Montreal-based son of folk singer-songwriters Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, is a classically trained pianist who grew up loving opera.
During his formative years he often toured with his mother (Kate) and aunt (Anne), The McGarrigle Sisters, and the at the ripe old age of 14 earned both a Juno nomination and Genie nomination for his writing and performance of a song in the television film 'Tommy Tricker And The Stamp Traveler'.
Wainwright studied piano and composition at McGill University's Faculty of Music which he never completed because he failed.
He was signed to the fledgling Dreamworks label who were so new and understaffed they gave Wainwright free reign over his artistic vision and nearly unlimited budget (rumour persists that production costs and promotion have run into the $1 million area).
56 songs were recorded over two years in Los Angeles, the self-titled, 12-song, debut features the production work of Jon Brion (Fiona Apple) and Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan), with string arrangements done by Van Dyke Parks (Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Brian Wilson) and backing harmonies provided by sister Martha Wainwright.
Wainwright began his first world tour in the early summer of 1998 in Canada, Japan and the US. He also sang a Christmas song on a GAP add throughout December 1998.
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Lyrics
Read the lyrics to some Rufus's lesser known songs, and soundtrack contributions.
