Rufus Wainwright

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Endearingly referred to by Elton John as “the greatest songwriter on the planet” and applauded by the New York Times for his “genuine originality”, Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation. Michael Stipe sees him as the new Nina Simone, and Martin Scorsese, for whom he played a lounge singer in The Aviator, came to think of him as a “one man Greek chorus.” While his music has been compared to Beck, Damien Rice and Jeff Buckley, Wainwright’s sound is one-of-a-kind. As much theatrical, ornate and operatic as it is power-pop, Wainwright has an exceptional command of melody and lyrical nuance.

This past September Wainwright performed his final tribute concert to Judy Garland at the Hollywood Bowl, one of the largest amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000. His tribute, a knockoff of Judy Garland’s famous 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall, replete with fish-net stockings and a black fedora hat for the “Get Happy” rendition, was a sell out show. (Wainwright loves glamour – he appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman last summer wearing lederhosen he had custom-made in Austria by a 25th-generation artisan who also fitted the Porsche family.)

Oft referred to as one of the best singer-songwriters of his generation, Rufus Wainwright was born in Montreal to folk music luminaries Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. He was playing the piano when he was just 6 years old, and touring with his family at thirteen in a group billed as the McGarrigle Sisters and Family. At fourteen, Wainwright was nominated simultaneously for a Juno (Canada’s Grammys) and a Genie (Canada’s Oscars) for “Most Prominent Young Artist” and “Best Song in Film” respectively. His self-titled debut album was released in 1998 to critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone magazine portraying the work as one of the best albums of the year. Poses followed in 2001, and Want One and Want Two in 2004 and 2005. His most recent album, Release the Stars (2007) has gone gold in the UK.

“I always try to make sure that my songs stand on their own,” says Wainwright. “They could be done with an orchestra, or with a kazoo for that matter. They are built to have a series of love affairs with different settings. I think I’ve honed the ability to hit the listener immediately with what I have to say. The more I write, the more I realize that the key is to be as direct as possible.” Wainwright’s hits include “Hallelujah” and “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” among others, and he brings luminosity to the cover songs he performs: The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” and his father’s “One Man Guy”.