"Weird Al" Yankovic

Born in 1959 in Downey, California, and raised in Lynwood, Alfred Matthew Yankovic—better known as "Weird Al" Yankovic—developed an early taste for popular music and radio comedy. Spotted in the late 1970s by host Dr. Demento, Weird Al first circulated his homemade parody recordings, including "My Bologna" (1979) and "Another One Rides the Bus" (1980), before signing with Scotti Brothers and releasing his debut album, "Weird Al" Yankovic, in 1983. Rooted in American pop and rock, Yankovic’s repertoire hinges on humorous rewrites of contemporary hits, complemented by original songs inspired by specific styles and by polka medleys, with frequent use of the accordion. Albums such as "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (1984), Dare to Be Stupid (1985), Even Worse (1988), Off the Deep End (1992), Bad Hair Day (1996), Running with Scissors (1999), Straight Outta Lynwood (2006), Alpocalypse (2011), and Mandatory Fun (2014) mark different phases of a discography closely tied to MTV culture and the music video. Backed by a steady band both onstage and in the studio, Weird Al also pursued work as a writer and actor, notably with the 1989 film UHF, and has continued to tour regularly in the United States and internationally, always centered on musical parody and pop-culture satire.