| Wainwright comes from a distinctly musical family. His father is American folk-singer and humorist Loudon Wainwright III, and his mother is Canadian folk-singer and songwriter Kate McGarrigle. Born July 22, 1973 in Rhinebeck, New York, Rufus Wainwright grew up in Montreal, where his mother made her home after his parents separated when he was three and subsequently divorced. Music has always been at the center of Wainwright's life. He began learning to play the piano at six and by his early teens was performing on tour with his mother, his aunt Anna McGarrigle, and his sister Martha Wainwright as the McGarrigle Sisters and Family. Wainwright wrote his first song, "I'm A-Runnin'," for the children's film Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (1988, directed by Michael Rubbo), for which his mother and aunt had been engaged to provide the music. He was rewarded with nominations for a Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) and for a Genie Award (the Canadian version of an Emmy) for his performance of the song in the television movie. Wainwright spent his high school years at Millbrook, a boarding school in upstate New York. While in his early teens he discovered opera. This taste not only gave him his own musical niche in the family but also led him to incorporate classical elements in his songs, creating a texture and sophistication that sets them apart from ordinary pop fare. At the age of fourteen Wainwright also discovered that he was gay and came out publicly. He has consistently been forthright about his sexual orientation. more |