Over the course of his five-album career, singer and songwriter Rufus Wainwright has mixed pop, rock, classical, and everything else to create a sound entirely his own. Coupling the music with deeply personal lyrics, he is that rare artist whose lush, theatrical sound harks back to the traditions of Tin Pan Alley, cabaret, and even opera.
The son of folk music luminaries Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Rufus grew up in Montreal, Canada. By 13, he was touring with his mother, his aunt Anna, and his sister Martha in the group The McGarrigle Sisters and Family. A year later, Rufus was nominated for a Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) as Most Promising Young Artist, and his song "I'm a-Runnin'," which he sang in the movie Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller, was concurrently nominated for a Genie (the Canadian counterpart to an Oscar) for Best Song in a Film.
Rufus cut a series of demo records and was signed to the DreamWorks label. His 1998 debut album Rufus Wainwright landed on the "Best of 1998" lists of several critics. Rolling Stone magazine called Rufus Wainwright one of the best albums of the year and named the singer as "Best New Artist" for the year. Rufus spent the next few years touring and appearing sporadically on soundtracks (Shrek) and compilations (The McGarrigle Hour). In June of 2001, he released his second album, Poses, to critical acclaim.
After spending several years touring on his own and with other artists such as Tori Amos, Sting, and Ben Folds, Rufus recorded sort of a double album. The first project, Want One, was released in September 2003, with Want Two following a year later. The Want One and Want Two albums were repackaged as Want for a November 2005 release. In 2006, Rufus performed the entire Judy Garland concert album that was recorded in Carnegie Hall in 1961. In 2007, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, the CD and DVD of the concerts, was released.
With the release of his fifth album, Release the Stars, Rufus Wainwright artfully establishes a work even more ambitious than the acclaimed Want Two. On this grand scale, his brilliant and idiosyncratic gifts as songwriter and vocalist come into even greater focus.
Rufus Wainwright's performance is sponsored by The BottomLine magazine and takes place at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California, on Monday, March 10, 2008, at 8:00pm. Tickets are priced at $75, $55, $45 and $35. -- www.mccallumtheatre.com
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