|
Nigey Lennon was an only child, born into a middle class family in Manhattan Beach, California. By the age of four she had
determined to be a musician. By twelve she was playing electric guitar, and she began writing songs shortly thereafter. Her
first magazine article was published when she was sixteen, and Lennon subsequently became a successful freelance writer and
editor. She also continued to compose and perform as a musician.
In 1995 the two threads were brought together when Lennon's book Being Frank: My Time with Frank Zappa was published
by California Classics. Being Frank chronicles Lennon's personal and professional relationship with Frank Zappa, and has been
widely acclaimed by Zappa experts ranging from David Walley, author of the first Frank Zappa biography, No Commercial Potential,
to Greg Russo, whose Cosmik Debris is regarded as the essential Zappa reference work. Being Frank was Lennon's seventh
published book; some of her previous works focused on Mark Twain, French dramatist Alfred Jarry, and the buried socialist
history of Los Angeles.
After going through two printings, Being Frank is now being reissued by California Classics in a revised edition which
features introductory essays by David Walley, Greg Russo, and Frank Zappa's sister, musician Candy Zappa.
In 2001 Lennon released a music CD, Reinventing the Wheel. Featuring vocals by Frank Zappa's sister Candy Zappa, guitar work
from former Zappa sideman Mike Keneally, and Lennon's own blistering slide and standard guitar, keyboards, and original compositions,
Reinventing the Wheel was co-produced by Lennon and John Tabacco. Lennon, along with Candy Zappa and John Tabacco,
headlined at the 13th annual Zappanale festival in Bad Doberan, Germany, in 2002. She continues to perform, compose, and record
in New York and Los Angeles. She lives in Setauket, New York.
|
