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Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born 22 July , 1973 ) is a Canadian - American Singer-songwriter . He is the son of musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle . Since 1998 , he has recorded four albums of original music and several EPs. BIOGRAPHY Wainwright was born in Rhinebeck , New York , USA , to folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle (they 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 1988 Genie Award for Best Original Song and earned him a nomination for the 1990 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist . 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. Some of his songs feature his mastery of French . Wainwright still maintains a residence in Canada . He came out as Gay while still a teen. In the November 11 1999 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine , Rufus said that his father recognized his being Gay at a very young age. "We'd drive around in the car, he'd play " Heart Of Glass ", and I'd sort of mouth the words, pretend to be Blondie . Just a sign of many other things to come as well." {Link without Title} Wainwright became interested in Opera throughout his Adolescent years (for instance, his track ''Barcelona'' features lyrics of Giuseppe Verdi ). He also became an enthusiast of such performers as Édith Piaf , Al Jolson and Judy Garland . After having been a fixture on the Montreal Club Circuit , Wainwright cut a series of Demo Tape s, one of which found itself in the hands of DreamWorks executive Lenny Waronker . The label signed him and he released the self-titled Rufus Wainwright 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's 'Lieder'; his music has been described as " Popera " ( Pop Opera ) or " Baroque Pop." His lyrics are filled with allusions to opera, literature, Pop Culture , geography, 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 , and Scissor Sisters . Wainwright's most recent album to date, '' ''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'' (''Want One'' and ''Want Two'' combined) package in the UK 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. As well as '' Tommy Tricker And The Stamp Traveller '', Wainwright has appeared in the films '' The Aviator '' and '' Heights ''. Rufus has music in the film '' Brokeback Mountain '', for which he recorded "The Maker Makes" and "King of the Road" with close family friend Teddy Thompson . He also has music in the movie '' I Am Sam '' where he sings the Beatles' "Across the Universe" Rufus is managed by Barry Taylor and Paula Quijano, and his publicist is Barbara Charone. THEMES Wainwright's music contains several persistent themes, which have continued to evolve across his entire body of work. Many of his songs contain passing references to homosexuality, and gay innuendos. This can be seen quintessentially in "Harvester of Hearts". While not blantantly obvious, many of his songs deal with his use of crystal meth and the rehab afterward ("Go Or Go Ahead"). He describes many points along the emotional path of falling in love, from initial infatuation to a fleeting glance ("Foolish Love") to outright love, and casually suggests that the object of his affection is also male. Symbolically, Wainwright seems repeatedly fascinated by images of trains and distant geography ("Oh What A World" and "April Fools"). Family is also drawn into his work quite commonly, as seen in "Beauty Mark" (about his mother Kate McGarrigle ) and "Little Sister" (about his sister Martha Wainwright and step-sisters). The song "Dinner At Eight" was written after a large fight he had with his father, Loudon Wainwright III . Perhaps the most subtle theme evident in his music is constant reference to and reference with religious imagery, which perhaps culminated in ''Want Two'' with both "Agnus Dei" and "Gay Messiah." He utilizes at least one religious image in virtually all his songs ("The Greek Song") but only occasionally writes explicitly about religious ideas ("Agnus Dei"). DISCOGRAPHY Albums
Contributions
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS Juno Award s
Genie Awards
Other
EXTERNAL LINKS
REFERENCES
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