Wesley Louden "Wes" Borland (born February 7, 1975) is an American rock musician and artist. He is best known as the current guitarist and backing vocalist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit and as the lead vocalist of the industrial rock band Black Light Burns.
He gained popularity when Limp Bizkit achieved mainstream success in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He formed a band called Big Dumb Face with his brother Scott in 1998. Borland left Limp Bizkit in 2001 and started many side projects such as Eat the Day and The Damning Well. After rejoining Limp Bizkit in 2004, Borland founded Black Light Burns, with whom he has released three studio albums and a covers album. Limp Bizkit went on hiatus following the release of their album The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) (2005). But, they reunited in 2009, and recorded their sixth studio album, Gold Cobra (2011).
Borland is known for his sonic experimentation and elaborate visual appearance, which has included face and body paint, masks and uniforms. He has drawn album covers and created artwork for many of his music projects as well as oil paintings. Borland was voted #37 in Total Guitar's Top 100 Guitarists of All Time.
Originally from Richmond, Virginia, United States, Borland grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He initially took an interest in becoming a drummer, but because his parents didn't take to the idea of bringing percussive instruments into their household, Borland began taking guitar lessons from a member of his parents' Presbyterian church. Borland's musical interests were at odds with the local music trends which leaned largely toward country music. He recalled, "I would bring in something, and my teacher would go, 'I've never heard of the Damned. Don't you want to play some Merle Haggard?'"
Borland's brother, Scott, took an interest in bass guitar, and the two brothers began playing together. Borland's interest in hip hop music was piqued by the release of Anthrax and Public Enemy's collaboration, a cover of the latter's song "Bring the Noise" Borland moved to Jacksonville, Florida with his parents, where he began attending art school (Douglas Anderson School of the Arts) due to his lack of interest in the local music scene. There, he began practicing sculpture making and special effects. Borland continued to take guitar lessons, working with a teacher that specialized in jazz. According to Borland, "My first teacher ingrained playing by ear so much that when my jazz teacher gave me a sheet of music and a tape to go with it, I would learn the tape instantly and go in and play it, but I couldn't make myself learn the music." As his guitar skills improved, Borland began to craft guitar parts. Borland felt confined by being forced to attend church despite his lack of interest in organized religion, and moved out when he reached the age of 18.
After DJ Lethal joined the band as a turntablist, Borland left Limp Bizkit after a disagreement with Durst. However, Borland rejoined after the band signed with Mojo, a subsidiary of MCA Records.
In April 1998 Wes married his long-time girlfriend Heather McMillen, but later divorced in 2001. His second marriage was with Anna Borland in March 2009 but they divorced in 2013. He is currently in a relationship with Carré Callaway, lead singer of Queen Kwong.
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