Artis the Spoonman, born on October 3, 1948, in Kodiak, Alaska, is an American musician known for his unique use of spoons as a musical instrument. He began his career as a street performer in 1972 and gained initial recognition through his collaboration with Frank Zappa. In the early 1990s, Artis collaborated with Soundgarden, notably on the song "Spoonman" from their album Superunknown (1994), which reached number 3 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1995. He also released his own albums, including Entertain the Entertainers (1995) and A Livin' Spoonful (2003), and has performed internationally with Shoehorn. Artis has also notably appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and in the film Toast with the Gods.
