Biography

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Preamble

From Baltimore to Cucamonga (1940-1964)

40's

Frank Vincent Zappa was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 21, 1940.

c. 1941-44 Zappa family lives in Edgewood, MD

c. 1944-50 Zappa family moves to Florida, then back to Baltimore, MD

50's

c. November 1951 Zappa family moves to Monterey, California

c. 1951-52 Zappa family moves to Pacific Grove, CA

Summer 1953 Monterey, CA - Keith McKillop's summer percussion school - Mice (first FZ composition)

c. 1953-54 Zappa family moves to Pomona, CA

1954 Zappa family moves to El Cajon, CA - FZ enters Grossmont High School, San Diego, CA

1955 San Diego, CA - The Ramblers: Elwood "Jr." Madeo (guitar), Stuart Congdon (piano), FZ (drums) + others

April, 1955 Grossmont High School, San Diego, CA - While at ninth grade FZ wins county Fire Prevention Week poster contest

c. 1955 FZ enters Mission Bay High School, San Diego, CA

December 21, 1955 FZ talks with Varèse's wife by phone

1956 Zappa family moves to Lancaster, CA - FZ enters Antelope Valley High School

August 12, 1957 Varèse sends a letter to FZ while he's in Baltimore, MD

c. 1957-58 - The Blackouts

1958 William Ballard lets FZ conduct the school orchestra - String Quartet, including: "A Pound For A Brown (On The Bus)", "Sleeping In A Jar"

c. 1958 The Blackouts from The Lost Episodes - Wayne Lyles (voice), Terry Wimberly (voice), Elwood "Jr." Madeo (voice), FZ (voice)

c. 1958 The Blackouts break up

c. 1958 FZ wins California statewide art contest with his painting "Family Room"

June 13, 1958 FZ graduates from High School

60's

Married Kaye Sherman December 28, 1960. Moved to G Street, Ontario

c. 1961 FZ audits a course on composition by Karl Kohn at Pomona College, Claremont, CA

c. 1961 FZ rents a white Fender Telecaster from Ontario Music Center, G Street, Ontario.

May, 1961 Ontario, CA - The Boogie Men: FZ - lead guitar, Doug Rost (rhythm guitar), Kenny Burgan (sax), Al Surratt (drums)

mid. 1961 FZ auditions Don Preston for a lounge band

June, 1961 FZ hired to write The World's Greatest Sinner (The Film) soundtrack

c. 1961-62 (during three months) Pomona, CA - Rex Jakabowski (guitar, harmonica, vocals), FZ (guitar), Ronnie Williams (guitar), Joe Perrino (piano), Dwight Bement (tenor sax), Al Surratt (drums)

c. 1961 FZ buys a Fender Jazzmaster

c. 1961 FZ meets Paul Buff and begins to work at PAL Recording Studio, Cucamonga, CA - recording of Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance from The Lost Episodes: FZ (guitar), Danny Helferin (piano), Chuck Foster (trumpet), Tony Rodriguez (alto sax), Caronga Ward (bass), Chuck Grove (drums). It's From Kansas from Lumpy Gravy may have been recorded here as well.

November, 1961-early 1962 [ten months] Tommy Sandi's Club Sahara, San Bernardino, CA - Joe Perrino & The Mellotones: Joe Perrino (piano), FZ (guitar), Dwight Bement (sax) + others

November, 1961 Chaffey Junior College, Alta Loma, CA: 8-piece rock'n'roll band including: FZ (guitar), Dwight Bement (various instruments)

Early December, 1961 Chaffey Junior College, Alta Loma, CA: 20-member chamber ensemble

December 17, 1961 Chaffey Junior College, Alta Loma, CA: Pomona Valley Orchestra (55-member) conducted by Fred E. Graff

c. 1961-62 Living Room in Ontario, CA: Ronnie Williams (voice), Kenny Williams (voice), FZ (guitar): recorded Ronnie Sings?, Kenny's Booger Story and Ronnie's Booger Story, all from The Lost Episodes.

1962 - The Masters - PAL Recording Studio, Cucamonga, CA - Paul Buff (probably drums, bass, piano), Ronnie Williams (guitar), FZ (guitar): recorded Breaktime (Williams/Buff/FZ)

1962 The Masters - Sixteen Tons (Travis) / Breaktime (Williams/Buff/FZ) (Emmy E 1008)

c. May, 1962 Don Preston's Garage: Don Preston - keyboards, films, assorted percussion (including a bicycle), Bunk Gardner - woodwinds, Buzz Gardner - trumpet, Vic Mio - bass, Jack Lake - percussion, + FZ - films, percussion

c. August, 1962 PAL Recording Studio, Cucamonga, CA: Paul Buff (guitar, organ, drums, saxes), Dave Aerni (bass), Mike Dineri (sax), FZ (comb) - recorded Heavies (Aerni/Buff) (intro heard in Nasal Retentive Calliope Music) on We're Only In It For The Money) and The Cruncher (Aerni/Buff).

September, 1962 Channel 7 - Don Preston, FZ and the rest audition for a TV program

December, 1962 PAL Recording Studio, Cucamonga, CA, Produced by Dave Aerni, Engineered by FZ - The Tornadoes: Gerald Sanders (bass), Roly Sanders (guitar), Jesse Sanders (guitar), George White (sax), Leonard Delaney (drums) - recorded Moon Dawg (Weaver), The Inebriated Surfer (Sanders), Shootin' Beavers (Sanders), The Swag (Grant/Wray), Raw-Hide (Grant/Wray), Malagueña (Lecuona), The Tornado (Aerni), Bumble Bee Stomp (Sanders/Delaney/White), Vaquero (Tomsco), Johnny B. Goode (Berry)

...

The Mothers of Invention (1965-1969)

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

Hot Rats / Mothers / Wazoo (1970-1972)

1970

1971

1972

Discreet (1973-1975)

1973

1974

1975

Zappa / Barking Pumpkin (1976-1980)

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

Them Or Us (1981-1984)

1981

1982

1983

1984

The Last Tour (1985-1993)

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

The Zappa Family Trust (1994 et sq.)

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

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