He began writing classical music in high school, while at the same time playing drums in rhythm-and-blues bands, later switching to electric guitar. While in his teens, he acquired a taste for 20th-century classical modernism, African-American rhythm and blues, and doo-wop music. Īs a self-taught composer and performer, Zappa had diverse musical influences that led him to create music that was sometimes difficult to categorize. He is considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation. Zappa also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral and musique concrète works, and produced almost all of the 60-plus albums that he released with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture. Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, singer, composer, songwriter and bandleader.
