Photo: Mark Estabrook / Attribution (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Frank Zappa remains, for me, the great argument against putting music into genres at all. Across more than sixty albums, nearly all self-produced, he moved between rock, jazz, orchestral writing, and musique concrete as if the borders simply did not apply to him, wielding satire as a scalpel the whole way. What I find most compelling is the contradiction: a countercultural icon who was also a famously disciplined workaholic and a fierce defender of free expression. The Hall of Fame induction and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award arrived after his death in 1993, which feels fitting; institutions always needed time to catch up with him. I suspect they still do.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Frank Zappa
- Name (Japanese)
- フランク・ザッパ
- Reading
- ふらんく・ざっぱ
- Born
- December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Dragon
- Origin
- Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Height
- 2 cm
- Occupation
- guitarist / singer / composer / voice actor / rock musician
2. Background
- High school
- Antelope Valley High School
- University
- Chaffey College
Awards & achievements
- 1997 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Frank Zappa born?
December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993.
Where is Frank Zappa from?
Frank Zappa is from Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
What does Frank Zappa do?
Frank Zappa works as guitarist, singer, composer, voice actor, rock musician.
How tall is Frank Zappa?
Frank Zappa is 2 cm.
Guitarist — see all → · Singer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.