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Rufus Wainwright Information
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'Rufus Wainwright' (born 22 July, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter.
Biography
Rufus Wainwright was born in Rhinebeck, New York, USA, to folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle (they later divorced while he was a child). He began to play the piano at age six, and by age thirteen he was touring with his sister Martha, mother Kate, and aunt Anna as the "McGarrigle Sisters and Family." His song "I'm Running," which he performed in the movie Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller, and in which he also played a minor character, was nominated for the 1989 Genie Award for Best Original Song and earned him a nomination for the 1990 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist.
Though born in the United States, Wainwright strongly identifies with Canada and still maintains a residence there. He lived in Montreal with his mother for most of his childhood and briefly attended McGill University, where he studied both classical and 'rock' piano. Additionally, some of his songs feature his mastery of French.
Coming out as gay while still a teen, Wainwright found solace through opera throughout his adolescent years (for instance, his track Barcelona features lyrics of Giuseppe Verdi). He also became an enthusiast of such performers as é‰dith Piaf, Al Jolson and Judy Garland. Often being the supposed "rival" of mid 90's legend Jeff Buckley, Wainwright sent tapes to Sin-é (the club Buckley won over Wainwright to perform at), but later befriended Buckley; sadly, this was shortly before Buckley's death. Rufus said "he was lovely."
After having been a fixture on the Montreal club circuit, Wainwright cut a series of demo tapes, one of which found itself in the hands of DreamWorks executive Lenny Waronker. The label signed him and he released an album in the spring of 1998. This album received much critical acclaim in Canada, and was recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the best albums of the year. Wainwright's second album, Poses (2001), brought similar acclaim.
Wainwright's first main exposure to the American public came as an opener to singer Tori Amos in 2001 and 2002. He garnered praise for his performance and began touring as a main act shortly afterwards. He has frequently toured as the opener for Sting and co-headlined with Ben Folds and Guster in the summer of 2004. He still often performs with his sister Martha Wainwright (now herself an emerging artist) on backup vocals. Despite a growing cult following and critical acclaim, Wainwright has experienced only marginal commercial success in the United States.
In addition to being a pianist, Wainwright is a guitarist, often switching between the two instruments when performing live; however, his mastery of the guitar does not approach his talent with the piano within the Piano rock genre. While some of his most moving songs feature just Wainwright with his piano, many of his songs display complex layering and harmonies, occasionally comprising hundreds of individual parts. Wainwright is an avid opera fan, and the influences on his music are evident, as well as his love of Schubert 'Lieder'; his music has been described as "Popera" (Pop Opera) or "Baroque Pop." His lyrics are filled with allusions to opera, literature, pop culture, and, more recently, politics (in songs such as "Gay Messiah" and "Waiting for a Dream"). Wainwright is a recovering crystal meth addict and a rape survivor; he uses the press to bring awareness to these societal problems.
His talent has been widely recognized and praised by such artists as Elton John, Morrissey, John Mayer, and Sting, and he continues to influence artists like Keane, Alanis Morissette, Scissor Sisters, and Ben Folds.
Wainwright's most recent 'new' album to date, Want Two, from which four songs were released as the EP Waiting for a Want, was released by DreamWorks/Geffen on November 16, 2004. It is a companion to the 2003 release Want One. His latest, a live iTunes Sessions EP entitled "Alright Already", was released March 15, 2005. A DVD entitled "All I Want," featuring a biographical documentary, music videos, and live performances, was released on both sides of the Atlantic in summer 2005. The same year was also notable for two major contributions as solo vocalist to a pair of important records: the Mercury Prize winning Antony and the Jonsons' I Am A Bird Now and Burt Bacharach's At This Time.
The pair of 'Want' albums was repackaged as Want for a late November 2005 release to coincide with the start of a British tour. The version of Want One is that which contains the two extra songs "Es Mus Sein" and "Velvet Curtain Rag". The Want 2 here also has two new extra tracks - Chelsea Hotel No. 2 and In With The Ladies - which replace "Coeur de Parisienne - Reprise d'Arletty" and "Quand Vous Mourez de Nos Amours" from 2004's augmented edition.
He made his motion picture debut in Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller. He also has appeared in the films The Aviator and Heights. Rufus is managed by Paula Quijano. His publicist is the renowned and controversial Barbara Charone, who handles Madonna among many other artists of considerable commercial stature.
Themes
Wainwright's music contains several persistent themes, ranging from highly personal statements about being gay and single ("Oh, What A World") to statements about the decadence of California ("California.")
Discography
Albums
* Rufus Wainwright (1998, DreamWorks)
* Poses (2001, DreamWorks)
* Want One (2003, DreamWorks)
* Waiting for a Want (EP; 2004, DreamWorks) - available only on iTunes
* Want Two (2004, DreamWorks/Geffen)
* Want (2005, DreamWorks/Geffen) - repackaging Want One and Want Two as one album, with some extra tracks
* Alright Already (EP; 2005, DreamWorks/Geffen) - available only on iTunes
Contributions
* "I'm Running" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (1989)
* "Le Roi D'Ys" and "On the Banks of the Wabash" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture The Myth of Fingerprints (1997)
* "Schooldays", "What'll I Do?", "Heartburn", "Talk to Me of Mendocino", "Goodnight Sweetheart" and background vocals on various other tracks. - The McGarrigle Hour (1998)
* "Instant Pleasure" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Big Daddy (1999, Sony)
* "Complainte de la Butte" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Moulin Rouge! (2001, Interscope)
* "Hallelujah" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Shrek (2001, Dreamworks)
* "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Zoolander (2001, Hollywood Records)
* "American Triangle" - backing vocals - track from Elton John's album "Songs From The West Coast" 2001, Universal Records
* "Wake Up In New-York" - track from Craig Armstrong's album As if to nothing (2002, Melankolic Records)
* "Across the Universe" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture I Am Sam (2002, V2/BMG)
* "Sonnet 29" - When Love Speaks (2002, EMI Classics)
* "It's Only a Paper Moon" and "I Wonder What Became of Me" - Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen (2003, Sony)
* "The Origin of Love" - Wig in a Box - Songs from and inspired by Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2003, Off Records)
* "Au Fond du Temple Saint" - An aria from Georges Bizet's opera "Les Péªcheurs de Perles" - duet with David Byrne from the album Grown Backwards (2004, Nonesuch)
* "I Eat Dinner" (with Dido) - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004, Geffen Records)
* "I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture The Aviator (2004, Sony)
* "What Can I Do?" - Lead vocals on this track from Antony and the Johnsons' I Am A Bird Now (2005, Rough Trade)
* "Go Ask Shakespeare" - Solo vocalist on this song from Burt Bacharach 's At This Time album (October 2005, Bmg)
* "Spotlight On Christmas" "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"- Solo vocalist on these songs from The McGarrigle Christmas Hour (Nonsuch,December 2005)
Awards and nominations
Juno Awards
* 1990 - Nominated, Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year
* 1999 - Won, Best Alternative Album, Rufus Wainwright
* 2000 - Nominated, Best Songwriter; "Poses," "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk," and "Grey Gardens"
* 2002 - Won, Best Alternative Album, Poses
Genie Awards
* 1989 - Won, Best Original Song, "I'm A Runnin'"
Other
* 1999 - Won, Oustanding Music Album, GLAAD Media Awards
* 1999 - Won, Debut Album of the Year, Gay/Lesbian American Music Awards
* 2004 - Nominated, Shortlist Music Prize
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