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Wainwright grew up in Westchester County, an area north of New York City, US. Throughout his youth, he developed his talent and love of guitar, beginning to write and perform his own brand of folk-based novelty songs in the late 60s. He signed to Atlantic Records at the turn of the decade, releasing his debut, “Album I” (1970), followed by “Album II” (1971), although he quickly switched to Columbia Records for his third album, you guessed it, “Album III,” in 1972. Wainwright scored a hit with “Dead Skunk,” which broke into the top 40. However, he was unable to continue this commercial success with his next two albums, “Attempted Mustache” (1973) and “Unrequited” (1975).
Wainwright continued to release albums on various labels throughout the 70s and 80s, developing a strong cult following but failing to break into mainstream chart success, although he did manage to find fans across the US and in the UK. In 2000, a collection of his favourite songs and new compositions were compiled in the “BBC Sessions” album, acting as a summary of his long career. As a prolific recording artist, he went on to release a total of 26 studio albums by 2014. In 2011, Shout! Factory released a five-disc box set, “40 Odd Years,” which included an hour long documentary, offering a full retrospective of Wainwright’s career.
Wainwright’s two children, Rufus and Martha, have gone on to become musicians in their own right, continuing Loudon’s legacy. They also appeared on the 2012 album, “Older Than My Old Man Now,” which featured 15 tracks that were helped into creation by Loudon’s four children and two of his three wives, as a tribute to Loudon’s career.
Loudon Wainwright III is a character. His personality is definitely unique and uncanny, and this can clearly be conveyed through his songwriting. Wainwright is not ashamed to talk about his flaws, and his willingness to admit this in his lyrics allows him to present these topics in a sincere and humorous way. The first time I saw Loudon Wainwright III he was playing at a very small, intimate venue. I was just a teenager, and was the youngest person in the room, and the table I was sitting at was in the front row with a distinguished lawyer sitting there. I have to say I felt a little bit out of place, but I was so excited that I was about to be serenaded by Loudon while sitting in the front row. Loudon Wainwright’s music really is relatable to any age group, he performs wacky comedic songs like, “Dead Skunk (in the Middle of the Road)” and “Drinking Song”, as well as more sincere songs that have aspects that one can relate to on a universal level.
Loudon Wainwright III has great musical abilities and craftsmanship having been compared to one of his heroes, Bob Dylan, although he would go onto satirize this comparison in one of his later songs. He has a talented musical family with all of his children being respected musicians, and often joining Loudon on some of his performances. Loudon is always witty with his stage banter, as would be expected from someone who has played roles in many hilarious television shows such as M.A.S.H, Parks & Recreation, and Judd Apatow’s Undeclared. His music has also been critically acclaimed, having been nominated for three Grammy awards and winning one of them for his traditional folk album, High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project.
Loudon’s performance is usually very minimum consisting of him playing either just his acoustic guitar and sometimes a piano, but this bare bones style of performing allows one to focus on the cleverly, poignantly written songs, which allows for the audience to form such a deep connection and appreciation towards his music.
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