I was an innocent pre-teen kid when my older brother brought home the FREAK OUT LP by FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION. Upon reading the notes on the inside cover I came across a list of names of which Frank titled "These People Have Contributed Materially in Many Ways To Make Our Music What It Is. Please Do Not Hold it Against Them"...
Who are these people, I wondered. I recognized a couple of names like Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan, but who were these others? I slowly began to realize just where the music of my hero, Frank Zappa, came from. The influences from these artists was vast and very eclectic. Musical artists from the classical and avant-garde realms, classic and contemporary blues musicians, the cutting edge of jazz and folk music. Igor Stravinsky, Roland Kirk, Little Walter, Edgar Varese, Ravi Shankar were just a few names among many artists from the musical, literary and film worlds.
WHFR'S radio program, WHFR PRESENTS, will begin a multi-part feature on the music that inspired Zappa to become the artist that he was. Tune in locally on 89.3fm in the Dearborn/Detroit area or worldwide on your streaming device at whfr.fm to hear the first segment of this series. This program will air on SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1 from 4:00pm to 7:00 pm EST with a repeat broadcast THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, FROM 11:00am TO 2:00pm. Be prepared for an eclectic mix from the wide array of forward thinking musicians who were an inspiration to Mr. Zappa and helped to shape his musical vision.
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WHFR PRESENTS airs every Sunday with a rotating cast of WHFR DJs, taking in-depth looks into the many genres of music that WHFR has to offer. Tune in at 89.3 on the FM dial in Dearborn/Detroit and surrounding communities, or listen anywhere via our online streamer.
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