Folk singer-songwriter, Loudon Wainwright III (born September 5th, 1948)has been charming listeners since the early 70s with his honest, anecdotal songs that are instilled with his signature wit and cheeky humour, that have made him a cult figure.
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.
Marshall Crenshaw
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