Mother! The Frank Zappa Story

Written by Michael Gray, first edited by Plexus in 1993, ISBN 0-85965-333-1, revised and re-edited by Plexus in 1994, ISBN 0-85965-217-3.

From the re-edition bookcover:

"When FRANK ZAPPA died on December 4th, 1993, he was mourned not just by the music world but also by the international press, as one of the most popular and iconoclastic figures in the history of rock music. His band the Mothers of Invention was as much a formative part of the 1960s West Coast scene as the Grateful Dead, and his solo album Hot Rats influenced a generation of guitarists. His work as a classical composer was conducted - live and on record - by the distinguished conductors such as Pierre Boulez and Kent Nagano. But how much was actually known about this eccentric, yet multi-talented musician? Mother! The Frank Zappa Story reveals the tragically curtailed life and music of one of rock's most uncompromising personalities.

Michael Gray is a respected rock writer and critic - who has also worked in the music industry. Here, using his inside knowledge and experience, he traces the development of Zappa's life and career from his childhood in Maryland, his move to California and the formation of the Mothers of Invention, focusing on the pioneering work Zappa continued to do at the cutting edge of music technology.

A workaholic and perfectionist, Zappa never compromised. Until he was diagnosed with cancer in 1991, Frank Zappa continued to play to packed venues across the USA, Europe and the Far East. Mother! The Frank Zappa Story draws on a plethora of autobiographical material gleaned from the normally unco-operative but brutally articulate Zappa, to provide a timely reappraisal of one of the truly innovative talents of post-war popular music."