Gateway Acts is an ongoing series on Backbeat in which we examine the music that served as an entry point for our burgeoning musical obsessions, a gateway drug that tuned us in and turned us on. Today ...

Frank Zappa died on December 4, 1993, leaving behind a massively influential (albeit highly divisive) musical legacy in his ...

When I first heard this song, it reminded me of Frank Zappa. (SOUNDBITE OF DWEEZIL ZAPPA SONG, "FUNKY 15") MCEVERS: That kind of weird, unpredictable prog rock the late musician is known for. The song ...

But the Bill & Ted star insisted it was important to explore the truth behind the “paradoxical” history of Zappa’s career. The movie features rare exclusive interviews with his widow, Gail, who knew ...

Frank Vincent Zappa was born on 21 December 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. His parents were second-generation Sicilian Greeks, the family had arabian and french origins too. His father played ...

NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with musician Dweezil Zappa, son of Frank Zappa, about his new album, Via Zammata, and his father's influence on his music. When I first heard this song, it reminded me of ...