Rufus Wainwright (real name - Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. He was born on July 22, 1973 in Rhinebeck, New York, to folk singers Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III.

Wainwright began playing the piano at the age of 6. By his early teens he had already joined the family ensemble, an act billed as “The McGarrigle Sisters and Family”. When Kate McGarrigle was given the opportunity to compose music for a children’s film, she encouraged her son to make a contribution. Wainwright’s inaugural effort, “I’m Runnin’”, earned nominations for both Juno and Genie Awards, Canada’s equivalents to the Grammy and the Oscar.

He began his career by performing at local Montreal nightspots. He self-produced a demo tape of his work and, through family connections, managed to put the tape before record executive Lenny Waronker, who had just established the music production wing of DreamWorks Studios. Impressed by Wainwright’s unique vocal style, he partnered him with a series of record producers. Throughout 1996 and 1997, Wainwright pared and polished his material. The net result, 1998’s “Rufus Wainwright”, is a piano-driven work backed by complex string arrangements. Wainwright’s dry wit and plaintive, world-weary singing style set him apart from the mainstream of pop music. The album was an immediate critical success. In Canada, Wainwright was awarded with a Juno for “Best Alternative Album”. Across the border, he was named “Best New Artist” by Rolling Stone magazine.
 
With his sophomore effort, “Poses” (2001), Wainwright expanded on the themes and styles of its predecessor. The characters that populate Wainwright’s songs comment self-deprecatingly on their excesses, creating dark comedy without delving into the petty angst that tends to permeate contemporary pop. Although still piano-focused, “Poses” incorporates varying types of instrumentation without losing the charm and simplicity that has critics likening Wainwright to musical greats like Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin.

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