80 years ago today, the late Frank Zappa was born in Baltimore, MD on 12/21/40. Zappa died on 12/4/93 but had an unparalleled career as a musician, songwriter, composer, record producer, actor and filmmaker. Zappa produced almost all of the more than 60 albums he released with the band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist and there still is a flow of archival material being released. The list of artists influenced by Zappa is endless as he laid the foundation for satire, humor in rock and was a proponent of free speech and non-commercialism – ensuring that music remains an art form that should not be influenced by business decisions. Watch Zappa and the Mothers of Invention live from Stockholm on 8/21/73.
