D'Arcy Wretzky was born on May 1, 1968 in South Haven, Michigan. She has two sisters, one whose name is Molly.(that's my name!)

As a child, she was a tomboy, and most of her friends were boys. Instead of playing with dolls, she liked to play cowboys and indians. She played the classical violin for 9 years. She learned how to play bass when she was about 19.

After high school, she did not go to college. Instead she went to Europe and lived in Germany for a while, and was in a band in France. She decided to come back to the US, and ended up stranded in Chicago O'Hare airport, with no money, and no idea where to go. She ended up staying with her sister in Chicago.

In 1987, she met Billy Corgan and James Iha at a Chicago club called Avalon. Billy and D'Arcy began arguing about something, and Billy found out that she could play bass guitar. Billy and James were starting a band, and they needed a bass player so Billy asked D'Arcy to join the band. After a bad audition, Billy let D'Arcy join the band anyway, and she became the third member of Smashing Pumpkins.

D'Arcy now lives in a farmhouse in Michigan City, Indiana with her husband Kerry Brown, who is the drummer for the band Catherine.