Wesley Willis (Chicago, 1963 - 2003) is an atypical artist and musician made cult by the American
punk-rock scene (from Henry Rollins or Jello Biafra to Pear Jam or Smashing Pumpkins). He began his artistic career singing on the street, accompanied by his Technics KN2000 keyboard. He was soon playing opening slots for local bands, and later recording songs as an homage to these performances (i.e. "Urge Overkill", "Swervedriver", "Foo Fighters", "The Frogs"). In 1989, Willis was diagnosed as schizophrenic; he explains that writing, performing, and recording help quiet the voices in his head. After about fifty records, most of his exposure came as an internet phenomenon during the early days of peer-to-peer file sharing.