Loudon Snowden Wainwright III is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, folk singer,
humorist, and actor.
He is the father of musicians Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche,
brother of Sloan Wainwright, and the former husband of the late folk singer Kate McGarrigle.
To date, Wainwright has released 26 studio albums.
Reflecting upon his career, in 1999, Wainwright stated "you could characterize the catalog
as somewhat checkered, although I prefer to think of it as a tapestry."
Early life Wainwright was born in Chapel Hill, North
Carolina, the son of Martha Taylor, a yoga teacher, and Loudon Wainwright, Jr., a columnist
and editor for Life magazine.
His father was not a professional musician but he did play piano and wrote some songs,
exposing his children to musicians such as Tom Lehrer and Stan Freberg who were later
cited as influences.
Wainwright grew up in Bedford, New York, in Westchester County.
Among his sisters is Sloan Wainwright, also a singer.
He graduated from St. Andrew's School in Delaware.
He is a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, the last Director-General of New Netherland.
Career Wainwright's career began in the late 1960s.
He had played the guitar while in school but later sold it for yoga lessons while living
in San Francisco.
Later, in Rhode Island, Wainwright's grandmother got him a job working in a boatyard.
An old lobsterman named Edgar inspired him to borrow a friend's guitar and write his
first song, "Edgar".
Wainwright soon bought his own guitar and in about a year wrote nearly twenty songs.
He went to Boston and New York City to play in folk clubs and was eventually "discovered"
by Milton Kramer, who became his manager.
He acquired a record deal with Atlantic Records, who released his first album in 1970.
Wainwright is perhaps best known for the 1972 novelty song "Dead Skunk" and for playing
Captain Calvin Spalding on the American television show, M*A*S*H. His appearances spanned three
episodes in its third season, including the episode "Rainbow Bridge".
Using a witty, self-mocking style, Wainwright has recorded over twenty albums on eleven
different labels.
Three of his albums have been nominated for Grammy Awards: I'm Alright and More Love Songs.
In January 2010, he won the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album for High Wide & Handsome:
The Charlie Poole Project.
Wainwright has also appeared in a number of films, including small parts in The Aviator,
Big Fish, Elizabethtown, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Knocked Up, and the television series
Undeclared and Parks and Recreation.
In the UK he recorded sessions for John Peel from 1971 onwards and appeared on a simultaneous
broadcast on BBC TV and on Radio 1 in February 1978.
However, it was in the late 1980s that he gained much wider popularity in Britain when
he appeared as the resident singer with comedian Jasper Carrott in his UK show, Carrott Confidential,
and has remained popular in the UK ever since.
He appeared as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live in the first season's 5th episode,
which was broadcast on November 15, 1975.
He performed "Bicentennial" and "Unrequited to the Nth Degree" as a guest to Robert Klein.
Wainwright has claimed that, like many of his contemporaries, he was inspired musically
by seeing Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963.
He was one of many young folksingers tagged as the "new Dylan" in the early 1970s, a fact
that he later ruefully satirized in his song, "Talking New Bob Dylan", from History.
Wainwright was also a judge for the 4th annual Independent Music Awards.
According to his own liner notes, Wainwright entered a period of deep depression following
the death of his mother in 1997 and believed he could never write again.
Retreating to his mother's cabin in the woods, he underwent therapy and gradually recovered,
eventually recording the soul-baring Last Man on Earth in 2001.
Since then his recording career has mostly returned to its previous frequency.
In September 2006, Wainwright and musician Joe Henry began composing the music to the
Judd Apatow film, Knocked Up, which was released on June 1, 2007.
In addition to composing the soundtrack, Wainwright appeared in the film in a supporting role
as the protagonists' obstetrician.
He has also composed music for the new theatre production of Carl Hiaasen's Lucky You, which
premiered at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Wainwright released a new studio album, Older Than My Old Man Now, in April 2012.
Personal life Wainwright's first marriage was to singer/songwriter
Kate McGarrigle.
During their marriage, which ended in divorce, they had two children, Rufus and Martha.
Rufus was the inspiration behind two of Wainwright's songs; "Rufus is a Tit Man", and "A Father
and a Son", a retrospective.
Wainwright's songs inspired by Martha are "Pretty Little Martha", "Five Years Old",,
and the brutally honest "Hitting You".
Both Rufus and Martha have become singer/songwriters.
Rufus composed "Dinner at Eight" about his conflicted relationship with his father.
Martha composed the song "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" about, according to her, her father.
They sang a duet together on the song "Father Daughter Dialogue", and collaborated on the
song "You Never Phone".
Wainwright's second marriage was to singer Suzzy Roche.
During their marriage, which also ended in divorce, they had one daughter, singer Lucy
Wainwright Roche.
Wainwright was married a third time in 2005, to actress Ritamarie Kelly; they have a daughter
Alexandra Kelly Wainwright.
Discography Studio albums
Live albums A Live One
Career Moves So Damn Happy
Compilations One Man Guy: The Best of Loudon Wainwright
III 1982–1986 The BBC Sessions
40 Odd Years Singles
"Dead Skunk" / "Needless to Say" "Down Drinking at the Bar" / "I Am the Way"
"Five Years Old" / "Rambunctious" "Five years old" / "The Grammy song"
"Cardboard Boxes" / "Colours" "Unhappy Anniversary" / "The Acid Song"
"Thank You, Girl" / "My Girl" "Your Mother and I" / "At the End of a Long
Lonely Day" "T.S.D.H.A.V."
