Wesley willis may 31, 1963 august 21, 2003 was a busker, musician, and artist from chicago. Wesley willis greatest hits volume i full album youtube. While most of the songs feature wesleys solo keyboard recordings, there are three songs by his hard rock group, the wesley willis fiasco. The schizophrenic singer from the streets of chicago had been. The wesley willis fiasco was a punk band fronted by schizophrenic singersongwriter wesley willis. Wesley willis 19632003 was an american musician and street artist diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Find wesley willis discography, albums and singles on allmusic.
It comes courtesy of a man who otherwise appears diametrically opposed to any kind of rockstar convention. Willis didnt make music to sell albums or promote an image. The documentary also has an excerpt from a bassanddrumsonly demo for im doing well on the side of the rea that might also be sourced from one of these demos. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1989, willis began a career as an underground sin. Wesley willis and the dragnews discography discogs. Elvis presley by wesley willis, released 05 october 2017 includes unlimited streaming via the free bandcamp app, plus highquality download in mp3, flac and more. Formed in 1986, disbanded in 1996, and reformed in 2001. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from wesley willis and the dragnews at the discogs marketplace. One in a family of ten children, wesleys parents separated when he was young and he subsequently grew up in a series of foster. Aug 21, 2003 find wesley willis discography, albums and singles on allmusic. The fiasco recordings include the only two songs i ever heard wesley sing that he didnt write himself. Wesley willis may 31, 1963 august 21, 2003 was a 6foot6inch tall, 350 lb. Wesley willis fireman rick lyrics and tracklist genius.
Wesley willis, chicago outsider artist, was a tortured genius. After many drummer changes, meiners, barnard and willis formed the wesley willis fiasco with dave nooks on bass and brendan murphy on drums. Wesley willis born may 31, 1963, chicago, illinois, usa died august 21, 2003, skokie, illinois, usa was an american singersongwriter from chicago, known for his simple but unique music, with emphasis on his humorous, bizarre, and sometimes obscene lyrics. The majority of wesley willis illustrations were drawn with colorful marker pens and depicted city scenes. Wesley lawrence willis may 31, 1963 august 21, 2003 was an american singersongwriter and visual artist. Wesley willis biography, albums, streaming links allmusic.
The three primary sources are, a discography posted by tammy smith a longtime friend of wess who had access to his recordings. Wesley willis was a truly distinctive oneofakind singersongwriter who suffered from chronic paranoid schizophrenia. Wesley willis, originally an outsider artist who rendered chicago cityscapes. He didnt sell albums with the hopes of landing a huge record deal or scoring with groupies. Apr 22, 2016 willis was a 300lb, sweatsuited, diagnosed schizophrenic with a forehead permanently bruised from greeting fans with loving headbutts. I wish there will be more musicians to join this thing. Im sorry that i got fat with the wesley willis fiasco. Explore releases from the wesley willis fiasco at discogs. Wesley willis may 31, 1963 august 21, 2003 was a musician who did mostly solo work, but also worked with the punk rock band known as the wesley willis fiasco. The life of wesley willis, unusual chicago musician thrillist. A diagnosed schizophrenic, he gained a sizable cult following in the 1990s after releasing several hundred songs of unique but simple music, with emphasis on his humorous, bizarre, and very obscene lyrics. Predictably, it sounds exactly the same as its predecessor, as well as the indie albums that preceded it, despite the production of the inventive dust brothers its an endless series of short songs that share the same chords and melodies. Wesley s love for music and his love for art was his escape from the hell demons of chronic schizophrenia that haunted him.
This is the third greatest hits album by wesley willis, although he never actually had any hits. Their name was coined by early second guitarist michael cates. Alice donut is a punk rock band from new york city. Cd, album, not on label wesley willis selfreleased, none. Explore releases from wesley willis and the dragnews at discogs. Unlimited free wesley willis music click to play im running my inkpen, rock n roll mcdonalds and whatever else you want. Greatest hits by wesley willis compilation, synth punk. Two months after american records released fabian roadwarrior, the first majorlabel album by wesley willis, they rushed out feel the power. Wesley willis biography, birth date, birth place and pictures. It is a good sampler of wesleys music, including two songs by the wesley willis fiasco. He was well known for bringing his own unique flair to his creative works and, as a result, has amassed a sizable cult following. Music profile for john wesley harding, born 22 october 1965.
