Alfred Matthew Yankovic was born October 23, 1959, in Lynwood, CA. An only child, he began playing the accordion at age seven, following in the tradition of polka star Frank Yankovic (no relation);
Musician / Humorist
Born: 23 October 1959
Birthplace: Lynwood, California
Best known as: Singer of "I Lost on Jeopardy" and other parody tunes
Name at birth: Alfred Matthew Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic has made a career out of poking fun at pop musicians. Thanks to radio host Dr. Demento, Yankovic broke into the novelty song business in 1979 with "My Bologna," a send-up of The Knack's tune "My Sharona." Throughout the '80s and '90s, Yankovic and his accordion became a staple of MTV as he produced elaborate music video parodies of pop icons such as Madonna, Michael Jackson and Puff Daddy. Yankovic has a loyal following and a solid hold on his position as the best-selling novelty song producer of all time. His Star Wars parody, "The Saga Begins" (to the tune of Don McClean's "American Pie") was widely distributed on the Internet and became a video favorite on MTV at the time of the release of George Lucas's Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999). Yankovic's albums include In 3-D (1984, with the hit single "I Lost On Jeopardy"), Dare To Be Stupid (1985), Running With Scissors (1999), and the Grammy-winning Poodle Hat (2003). His album Straight Outta Lynnwood (2006) featured one of his biggest hits in years, "White & Nerdy," a parody of the Chamillionaire song "Ridin'."
