Artis had been active since 1972 as a street artist when he had his first collaboration with a major artist, appearing on stage with Frank Zappa in Eugene, Oregon, and at New York's Palladium, in 1981.
1990s and later—collaboration with Soundgarden
In 1992 Artis made a guest appearance,, at Bumbershoot, Seattle, which that year featured a lineup of acts including Soundgarden, who were to become instrumental in bringing Artis to the attention of a wider audience. In 1993 he published a compilation of his poems and short stories called Artis-Aspirations to Manifestations from the Womb to the Void. In 1994, an NPR's Morning Edition focused on him and his artistic rejection of material values. His song "Wake Up Call" opened the 1995 compilation Northwest Post-Grunge. In the same year, he recorded "Spoonman" with Soundgarden, a song written by Chris Cornell, and named for and featuring Artis for an upcoming album Superunknown. He played the spoons in the song and appeared in the music video. On their 1994 tour, he opened up for the band in New York City, and Shepherd's Bush in London. The single charted at number three on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and at number nine on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song also became a top twenty hit on the UK Singles Chart. In 1995, the song won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Chris Cornell commented:
It's more about the paradox of who is and what people perceive him as. He's a street musician, but when he's playing on the street, he is given a value and judged completely wrong by someone else. They think he's a street person, or he's doing this because he can't hold down a regular job. They put him a few pegs down on the social ladder because of how they perceive someone who dresses differently. The lyrics express the sentiment that I much more easily identify with someone like Artis than I would watch him play.
On November 10, 1995, he released an album titled Entertain the Entertainers. The album was rated four and a half stars out of five by Allmusic.com who called his release "an exceptional album showing off a very good range for an artist that would otherwise be known more for the gimmick of his chosen instruments, regardless of his abilities on them." Artis has performed at many festivals, mostly in Canada and the United States. Other bands he has played with include Aerosmith and Phish, and he has been a featured performer at Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival and the Oregon Country Fair. He was a featured performer at the 2013 Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle. Artis has made television appearances on the BBC and Late Night with David Letterman, among others. He plays an old man in the 1995 film Toast with the Gods.
