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Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Wainwright III grew up in the town of
Bedford in wealthy Westchester County north of New York City, the son of Loudon S.
Wainwright, Jr., a writer and editor at Life magazine, and a direct descendant of colonial
governor Peter Stuyvesant. Wainwright became a folk singer/songwriter in the late '60s,
singing humorous and nakedly honest autobiographical songs. Signed to Atlantic Records, he
recorded Album I (1970) and Album II (1971), accompanying himself on acoustic guitar,
before switching to Columbia Records, for which he made the folk-rock Album III (1972),
which featured the Top 40 novelty hit "Dead Skunk." Attempted Mustache (1973)
and the half-live Unrequited (Feb. 1975) did not continue that commercial success, though
Wainwright's humor and engaging stage persona made him a cult figure and a concert
favorite. Meanwhile, his songs were recorded by others, notably Kate (his wife, since
divorced) and Anna McGarrigle, and Wainwright appeared in the off-Broadway show Pump Boys
and Dinettes and played a featured role on the successful M*A*S*H television series. He
moved to Arista Records for T Shirt (May 1976) and Final Exam (1978), on which he was
backed by a rock band, but departed the major labels for a more appropriate home on the
folk-based indie Rounder for A Live 0ne (1980) and Fame and Wealth (1983). Wainwright
began to gain more notice in England than in the U.S., and he moved to London in 1985. I'm
Alright (1985) and More Love Songs (1986) were co-produced by British singer/guitarist
Richard Thompson. Therapy (1989) found Wainwright on the major label-distributed
Silvertone imprint and back living in the U.S., and he signed to Virgin Records' Charisma
subsidiary for History (Sep. 1992) and the live Career Moves (Jul. 1993). Grown Man, his
15th album, was released in 1995, followed three years later by Little Ship. In 1999,
there appeared a collection of topical, humorous songs Wainwright had been composing since
the late '80s for National Public Radio, titled Social Studies; the following year, The
BBC Sessions collected favorites and new compositions. |
