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Born in Chapel Hill, Loudon Wainwright III studied acting in college but dropped out to partake in the Summer of Love in San Francisco, where he wrote his first song in 1968 ("Edgar," about a lobsterman in Rhode Island). His career took off when his song "Dead Skunk" became a Top 20 hit in 1972. From there, he's written two dozen albums of frank and often funny songs and performed live shows that leave audiences both challenged and charged up.
His songs have since been recorded by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, his son Rufus Wainwright, and Mose Allison, among others, and have been used in movies and theater. The Grammy award winner even returns to acting sometimes, with roles in the TV show "M*A*S*H" and films including "The Aviator," "Big Fish," "Knocked Up," and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."
