At the age of 9, a young boy kicked and screamed at the thought of going to piano lessons.  After only 5 lessons this young boy had quit the lessons.

But the keys kept calling.

A few years later a neighborhood lady offered to give this boy piano lessons and the rest is history.

Wes soon began singing in choirs and playing in bands when he was only 11 years old.  A strong interest in theatre called him to be quite involved in the Peoria, Illinois community theatre scene.  After 10 years of being in outstanding groups in central Illinois such as Wesley McKinney and Friends, Centennial Drive and the Illinois State University Acafellaz, Wes decided it was time for a change.

He moved to Chicago to begin performing.  Being a founding member of a cover band, HitStorm, McKinney relished performing on stages such as Goose Island and Cubby Bear while singing the likes of Freddie Mercury and fun. and playing keyboard.

Soon after this start, Wes decided to take a different route and begin experimenting in solo shows, first doing mainly covers, but slowly releasing his own material.

He is currently releasing his first single and performing solo shows and performing with Chicago Dueling Pianos, however, the pages in his book are still waiting to be written.