Loudon Wainwright III

Renowned for his witty lyricism, eccentric facial expressions and irreverent attitude, Loudon Wainwright III has been one of the most prolific and enduringly popular singer-songwriters of modern times. Long before his children Rufus and Martha Wainwright were becoming stars in their own right, Loudon's fearless and often very funny take on death, drinking, family and his own predilection for unsuitable women, litter a richly entertaining CV which rarely deviated from the one-man/one-guitar/one-songwriter format.

The son of a journalist, he grew up in Westchester, New York and initially made his mark in the folk clubs and coffee houses in Boston and New York, later signing to Atlantic Records. He released his self-titled debut album in 1970, followed it with the comedic novelty hit 'Dead Skunk (in the Middle of the Road)' and established a parallel career as an actor playing Captain Calvin Spalding in the hit TV show 'M*A*S*H'. His self-mocking style and daring stories won a devoted following as he freely shared details of his personal life in his songs following his marriage to Canadian singer Kate McGarrigle and their split spawned a whole new spate of bitter sweet materials on acclaimed albums like 'Album III' (1972), 'Unrequited' (1975), 'Fame & Wealth' (1983), 'I'm Alright' (1985), 'Therapy' (1989), 'Grown Man' (1995) and 'Last Man On Earth' (2001), recording over 20 albums during his career.

Film roles have included 'The Aviator', 'Big Fish', 'Elizabethtown' and 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin', while he also appeared on American TV show 'Saturday Night Live' displaying his gift for topical songs. In 2010 Loudon won a Grammy Award for one of his most ambitious projects, 'High Wide & Handsome', a collaboration with Joe Henry inspired by the life and music of American old-time banjo player Charlie Poole. He has continued to write and record fresh, topical material with the albums '10 Songs for the New Depression' (2010), 'Older Than My Old Man Now' (2012) and 'Haven't Got the Blues Yet' (2014) and in 2013 launched his first theatrical work 'Surviving Twin', which was later picked up by Netflix as a special directed by Christopher Guest. In 2018 he released 'Years in the Making', consisting of 42 previously unreleased or rare songs from the last 45 years.