Having been diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia, wesley often spoke of the various methods he used to quiet the demons in his head. This cd takes cuts from over a dozen of his albums, including some unreleased albums. If you are reading this, you probably know what wesley was all about, so i dont have to describe his music to you. Wesley willis born may 31, 1963, chicago, illinois, usa died august 21, 2003, skokie, illinois, usa was an american singersongwriter from chicago, known for his simple but unique music, with emphasis on his humorous, bizarre, and sometimes. Wesley willis was a musician and artist from chicago. Documentary about the late chicago artist and musician wesley willis. Africanamerican musician from chicago, illinois and a diagnosed schizophrenic who gained a rather large underground following in the 1990s after releasing several hundred songs of bizarre and simplistic music which became internet phenomena during the early days of p2p file sharing. Wesley lawrence willis was an american singersongwriter and visual artist. Born in 1963, artist wesley willis was a musician and visual artist from chicago. Willis was born on may 31, 1963 in chicago, illinois. For those unaware, wesley willis was a chicago icon who rapidly achieved cult status. His simple and unique style of music quickly gained him a cult following. Having been diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia, wesley often spoke of the various methods he used to quiet the demons in.
Wesley willis may 31, 1963 august 21, 2003 was an american singersongwriter and visual artist from chicago willis began a career as an underground singersongwriter in the outsider music tradition, with songs featuring his bizarre, humorous and often obscene lyrics sung over the auto accompaniment feature on his technics kn electronic keyboard on august 21, 2003. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from the wesley willis fiasco at the discogs marketplace. Wesley willis simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wesley willis artwork for sale at online auction wesley. The documentary wesley willis as himself states that hes doing time in jail is the first song wes wrote, with jesus is the answer being the second song. Wesley willis, one of the most unusual characters in music, died thursday evening, most likely from heart failure. On this album, wesley busts it out with almost all of the songs made up of the exact same music, just. Africanamerican musician from chicago, illinois and a diagnosed schizophrenic who gained a rather large underground following in the 1990s after releasing several hundred songs of bizarre and simplistic music which became internet phenomena during the early days of p2p file.
Albums include high fidelity, where the pyramid meets the eye. Besides willis, the other members were bassistguitarist dale meiners, guitarist pat barnard, bassist dave nooks, and drummer brandon murphy. This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the wesley willis article. A diagnosed chronic schizophrenic,he gained an enormous cult following in the 1990s after releasing several hundred songs of simple but unique music, with emphasis on his humorous, bizarre, and frequently obscene lyrics. In 1992 willis began writing songs, and soon after, meiners took willis into his studio to record them. Having been abused throughout his childhood and survived traumatic experiences as a young adult, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his midtwenties. Wesley willis may 31, 1963 august 21, 2003 was an american singersongwriter and visual artist from chicago willis began a career as an underground singersongwriter in the outsider music tradition, with songs featuring his bizarre, humorous and often obscene lyrics sung over the auto accompaniment feature on his technics kn electronic keyboard. Stream adfree or purchase cds and mp3s now on amazon. Includes unlimited streaming via the free bandcamp app, plus. While most of the songs feature wesley s solo keyboard recordings, there are three songs by his hard rock group, the wesley willis fiasco.
Wesley shabazz willis may 31, 1963 august 21, 2003 was a busker, musician and painter from chicago. Find the latest tracks, albums, and images from wesley willis. Wesleys love for music and his love for art was his escape from the hell demons of chronic schizophrenia that haunted him. He heavily praised rock music and other artists who played in that genre.
Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1989, willis began a career as an underground singersongwriter in the outsider music tradition, with songs featuring his bizarre, humorous and often obscene lyrics sung over the auto accompaniment. Wesley willis played his joy ride music on a technics kn keyboard. One in a family of ten children, wesley s parents separated when he was young and he subsequently grew up in a series of foster homes being primarily raised. Based in wicker park, chicago, illinois, the group was formed in the early 1990s. Filmmaker daniel bitton follows willis throughout the chicago area, riding the bus, talking to friends and strangers alike, selling his cds to record shops and going about his day. Their music is a mixture of hard rock, punk, and postpunk and typically features melodic, guitarheavy, oddmetered, and rhythm based pieces and is often punctuated with brass instrumentation. This is not a forum for general discussion of the articles subject.
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