Editing Frank Zappa (section)

==Personal life==
===Family===
{{main|Gail Zappa|Moon Zappa|Dweezil Zappa|Ahmet Zappa|Diva Zappa}}
[[File:Simon Prentis & Frank Zappa & Gerry Fialka & Gail Zappa.webp|thumb|Left to right: Simon Prentis (Zappa's "Semantic Scrutinizer"), Zappa, Zappa's production assistant [[Gerry Fialka]], and Zappa's second wife Gail outside Zappa's home recording studio [[Utility Muffin Research Kitchen]] in 1986. Prentis holds a preview cassette of the album ''[[Jazz from Hell|Jazz From Hell]]'' that Fialka had just delivered for Zappa's approval.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prentis |first=Simon |title=Simon Prentis – interpreter, translator & author |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824090119/https://www.simonprentis.net/ |archive-date=August 24, 2016 |url=https://www.simonprentis.net/|url-status=live|access-date=July 24, 2021|website=Simon Prentis}}</ref>]]

Zappa's parents were Francis Vincent Zappa and Rose Marie Zappa (née Colimore). Frank was the eldest of four children, followed by his brothers Bobby and Carl and sister Patrice.

Zappa was married to Kathryn J. "Kay" Sherman from 1960 to 1963. In 1967, he married [[Gail Zappa|Adelaide Gail Sloatman]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.autopsyfiles.org/reports/deathcert/zappa,%20frank_dc.pdf |title=Frank Zappa death certificate |website=Autopsyfiles.org |access-date=December 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Rock Stars Do The Dumbest Things|first1=Margaret|last1=Moser|first2=Bill|last2=Crawford|publisher=Macmillan|date=2007|isbn=978-1-4299-7838-5|page=260|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=exdHqRsPWAUC}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=exdHqRsPWAUC&pg=PT260 Extract of page 260]</ref> He and his second wife had four children: [[Moon Zappa|Moon]] (born 1967), [[Dweezil Zappa|Dweezil]] (born 1969), [[Ahmet Zappa|Ahmet]] (born 1974), and [[Diva Zappa|Diva]] (born 1979).<ref>{{cite book|title=Electric Don Quixote: The Definitive Story Of Frank Zappa|first1=Neil|last1=Slaven|publisher=Omnibus Press|date=2009|isbn=978-0-85712-043-4|page=529|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4lNRIZm_baQC}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=4lNRIZm_baQC&pg=PT529 Extract of page 529]</ref> Moon and Ahmet sang on Frank's 1981 album ''[[You Are What You Is]]'', while Moon also provided the "[[Valley girl]]" voice on [[Valley Girl (song)|the song of the same name]] on 1982's ''[[Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch]]''. The song became Frank's only US Top 40 hit single and is credited with popularizing [[valspeak]] and valley girl culture, despite being intended by Frank and Moon as a parody and criticism of it.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Living: How Toe-dully Max Is Their Valley|first1=Michael |last1=Demarest|first2=Alessandra |last2=Stanley|date=September 27, 1982 |journal=[[Time Magazine]] |url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,925750,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912163312/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,925750,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 12, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Pacific Region (Series: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures) |editor1=Goggans, DiFranco |last1=Donald |last2=Kikisawa |last3=Gaul |last4=Holton |chapter=Language |year= 2004 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |page=281 |isbn=978-0-313-33043-8 |access-date=2011-11-14 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-6c1tgoSZkC&pg=PA281}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Update |journal=Newsweek |volume=106 |issue=1–9 |page=8 |last1=Moley |last2=Muir |last3=Phillips |last4=Smith |last5=Williamson |year= 1985 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qtLjAAAAMAAJ&q=zappa+galleria}}{{subscription required}}</ref> An accomplished guitarist in his own right, Dweezil made several guest appearances on stage with Frank during the 1982, 1984, and 1988 tours, and Frank produced Dweezil's first album ''[[Havin' a Bad Day]]'' in 1986.