/ "Nice Guys" "Jesse Don't Like It" / "T.S.D.H.A.V."
"Silent Night, Holy Night" / "The Little Drummer Boy" Verve records, 1999
"Y2K" "Nanny"
Promotional discs "Bell bottom pants"-mono / "Bell bottom pants"-stereo,
1973, Columbia 45 rpm "The Swimming song"-stereo / "The Swimming
song"-mono", 1973 Columbia 45 rpm "Bicentennial"-mono / "Bicentennial"-stereo,
1976 Arista 45 rpm "This year" -one sided disc, 1988 Silvertone
45 rpm "Y2K" 6 track radio edits of the song "Y2K"
Rykodisc "History promo #1" Talking new Bob Dylan,
Hitting you, People in love, Virgin, 1992 "History promo #2" The Doctor, When I'm at
your house, So many songs, Men, Virgin, 1992 "History promo #3" People in love, Virgin,
1992 "Career moves" promo, Suddenly it's Christmas,
Virgin, 1993 "Grown man" promo, 1994, IWIWAL (I wish I
was a lesbian, Cobwebs, Grown man, Virgin, 1995
"Little ship" promo, Mr. Ambivalent, Virgin, 1997
"So Damn Happy" promo No. 1, Something for nothing", Sanctuary, 2003
"So damn happy" promo No. 2, The Picture, The Shit song You never phone, Sanctuary records,
2003 "Daughter" from Strange weirdos, Concord records,
2007 Contributions
The New Age of Atlantic – "Motel Blues" Earl Scruggs Review Anniversary Special, Volume
One – "Swimming Song", "Gospel Ship" Nyon Folk Festival – "The Waitress Song"
Feed the Folk – "Outsidey" The Slugger's Wife Soundtrack – "Hey, Hey,
My My" From Hell to Obscurity – "Colours", "At
the End of a Long Lonely Day", "My Girl" Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day, Vol.
10 – "Dead Skunk" 70s Greatest Rock, Vol. 10: Hitchin' a Ride
– "Dead Skunk" Dr. Demento Presents..., Vol. 4: The 1970s
– "Dead Skunk" Signed, Sealed, Delivered – "Virgin 21"
Life in the Folk Lane II – "Hard Day on the Planet"
Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson – "A Heart Needs a Home"
Troubadours of Folk, Vol. 4: The '70s – "Old Friend"
Golfs Greatest Hits – "Golfin' Blues" The Best of Mountain Stage, Volume 1 – "Bill
of Goods" Mellow Rock Hits of the '70s: Sundown – "Glad
to See You've Got Religion" Soft Rock Classics – "Glad to See You've
Got Religion" KBCO Studio C, Volume 4 – "Cardboard Boxes"
Family Album – "The Picture" Best of the Cambridge Folk Festival, 1977–1997
– Medley: "The Swimming Song/Pretty Little Martha/Dump the Dog"
Welcome to High Sierra – "Primrose Hill" Bleecker Street – "Pack Up Your Sorrows"
Live at the World Café - Volume 9 – "Sunday Times"
Seka – Sister, Volume 2 – "Pretty Good Day"
Si Dolce – "I am the Way", "The Last Day", "Road Ode", "Five Years Old"
28 Days Soundtrack – "Heaven and Mud", "Drinking Song", "White Winos", "Dreaming"
Washington Square Memoirs: The Great Urban Folk Boom – "School Days"
Love Songs For New York: Wish You Were Here – "No Sure Way"
107.1 KGSR Radio Austin – Broadcasts Vol.10 – "No Sure Way"
The Aviator: Music From The Motion Picture – "After You've Gone" [Columbia/Sony Music
Soundtrax] Golden Slumbers: A Father's Love – "Daughter"
Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys – "Turkish Revelry", "Good
Ship Venus" Boardwalk Empire Volume 1: Music From The
HBO Original Series Boardwalk Empire Volume 2: Music From The
HBO Original Series Filmography
M*A*S*H .... Capt.
Calvin Spaulding, the singing surgeon The T.V.
Show .... Dead Man on Telethon/Spinal Tap Keyboardist
The Slugger's Wife .... Gary Jacknife .... Ferretti
28 Days .... Guitar guy Undeclared .... Hal Karp
Big Fish .... Beamen The Aviator .... Coconut Grove Vocalist No.
2 The 40-Year-Old Virgin .... Priest
Elizabethtown .... Uncle Dale For Your Consideration .... Nominee Ben Connelly
Knocked Up .... Dr. Everett Howard G-Force .... Grandpa Goodman
Parks and Recreation .... Barry, a nutso community-forum attendee
Person of Interest .... Mr. Frey, father of Hanna - the woman who Reese thought was looking
for the machine, but was found to be long dead.
Sleepwalk with Me .... Uncle Max References
External links Official website
Facebook page Short autobiography
Audio interview with Loudon Wainwright III on the Sodajerker On Songwriting podcast
Transcript of an autobiographical speech given for the Ohio University Spring Literary Festival
Loudon Wainwright III on VH1 Loudon Wainwright III at the Internet Movie
Database “The Guardian profile: The Wainwrights”
by Richard Jinman.
Published by The Guardian on 2005-04-15.
Perfect Sound Together interview Allmusic
Video of Wainwright from the Kennedy Center – October 13, 1999
Kennedy Center article Discography review
Myspace site http:www.forfolkssake.com16246/album-loudon-wainwright-iii-older-than-my-old-man-now
For Folks Sake album review for Loudon Wainwright