The internet knows Delco Donny because of his viral videos outside of Wawa parking lots, where he sings popular covers in the infamous Delaware County accent with his guitar. 

However, behind the online persona is a real-life folk rock artist named Jake Dillon who's recorded nearly 70 songs. 

It began with covers of popular tunes at home. He'd change the lyrics at times by weaving in the Delco dialect by sprinkling "youse" and altering the pronunciation of words. 

Then, the crowds started forming and the views kept climbing. 

"Delco Donny is my alter ego," Dillon said. "Delco Donny, he likes to sing songs with a little bit of a Philly, Delco twist."  

Surprisingly, he's not even from Delaware County. 

"This started when I met my girlfriend," Dillon said. "She told me her mom was from Delco. I'm from Northeast Philly. Accent is very similar. And basically, I sang a song in a Delco accent to make her laugh, essentially. Started posting that and it just blew up from there."

When he's not entertaining crowds outside of gas stations or grocery stores, he's recording music at Light & Sound Studio in Feasterville. 

"I've been playing a couple originals at every Delco Donny show, which is cool. People have been singing along," Dillon said. "Once this started, I kind of had to be like, am I going to go all in on Delco Donny or just do a little bit of it? And I've just tried to figure out a way to blend the two because I've invested so much time and effort into my music."

Aside from his own musical ventures, he's helping others find their own sound too.

"I teach music basically full time," Dillon said. "I have almost 40 students per week. I drive all around the Philly area. I'm also a behavioral therapist for kids with autism as well."

One of his music students is 15-year-old Cassidy Grau, who found out about her music teacher's alter ego while scrolling on her For You Page.

"I think he came up on my TikTok and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, that's Jake,'" Grau said. "He really helps me drive my passion. He lets me play what I want to play. He inspires me to write my own music and he really helps me in ways that I can understand."

In between the Wawa pop-ups, his dreams stay focused on one venue.

"Maybe playing at the Linc one day, if I can get there," Dillion said.

For now, Dillon is taking his talents to several local spots, including the Delco staple, Dolan's Bar, in Ridley on Jan. 23.