Bobby Zappa

From Zappa Wiki Jawaka
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Charles Robert Zappa (29 August, 1943 - 8 December 2018), aka Bobby Zappa was one of Frank Zappa's younger brothers who wrote one magazine article and two books about him. In a 2016 discussion[1] he observed

I have been amazed at the level of detail that so many fans believe they know about Frank's life and times. Some of that detail surprises even me, other parts are simply ridiculous or, at best, harmless misinterpretation of facts. Whatever the basis for the comments, though, it's clear that they represent a measure of respect and admiration for Frank, for which my sister, Candy, brother Carl and I gratefully acknowledge.

Biography

Frank Zappa (left) with Jason Zappa (centre), the son of Bobby Zappa (right).

Charles Robert Zappa was born in 1943 as the second child and son of Francis Zappa (1905-1973) and Rose Marie Zappa (1912-2004). He was the second youngest brother of Frank Zappa (1940-1993) and the older brother of Carl Zappa (1948-2020) and Patrice Zappa, aka "Candy" (1951). In the 1950s he occasionally played guitar with Frank and Don Van Vliet. One of these jams, Lost In A Whirlpool, can be heard on The Lost Episodes (1995). Another track from the same session, The Search For Tom Dooley, has remained unreleased.

Bob Zappa studied History at Cal Poly school in Pomona. He received a master in education at Lehman College at the City University of New York and later received a research diploma in Sociology at the University of Stockholm in Sweden. In 1968 Bobby wrote an article for the magazine Jazz & Pop about his famous brother, named My Brother Is an Italian Mother. In 2015 he published a book, Frankie & Bobby, Growing Up Zappa (2015), which was followed by a second part in 2017 named Frankie & Bobby: The Rest of Our Story (2017). Both describe his memories about his brother, but also the people in his vicinity, such as Gail Zappa and Herb Cohen. The books also delve in detail about other people in Zappa's family, including his parents and children.

On 8 December 2018 Dweezil Zappa announced on his Twitter page that Bobby Zappa had passed away. [2]

References


External links