. He said afterwards: I felt tired and had a aching throat.  That was all. And if I ever catch one of my musicians taking drugs on stage, he's off  immidiately. 

With more than 60 albums and lots of videos etc, many of them not even released so far, the artist Zappa has the biggest song catalogue in rock history. His widow Gail is taking care of it in a so called family trust 'till the very day. 

Gail Zappa 2002

Frank Zappa died 2 weeks before his 53rd birthday in Laurel/California at a too late discovered prostata cancer.

Frank 1993
just before the premiere of his musical 
masterpiece "Yellow Shark" 

Fans of Frank Zappa have contributed the very first Zappa statue in Vilnius.It's placed on a 4meter high socket.

At the smalltown Bad Doberach in Germany, each year there is a big festival held called "Zappanale"

The Grandmothers of Invention 2003
continue Frank Zappas heritage 
Don Preston (Klavier, Synthesizer), Roy Estrada (Bass), Bunk Gardner (Saxophone)
and Napoleon Murphy Brock (vocals, Saxophone) sometimes Ken Rosser (Gitar) and Chris Garcia (drums)