Rufus Wainwright

A singer/songwriter whose lush, theatrical pop harked back to the traditions of Tin Pan Alley, cabaret, and even opera, Rufus Wainwright was born in 1973, the son of folk music luminaries Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. After attending the prestigious Millbrook School in Upstate New York, he briefly studied music at Montreal's McGill University, eventually turning away from classical performance toward pop and rock, though he would periodically return to the classical realm. His eponymous chamber pop debut arrived in 1998 and was followed by a string of successful records that included Poses, Release the Stars, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, and Out of the Game. ~ Jason Ankeny