• July 22, 1973
• Rufus is the son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, who died of cancer in 2010 at 63. His sister, Martha Wainwright, is also a musician. Loudon and Kate got married in 1971, had Rufus in 1973, had Martha in 1976, but split up soon after. Rufus and Martha were mainly raised by their mother.
• He was an early signing to the DreamWorks label, which was partly owned by Steven Spielberg and had their hooks in films as well as music. In 2001, the label helped secure Wainwright two high-profile placements: His cover of "Across The Universe" was used in the film I Am Sam, and his sublime rendition of "Hallelujah" appeared in Shrek. These covers, especially of "Hallelujah," are streamed far more than any of his original songs.
• Rufus says he inherited his father's voice and mannerisms, but he learned from his mother.
• His mother described Rufus' voice as a cross between the opera singer Maria Callas and the soul singer Marvin Gaye.
• He is openly gay and never tried to hide it, coming out in his teen years. "My hat's off to all you closeted people," he told Rolling Stone. "It must take incredible wherewithal and guts to be so dishonest."
• The Wainwright family is very close to the songwriter Leonard Cohen and his daughter Lorca. Rufus has been friends with the Cohens ever since he was a teen boy and practically grew up with young Lorca. In 2011, Lorca gave birth to a little girl, Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen, who she had with Rufus. Lorca is not a surrogate mother in any way but a full-fledged parent along with Rufus and his lover John Weisbrodt.
• He is a big fan of opera as well as Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, and other rock/folk/poppers.
• He was born in New York, but considers Montreal, where he was raised, his hometown.
• Rufus was addicted to crystal meth in the early '00s. When quitting cold turkey didn't work, he went to rehab in 2002 following his first headlining tour. Wainwright says he was always sober for performances though.
• Rufus plays piano, guitar, and sings. He considers the piano as being like his wife, while the guitar is an affair he has from time to time.
• When Wainwright was 14, he was accosted by an older man in a park who let him be after Rufus faked a seizure. Shaken, he didn't have another sexual encounter for five years, which may have saved his life. "It was a godsend, really, because of the AIDS epidemic," he told The Village Voice. "It probably kept me alive."
• He finds his creative zen through very long walks. In a Songfacts interview with Wainwright, he explained: "There are these moments where my brain turns off or has to go more into a survival mode or just get very simple, and lyrics will start to come to me then. Yes, I go through the pain and the happiness and the this and the that, but if I can get myself into somewhat of a trance - and walking would be #1 on the list - then lyrics can come much easier because I'm not focusing on it so much."

Comments: 1

• Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScI thought Nina Simone was a jazz singer.

More Songfacts:

DilemmaNelly

Kelly Rowland was the first Destiny's Child member to have a hit away from the group: her Nelly duet "Dilemma."

Afternoon DelightStarland Vocal Band

The Starland Vocal Band got the title "Afternoon Delight" from the late-afternoon appetizer menu at the restaurant Clyde's Of Georgetown in Washington, DC.

Everything ZenBush

References to David Bowie, Tom Waits and Allan Ginsburg are peppered into the Bush song "Everything Zen."

Rum and Coca-ColaThe Andrews Sisters

The '40s hit "Rum and Coca-Cola" is really about American soldiers soliciting prostitutes in Trinidad.

Give Me Everything (Tonight)Pitbull

Pitbull's line "I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan" in his 2011 song "Give Me Everything (Tonight)" didn't go over well with Lohan, who sued him for defamation. Around this time, she was in a downward spiral and often getting arrested. Her case was thrown out, but she did get her life back together.

FancyIggy Azalea

The video for Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" pays homage to the classic 1995 film Clueless with the rapper playing Cher and featured singer Charli XCX portraying Tai. It was filmed at some of the same locations used in the movie.

Editor's Picks

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.