By Frank Passic
There are only a small handful of persons who lived in Albion that have appeared in national motion pictures. One of them was Donna Montran (1893-1976), an Albion native who appeared in the 1915 silent film epic “Birth of a Nation” as one of the “Belles of 1861.” Another was Violet (Welburn) DeLong (1899-1949) who danced her way onto the screen in several motion pictures including “The Merry Widow Waltz” in 1934.
There is another person however, of recent times who also appeared in a motion picture, and is buried in Riverside Cemetery. Carl Lewis Zappa (1947-2020) was drawn to music his entire life. A native of Baltimore, MD, he grew up in California and became very knowledgeable about film, television and music from the 1950s.
He was also a singer, and during 1976 met up with Albion native Gerald “Jerry” Collins and his bands Denver Mint and Loose Change there in Los Angeles, and performed in the Southern California area for many years.
In what movie did Carl appear in during his career? It was in the 1987 film “Uncle Meat,” written and produced by Carl’s brother Frank. Yes, THAT Frank Zappa (1940-1993), Rock n Roll Hall of famer, musician, composer, singer, producer and leader of The Mothers of Invention band In the film, Carl plays the part of Young Minnesota Tishman. This film is available on the internet and you can look up information about it on Wikipedia.com. Carl would help his brother Frank with his career, which he considered his proudest accomplishment. There also was a sister, Patrice “Candy” Zappa who also sang in the Southern California area for many years; she is the remaining survivor of the family today.
In the early 1990s the Carl and Jerry moved to Battle Creek for a brief period, and Carl would visit Albion often “as he loved the cuisine at Cascarelli’s, Charlie’s, and Lopez Taco House,” stated Jerry’s brother Jim Collins. Jim had also met Carl in 1976 while visiting his brother Jerry and the two became close friends.
In the early 2010s Jerry moved to Arizona, and Carl decided to join him, becoming the band’s manager there in the Phoenix and Prescott, AZ areas. After Jerry died in 2019, Carl confided with Jerry’s daughters Dawn and Lisa, and also Jim Collins, who all persuaded him to come live in Albion. He accepted the offer, moving here in November, 2019. He established his residence at the home of Jerry’s daughter Dawn Boyd on W. Erie St. near the old hospital.
After Carl moved to Albion, he continued with his musical career and would often sing at karaoke venues in the area. He also sang at the Rendezvous and the Springfield Tavern in Battle Creek. Unfortunately, the year 2020 signaled the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. Long-time friend Jim Collins served as Carl’s caregiver, taking him to doctor appointments and other duties. Unfortunately, Carl Zappa succumbed to the dreaded disease and congestive heart failure on November 9, 2020 after being transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Ann Arbor.
His cremains were interred in Riverside Cemetery in Albion, Block 115, Path Lot 6, Grave P-1A (Findagrave #232495798). A beautifully-engraved tombstone was erected at the site, containing a microphone on top, and a musical score at the bottom which we are picturing here this week in our Historical Notebook. The text states “Carl Lewis Zappa, 1947-2020. Beloved Son & Uncle, Cherished Brother of the American Composer.”
From our Historical Note this week we also present a photograph of Carl Zappa, supplied to us by Jim Collins. How many of our readers had a chance to meet Carl Zappa during the year that he lived here in Albion? Special thanks to Jim Collins for his help with this week’s article.
