Frank Zappa / The Mothers of Invention

Born Frank Vincent Zappa, December 21, 1940, Baltimore, Maryland; died December 4, 1993, Los Angeles, California.  For Vance Masters, who has been very patient... ;-)

The Black-Outs ( ? - ? )
  • Frank Zappa - guitar/vocals
  • Others...
The Soots (1963)
  • Frank Zappa - guitar/vocals
  • Captain Beefheart - harmonica/vocals - b. Don Van Vliet, January 15, 1941, Glendale, California.
The Soul Giants / The Muthers / The Mothers of Invention I (1964)
  • Frank Zappa - guitar/vocals
  • Ray Collins - vocals
  • Roy Estrada - bass
  • Dave Coronada - sax
  • Jimmy Carl Black - drums
The Mothers of Invention II(1964 - 1966)
  • Frank Zappa - guitar/vocals
  • Ray Collins - vocals
  • Roy Estrada - bass
  • Jimmy Carl Black - drums
  • Elliot Ingber - guitar
Album:
  1. "Freak Out!" (1966)
Elliot Ingber joins Captain Beefheart.
The Mothers of Invention III(1966 - 1967)
  • Frank Zappa - guitar/vocals
  • Ray Collins - vocals
  • Roy Estrada - bass
  • Jimmy Carl Black - drums
  • Bunk Gardner - sax
  • Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood - guitar
  • Don Preston - keyboards
  • Billy Mundi - drums
Albums:
  1. "Absolutely Free" (1967)
  2. "Lumpy Gravy" (1967)
  3. "Tis the Season to be Jelly" (live) (1991) - recorded in 1967.
Billy Mundi joins Rhinoceros.
The Mothers of Invention IV(1967 - 1969)
  • Frank Zappa - guitar/vocals
  • Ray Collins - vocals
  • Roy Estrada - bass
  • Jimmy Carl Black - drums
  • Bunk Gardner - sax
  • Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood - guitar
  • Don Preston - keyboards
Albums:
  1. "We're Only in It for the Money" (1968)
  2. "Cruising with Ruben & The Jets" (1968)
  3. "Uncle Meat" (2-CDs) (1969)
  4. "Ahead Of Their Time" (live) (1993) - recorded in 1968.
The Mothers of Invention V(1969 - 1970)
  • Frank Zappa - guitar/vocals
  • Ray Collins - vocals
  • Roy Estrada - bass
  • Jimmy Carl Black - drums
  • Bunk Gardner - sax
  • Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood - guitar
  • Don Preston - keyboards
  • Lowell George - guitar - b. 1945; d. June 29, 1979, Arlington, Virginia - formerly with The Factory.
  • Art Tripp III - drums
Albums:
  1. "Burnt Weeny Sandwich" (1970)
  2. "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" (1970)
Group disbands.  Lowell George joins The Standells; later, Lowell George and Roy Estrada form Little Feat. Jimmy Carl Black and Bunk Gardner form Geronimo Black. Art Tripp III joins Captain Beefheart.
The Mothers of Invention VI(1970 - 1978) (Reformed)
  • Frank Zappa - guitar/vocals
  • Ian Underwood - keyboards
  • Howard Kaylan - vocals - formerly with The Turtles, and toured with Mark Volman as The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie (aka, Flo & Eddie).
  • Mark Volman - vocals - formerly with The Turtles, and toured with Howard Kaylan as The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie (aka, Flo & Eddie).
  • Jim Pons - bass
  • George Duke - keyboards
  • Aynsley Dunbar - drums - b. January 10, 1946, Liverpool, England - formerly with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Jeff Beck Group, and Bonzo Dog Band.
Albums:
  1. "Fillmore East - June 1971" (live) (1971)
  2. "Just Another Band from L.A." (1972)
  3. "The Grand Wazoo" (1972)
  4. "Over-Nite Sensation" (1973)
  5. "Piquantique - Stockholm 1973" (live) (1991)
  6. "Studio Tan" (1978)
  7. "Zappa in New York" (live) (1978)
  8. "Orchestral Favorites" (1979)
  9. "Sleep Dirt" (1979)
  10. "Saarbrucken 1978" (live) (1991)
  11. "Unmitigated Audacity" (live) (1991)
  12. "Playground Psychotics" (2-CDs) (1995)
  13. "Roxy & Elsewhere" (live) (1995)
Aynsley Dunbar joins Lou Reed, David Bowie, and later joins Journey.
Frank Zappa solo:
  1. "Hot Rats" (1969)
  2. "Chunga's Revenge" (1970)
  3. "200 Motels" (2-CDs) (1971)
  4. "Waka/Jawaka" (1972)
  5. "Apostrophe (')" (1974)
  6. "Bongo Fury" (1975) (with Captain Beefheart)
  7. "One Size Fits All" (1975)
  8. "Zoot Allures" (1976)
  9. "Sheik Yerbouti" (1979)
  10. "Joe's Garage, Act I" (1979)
  11. "Joe's Garage, Acts II and III" (1979)
  12. "Joes's Garage, Acts I, II and III" (2-CDs) (1995)
  13. "Tinseltown Rebellion" (1981)
  14. "You Are What You Is" (1981)
  15. "Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar" (3-CDs) (1981)
  16. "Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch" (1982)
  17. "Baby Snakes soundtrack" (1983)
  18. "The Man From Utopia" (1983)
  19. "Them or Us" (1984)
  20. "Thing-Fish" (2-CDs) (1984)
  21. "Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger" (1984)
  22. "Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention" (1985)
  23. "Jazz from Hell" (1986)
  24. "Guitar" (2-CDs) (1988)
  25. "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 1" (live) (2-CDs) (1988)
  26. "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2" (live) (2-CDs) (1988)
  27. "Broadway the Hard Way" (1988)
  28. "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 3" (live) (2-CDs) (1989)
  29. "Any Way the Wind Blows" (live) (2-CDs) (1991)
  30. "The Ark" (1991)
  31. "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 4" (live) (2-CDs) (1991)
  32. "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 5" (live) (2-CDs) (1992)
  33. "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 6" (live) (2-CDs) (1992)
  34. "The Yellow Shark" (1993)
  35. "Civilization Phaze III" (1995)
  36. "London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1 & 2" (2-CD box set) (1995)
  37. "Does Humor Belong in Music?" (live) (1995) - recorded in 1984.
  38. "The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life" (live) (2-CDs) (1995) - recorded in 1988.
  39. "Make A Jazz Noise Here" (live) (2-CDs) (1995) - recorded in 1988.
  40. "Francesco Zappa" (1995)
  41. "Cucamonga" (1998) - releases of very early Frank Zappa.
Compilations:
  1. "Stricktly Commercial: The Best of Frank Zappa" (1995)
  2. "Lather" (3-CD box set) (1996)
  3. "The Lost Episodes" (1996)
  4. "Have I Offended Someone?" (1997)
  5. "Stricktly Genteel: A Classical Introduction to Frank Zappa" (1997)
  6. "Mystery Disc" (1998)
Links:

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Last Revised:  September 17, 1999