Rufus Wainwright
A baroque-pop troubadour who merges cabaret flair with operatic ambition, crafting lush, emotionally raw songs about love, loss, and family.
Born 1973 (age 53)·Canadian-American singer-songwriter·Birthday: July 22·Generation X
Biography
Rufus Wainwright entered the world as musical aristocracy, the son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, but he forged a path entirely his own. From his self-titled 1998 debut, he announced himself as a songwriter of grand, theatrical ambition, his voice a soaring, tremulous instrument that wrapped around elaborate piano arrangements and lyrics dripping with wit and longing. Wainwright's music is a glorious anachronism, drawing from Tin Pan Alley, opera, French chanson, and 70s singer-songwriter introspection to create something timeless. He has never shied from scale, composing two full-length operas and setting all of Shakespeare's sonnets to music. His personal life, including struggles with addiction and the joy of founding his own family, is woven intimately into his art. Wainwright stands as a singular figure in contemporary music, a romantic who believes in the transformative power of a beautifully sung, extravagantly arranged melody.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Rufus was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rufus Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Rufus's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Composed two critically received operas, 'Prima Donna' and 'Hadrian,' premiered at the Manchester International Festival and the Canadian Opera Company respectively.
- Created 'All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu,' a solo album and stage show featuring his musical adaptations of Shakespeare's sonnets.
- Nominated for multiple Juno Awards, winning for Songwriter of the Year in 2008 for his album 'Release the Stars.'
Did You Know?
His song 'Going to a Town' is a scathing critique of America during the George W. Bush era, written from his perspective as a dual citizen.
He is the father of a daughter, Viva, with his former partner, arts curator Lorca Cohen (daughter of Leonard Cohen).
Wainwright lost his mother, folk singer Kate McGarrigle, to cancer in 2010, an event that deeply influenced his album 'Out of the Game.'
He performed a recreation of Judy Garland's legendary 1961 Carnegie Hall concert, released as the album 'Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall.'
“I'm not a rock star. I'm more of a show-tune star, really.”
