70th Birthday of Icon Frank Zappa

A challenging musician who fought for music’s freedom and started his own record label rather than bend to the will of others, Frank Zappa would have turned 70 today. He was one of the most technically versatile players in rock music, gaining the respect and sometimes the contribution of monster jazz players even as he crafted weird, loud rock ‘n’ roll with bizzare lyrical themes. Zappa also stood up against those who argued for censorship of music, even appearing on a contentious episode of CNN’s “Crossfire.” We celebrate all of the things Zappa was with some of the memorable clips from his lifetime.