Frank Vincent Zappa was born on the 21st December 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland USA, and was a musician, singer, songwriter, actor and filmmaker, best known to the world by his songs such as “Bobby Brown”, “Valley Girl”, and “Don`t Eat The Yellow Snow”, among others. His career began in 1955, and lasted until 1993 when he passed away, during which he released more than 60 albums, the sales of which increased his net worth by a large margin.
Have you ever wondered how rich Frank Zappa was, at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Zappa`s net worth as high as $40 million, an amount he owed to his many talents.
Frank Zappa Net Worth $40 Million
Frank was of mixed ancestry; his mother, Rose Marie was of French and Italian descent, and his father Francis Vincent Zappa had Arab, Greek and Italian blood roots. Zappa’s family moved a lot while Frank was still a child; primarily because of his father`s vocation; he was a chemist and mathematician, who worked in the defense industry. The family spent some time in Florida, and then returned to Baltimore, however, Frank`s health began to deteriorate, as he suffered from asthma, sinus problems, and earaches. This forced the family to move, and they settled in Monterey, California, then to Claremont and El Cajon, but eventually decided to settle in San Diego.
While in San Diego, Frank was a student of the Mission Bay High School, and also joined his first band as a drummer. That didn`t last long, as his family moved again, this time to Lancaster, where he attended the Antelope Valley High School, where his interest in music became even greater, and joined the band Blackouts, took to the guitar, and began performing in nightclubs across the USA. This was the start of his net worth.
However, he soon left the Blackouts, and formed his own band, called the Mothers of Invention. Since then, he has released over 60 studio albums,with his band or as a solo artist. His debut came in 1966, entitled “Freak Out!”, which reached No. 130 on the US Billboard chart. By the end of the 1960s, Frank had released seven more albums, including “Absolutely Free” (1967), “We’re Only in It for the Money” (1968), and “Uncle Meat” (1969), among others.
However, his albums failed to reach into the top 20 on the charts, and he decided to disband the Mothers of Invention. Nevertheless, Zappa didn`t leave the music industry, as he released a solo album “Hot Rats” (1969), which reached No. 9 on the UK Charts. Encouraged by the success of his album, he put together a new line-up of the Mother of Invention, which included Aynsley Dunbar, Ian Underwood, George Duke, Jeff Simmons, Jim Pons, Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. With this new band, Zappa reached the peak of his career through the 1970s, releasing albums such as “Chunga’s Revenge” (1970), which was the first album recorded with the help of his new band. Throughout the 1970s, Zappa had several albums which achieved gold and silver status, which only increased his net worth. Some of the albums include “Over-Nite Sensation” (1973), “Apostrophe (`)” (1974), “Zoot Allures” (1976), “Sheik Yerbouti” (1979), which is his best-selling album.
From then on, Zappa began to release albums through his own label, Barking Pumpkin Records, amounting to a total of 21 released before his death. Some of these albums included “You Are What You Is” (1981), “Tinsel Town Rebellion” (1981), “Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch” (1982), “Them or Us” (1984), “Playground Psychotics” (1992), and his last studio album “The Yellow Shark” (1993), all of which added a substantial amount to his net worth.
Frank`s net worth also benefited from his film-making endeavors, producing and writing a number of films and documentaries, including “Baby Snakes” (1979), which was his debut, “The Amazing Mister Bickford” (1987), “The True Story of Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels” (1988), and “Roxy the Movie” which was released in 2015.
Recognition for his work in the music industry came not long after his death, as he received several prestigious awards, including induction into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
Regarding his personal life, Zappa was married twice; his first wife was Kathryn J. “Kay” Sherman, with whom he was married from 1960 until 1964. He was married to Adelaide Gail Sloatman from 1967 until his death in 1993; the couple had four children.
In 1990, Zappa was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and three years later he lost his battle with the disease.
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