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Born to parents Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwirght III, Rufus’ parents divorced when he was three and the toddler lived with his mother in Montreal, Canada for most of his childhood. Rufus began playing piano at age six and started touring with the family band The McGarrigle Sisters and Family” aged 13 which included his mother Kate, his sister Martha and aunt Anna.
At age 14 Wainwright earned a 1989 Genie Nomination for his performance of “I’m a-Runnin” in the film “Tommy Ticker and the Stamp Traveller, and a year later nominated for the 1990 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist. After this time Rufus began his life-long adoration for the opera which would strongly influence his future musical excursions.
Through weekly shows on Montreal’s club circuit, Rufus created a series of demo tapes, which eventually secured him record deal with DreamWorks. 1998’s self-titled debut took the best part of 1996 and 1997 to record a total of 56 songs, using 62 rolls of tape, costing an estimate of $700,000. The album received huge critical acclaim, topped many best-of lists, and won a series of awards, however the commercial success was limited.
Wainwright’s follow-up album “Poses” released June 5, 2001, continued the same vein of critical acclaim without commercial success for Rufus. After a stint of using crystal meth where the singer temporarily lost his eye sight, and a surreal week which included a cameo appearance on the BBC program “Absolutely Fabulous”, partying with George W. Bush’s daughter Barbara and singing with Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons, Rufus decided he needed a change.
In 2003 Wainwirght released the full-length “Want One” and a year later “Want Two”. Both albums would be combined and released under the name “Want” in 2005, the same year Rufus made vocal contributions to Mercury Prize winning album Antony and the Johnsons’ “I am a Bird Now" and Burt Bacharach’s “At This Time”.
In 2006 Wainwright performed a pair of sold-out shows at New York's, U.S., Carnegie Hall where he performed the entire Judy Garland concert album, and did the same at the London, UK’s Palladium.
Rufus’ follow album “Release the Stars” achieved much greater commercial success peaking at No. 2 in the UK Albums chart and No. 23 on the Billboard 200, and featured mother Kate, sister Martha, Neil Tennant and Joan Wasser.
Wainwright’s subsequent albums, 2010’s “All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu” and 2012’s “Out of the Game” both performed well in the charts and received much the same acclaim Rufus has come to expect.
He has been responsible for a number of wide-ranging acoustic covers of recognisable contemporary hits including "Heartbeats" by Swedish electro-pop outfit The Knife, Joy Division’s "Love Will Tear Us Apart", Bruce Springsteen’s "Born in the U.S.A." and "The Ghost of Tom Joad", Kylie Minogue’s "Hand on Your Heart", Bronski Beat’s "Smalltown Boy" and Massive Attack’s "Teardrop".
He cut his teeth in a very different kind of scene, playing guitar and bass in hardcore punk bands Back Against The Wall and Renascence, thrashing out two-minute power-chord numbers in the vein of Black Flag, The Misfits and the Dead Kennedys.
He released his four track debut E.P. “Crosses” in June 2003, following it up with his first full-length, “Veneer” in October, which contained "Crosses", "Hints" and "Deadweight on Velveteen" off the E.P. “Veneer” also contained what became perhaps his best recognized song, “Heartbeats”, a soulful acoustic rendition of the single previously released by his fellow Swedes, The Knife, which peaked at Number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. While recording the album, González was studying for a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Gothenburg, which he never completed due to the unforeseen success of his musical career.
González released his second album, “In Our Nature” internationally on 22 September 2007. The first single in Sweden was "Killing for Love", whereas in the rest of Europe it was "Down the Line". The album’s title pays service to ethicist Peter Singer and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, whom González had been reading at the time. The writings lend their ideas to the lyrical content of “In Our Nature”, which explores concepts surrounding around the human condition, God and morality.
González’s long awaited third studio album “Vestiges & Claws” is scheduled for release February 2015
Oh dear Rufus, have you made my life complete. Not only because your first gig in Paris back in 1999 was where I fell in love with my dear wife. But ever since then none of your gigs has been disappointing.
Be it the last minute solo piano gigs, or the extremely theatrical appearances with costumes, never-ending bands with horns and flutes, you have it all. In Berlin you already rocked: - the Passionskirche, with Joan as a Police Woman as Guest, and a final a la Passions Christi - the Akademie des Künste with a more American and electrified show - newly another church, the Apostel Kirche, with your half sister as guest.
Always pitch perfect, always witty and bonding with each city's crowd (though it might be easier with Berlin having your husband from here). But it's your songs and repertoire that make it possible, within a decade you've delivered albums that make you one of the most respected living songwriters by your peers, and many of the collaboration you've picked up also enrich the songs: Antony, Mark Ronson, to name a few. Please come back (and stay for good this time).
frederic-bertrand
Write your review of José González here...Imagine yourself in one of the most dependable places for acoustics, sitting on a bench, dimmed lights, and the strumming of a guitar paired with flawless vocals. For me this was sitting in a church watching Jose Gonzalez sitting on a metal chair with his acoustic guitar, playing songs from his album Veneer.
His set included “Crosses,” “Stay In The Shade” and “Slow Moves.” The most memorable though, was his performance of The Knife’s “Heartbeats.” I will never forget the first time I heard his song on a TV show, and to have the chance to see him perform it live was wonderful. His interpretation of the song gives it a new identity, almost as if it was not a cover at all. The intimacy of the show allowed for a more personal experience; you could close your eyes and take in the perfect acoustics or you could keep them open and really appreciate Gonzalez guitar skills. Either way, the show was super enjoyable from beginning to end. The setting also allowed for him to communicate with the audience more, taking time to speak about his songs.
Less is more, and for Jose Gonzalez, the simplicity of his performance is nothing short of perfection.
Ellinoinsta
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