Daniel Dale Johnston, born January 22, 1961, in Sacramento, California, but raised in Chester, West Virginia, remains an enduring and important American visual artist, songwriter and musician. By age twenty two, Daniel was already regarded as an influential figure in outsider and alternative music. His early albums were recorded on cassette tape in the basement of his parents' West Virginia home. After eventually landing in Austin, Texas, he quickly gained notoriety by handing out his tapes to passers-by. In 1985, he made an astounding breakthrough appearance on MTV's The Cutting Edge, and The Austin Chronicle crowned him Best Songwriter and Best Musician in 1986. In 1992, Daniel's cult status exploded when Nirvana's Kurt Cobain appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards wearing a t-shirt with the artwork from Daniel's now iconic 1983 album, Hi, How Are You. However, success would not come easy for Daniel. He subsequently spent extended periods in psychiatric institutions after being diagnosed with a severe form of bipolar disorder that often featured psychosis.

Despite setbacks and repeated bouts with stardom that aggravated his condition, Daniel continued to produce prolific work, and his songs were praised for their honest and compelling lyrics. Through the extended efforts of friends and family, Daniel released over twenty-five albums and published more than five hundred songs through the span of his career. Originally aspiring to be a comic-book artist, Daniel drew incessantly. His art proved to have the same appeal as his music. In 2004, he finally took his place as a key American artist when his works were featured in the Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial. In 2005, his life became the subject of the critically-acclaimed documentary, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, directed by Jeff Feuerzeig, and the book, Hi, How Are You? The Life, Art, and Music of Daniel Johnston, written by Tarssa Yazdani and Don Goede originally published in 1999. Daniel performed his music to enraptured audiences worldwide until his death on September 11, 2019. His art continues to exhibit globally, and with each new generation, he finds an ever-expanding fan base around the world.