Following Zappa's death, his widow Gail created the Zappa Family Trust, which owns the rights to Zappa's music and some other creative output: 62 albums released during Zappa's lifetime and 68 posthumously as of May 2025. Upon Gail's death in October 2015, the Zappa children received shares of the trust; Ahmet and Diva received 30% each, Moon and Dweezil received 20% each.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |title=Inside the Zappa Family Feud |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/inside-the-zappa-family-feud-w431684 |access-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208003605/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/inside-the-zappa-family-feud-w431684 |archive-date=December 8, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The original trust, signed by Frank and Gail in 1990, assured the four children would receive equal shares, but this was altered by Gail sometime after Frank's death.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/interactive/2024/frank-zappa-family-feud-moon-unit-dweezil/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzIzMzQ4ODAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzI0NzMxMTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MjMzNDg4MDAsImp0aSI6IjVkYzYyNzRiLTk1MTktNGE1NS04Y2FlLTBlMWRmNmJjZTMwMiIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50L211c2ljL2ludGVyYWN0aXZlLzIwMjQvZnJhbmstemFwcGEtZmFtaWx5LWZldWQtbW9vbi11bml0LWR3ZWV6aWwvIn0.6E0LOKlbg-2zcEMHZmDR6jirekKrIAiB211xH0D0fHE&itid=gfta|title=Frank Zappa's kids are still grappling with his legacy — and each other|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}</ref>

===Captain Beefheart===
{{main|Captain Beefheart}}
Zappa and [[Captain Beefheart|Don Van Vliet]] met when they were both teenagers and shared an interest in [[rhythm and blues]] and [[Chicago blues]].<ref name=Taylor>Steve Taylor{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KPOsu8JOHO8C&q=Captain+Beefheart&pg=PA53 |title=A to X of Alternative Music|page=53 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |year=2006 |isbn=0826482171|access-date=January 26, 2010 }}</ref> They collaborated from this early stage with Zappa's scripts for "teenage operettas", such as "Captain Beefheart & the Grunt People", with Vliet eventually adopting the Captain Beefheart name. The earliest known recording of either Zappa or Beefheart is a collaboration between them, "Lost in a Whirlpool", recorded around 1958/1959 and included on the posthumous Zappa album ''[[The Lost Episodes]]'' in 1996. In 1963, the pair recorded a demo at the [[Pal Recording Studio]] in Cucamonga as the Soots, seeking support from a major label. Their efforts were unsuccessful, as Vliet's [[Howlin' Wolf]]-influenced vocal style and Zappa's distorted guitar were "not on the agenda" at the time.<ref name="Taylor"/> In 1965, while Zappa formed the Mothers of Invention, Beefheart assembled Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. Their third album, 1969's critically acclaimed ''[[Trout Mask Replica]]'', was produced by Zappa. That same year, Beefheart provided the vocal on "Willie the Pimp" on the ''[[Hot Rats]]'' album. Beefheart also played the harmonica on "San Ber'dino" (credited as "Bloodshot Rollin' Red") on ''[[One Size Fits All (Frank Zappa album)|One Size Fits All]]'' (1975) and "[[Find Her Finer]]" on ''[[Zoot Allures]]'' (1976).<ref>[http://www.beefheart.com/shop/zapbeef.htm "Frank Zappa featuring Captain Beefheart"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918125350/http://beefheart.com/shop/zapbeef.htm |date=September 18, 2010 }} The Captain Beefheart Radar Station. Retrieved July 1, 2010.</ref>

Over the years, Zappa and Beefheart's friendship was sometimes expressed in the form of rivalry, as musicians drifted back and forth between their groups. Beefheart joined Zappa's band on the early 1975 tour, documented on the ''[[Bongo Fury]]'' album,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Zappa-Beefheart-Mothers-Bongo-Fury/master/35842 |title=''Bongo Fury'' for Mothers link |work=Discogs.com |year=1975 |access-date=July 18, 2011}}</ref> mainly because conflicting contractual obligations made Beefheart unable to tour or record independently at the time. Their relationship grew acrimonious on the tour to the point that they refused to talk to one another. Zappa became irritated by Beefheart, who drew constantly, including while on stage, filling one of his large sketch books with rapidly executed portraits and warped caricatures of Zappa. Musically, Beefheart's primitive style contrasted sharply with Zappa's compositional discipline and abundant technique. Mothers of Invention drummer [[Jimmy Carl Black]] described the situation as "two geniuses" on "ego trips".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3zxyUy0VOY|title=The Artist Formally Known as Captain Beefheart|website=[[YouTube]] |date=June 5, 2021 }}</ref> Estranged for years afterwards, they reconciled by the end of Zappa's life.