Ike Willis (born November 12, 1955, in St. Louis, Missouri; died May 17, 2026) was an American singer, guitarist, and producer.

Willis studied political science at Washington University in St. Louis. There, in 1977, he met Frank Zappa at a concert and was hired by him. In addition to his own albums—such as *Selected Works*—and his performances with the Frank Zappa tribute band Project/Object, he is best known for his contributions to more than 20 Zappa albums, including *Joe’s Garage*, *Tinsel Town Rebellion*, and *You Are What You Is*. Willis served as both narrator and lead character in *Thing-Fish*, a musical by Frank Zappa that was not conceived for Broadway.

Through his own company, Willis-Thomas Productions, Willis worked as a producer. Furthermore, he continued to perform as a musician later in his career, appearing at events such as the Zappanale in Bad Doberan.

Soloalben

• Shoulda Gone Before I Left – 1988, mit Arthur Barrow, Ray White und Jeff Hollie
• Dirty Pictures – 1998
• Selected Works – 2002

With Frank Zappa

• Joe’s Garage Act 1 – 1979
• Joe’s Garage Acts 2 & 3 – 1979
• Tinsel Town Rebellion – 1981
• Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar – 1981
• You Are What You Is – 1981
• Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch – 1982
• The Man from Utopia – 1983
• Them or Us – 1984
• Thing-Fish – 1984
• Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention – 1985
• Does Humour Belong in Music? – 1986
• Guitar – 1988
• You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore Vol. 1 – 1988
• Broadway the Hard Way – 1988
• You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore Vol. 3 – 1989
• The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life – 1991
• Make a Jazz Noise Here – 1991
• You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore Vol. 4 – 1991
• You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore Vol. 6 – 1992
• The Lost Episodes – 1996

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ike_Willis

The Ike Willis Project - Biznis as Usual

The Band from Utopia - Frank Zappa's Outside Now (Stuttgart Jazz Open, July 94)