"Weird Al" Yankovic

Renowned comedy musician “Weird Al” Yankovic started playing the accordion at age seven after his parents bought him lessons from a door-to-door salesman. ∙ At age 16, Yankovic got his first break when nationally syndicated radio DJ Dr. Demento played a homemade tape of his song “Belvedere Cruisin’” on the air. ∙ In 1979, after The Knack’s Doug Fieger heard Yankovic’s “My Sharona” parody, “My Bologna,” he helped get Yankovic a deal with Capitol Records, which released the song as a single. ∙ MTV made Yankovic a star in 1983 when it began airing “Ricky,” his I Love Lucy-themed parody of Toni Basil’s hit “Mickey.” ∙ The popular video for “Eat It,” a takeoff on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” propelled the single to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. ∙ His “Smells Like Teen Spirit” parody video, “Smells Like Nirvana,” was shot on the same set and used some of the same extras as Nirvana’s iconic clip. ∙ Yankovic finally made the Top 10 in 2006 with “White & Nerdy,” a parody of “Ridin’” by Chamillionaire, who gave Yankovic props for his rhyme skills. ∙ In 2014, 38 years into his career, Mandatory Fun became his first No. 1 album. ∙ A five-time Grammy Award winner, Yankovic has had six Platinum and four Gold albums, selling more than 13 million copies—the most of any comedy act in history.