Frank Zappa (1940-1993) - Born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA on December 21, 1940, the son of a meteorologist who researched poison gas for the US military, Frank Vincent Zappa moved to California with his parents at the age of ten and grew to become the patron saint of west coast non-conformity.

Most revered by 'serious' fans for his early work with the Mothers of Invention and for his little-known instrumental albums, such as Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar, he is most famous for writing rude and often rather silly songs about sex and going to the toilet... which is a shame, because much of what he wrote is brilliant.

The music produced by Zappa and the Mothers is first rate stuff which describes in poetic, often surreal, terms the 60s counterculture that swept across America and much of the western hemisphere. 'Plastic People' from the Mothers' second album, Absolutely Free, was adopted by the Czech underground movement as an anthem for free expression and a protest against the suppression of individuality in the Stalinist state.

Vaclav Havel, the playwrite who became Czechoslovakia's President after his country's liberation, appreciated the poetry and musicality of Frank Zappa's work so much that he wanted to make him a special ambassador to the West for culture. Unfortunately this idea was squashed by the US State Department, which obviously didn't see beyond the superficial rudeness of some of Zappa's lyrics.

Frank Zappa died of prostate cancer at the age of 52. He is survived by Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Rodan, and Diva.