Martha Wainwright

Biography by Jason MacNeil, Allmusic.com

Born in Montreal to parents Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Martha Wainwright was engulfed in a sea of music from childbirth. Often singing or performing on-stage and in the studio at an early age, Wainwright became agitated at the thought of a musical career during high school. Shunning music, she decided to study drama at Montreal's Concordia University. But soon after starting her studies, Wainwright was composing her own material and performing in clubs and coffeehouses around Montreal. In 1997, she released her debut effort, a cassette entitled Ground Floor. She also began touring with her older brother Rufus Wainwright as a backing vocalist and musician. Moving from Montreal to New York, Wainwright took part in a stage musical called Largo. She also released a self-titled EP as well as a four-song EP called Factory in 2002. She has contributed to albums by Dan Bern and Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Wainwright, who performed at the 2000 ROCKGRRL Music Conference, has shared the stage with Sue Medley, Andy Stochansky, and Clem Snide, among others.