Loudon Wainwright III

For the past fifty-two years, Loudon Wainwright III has carved out a distinguished career as one of our most original singer-songwriters, a six-string diarist with material that is by turns, tongue-in-cheek, tender, sarcastic, heart-wrenching, and always deeply personal. Along the way, he’s released over twenty albums, won a Grammy, acted in film and TV, and had his songs recorded by artists including Johnny Cash, Mose Allison, Bonnie Raitt, and his own son, Rufus Wainwright.

In October of 2020, Loudon unveiled the album I’d Rather Lead A Band in which he is featured as a vocalist with Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks. The 14 -song collection of classic songs from the 1920s and ‘30s was widely acclaimed. During the pandemic, Wainwright has produced a number of virtual shows, including “The Special Relationship” (presented by the Royal Albert Hall) and “The Great Unknown”, his musical tribute to his friend the late George Gerdes. Also featured in that show were Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega, Steve Forbert, and the members of Spinal Tap.

In 2015 Loudon Wainwright received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in Cardiff.

Surviving Twin
Loudon’s most recent project is his one-man play entitled “Surviving Twin.” A solo piece many years in the making is what the singer-songwriter calls a “posthumous collaboration” with his writer father. Part concert, part dramatic reading, part family slide show. It is a hybrid theatrical form consisting mainly of songs written by Loudon III, along with readings of magazine columns written by his late father, and photographs spanning four generations of the Wainwright clan. The show was developed with the help of director Joseph Haj, at UNC’s Playmakers Rep. The special premiered on Netflix (2018) from executive producer Judd Apatow and director Christopher Guest.

Reviews

The New York Times

"Mr. Wainwright has proved to be far and away the most candid diarist among the singer-songwriters who... brought confessional poetry into popular song... Mr. Wainwright wrings more human truth out of his contradiction than any other songwriter of his generation." Read Review

CD Review: Rolling Stone

"Folkie great shares wry humor and hard-won wisdom...[he] modernizes blues and Americana." Read Review

The Times (London)

"Surviving Twin is extraordinary and wildly original, a hybrid of songs, spoken-word, solo theatre, and home movie footage." Read Review