An accomplished and versatile singer/songwriter, author, and actor, Loudon Wainwright III emerged in the early 1970s with a sound that combined elements of folk, blues, and rock, and a lyrical style steeped in cynical humor, personal observations, and social commentary. His first three studio albums, Album I, Album II, and Album III, were warmly received and elicited comparisons to Bob Dylan, and his 1972 novelty hit "Dead Skunk," along with appearances on the immensely popular television series M*A*S*H, helped to cement his reputation. Since then he has released dozens of albums, including the Grammy-nominated I'm Alright (1985) and the Grammy-winning High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project (2009), and has appeared with regularity in films (Elizabethtown, Knocked Up) and on television (Ally McBeal, Parks & Recreation). In 2021 he teamed up with Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks for I'd Rather Lead a Band. He is the ex-husband of late folk artist Kate McGarrigle and the father of musicians (and formidable singer/songwriters in their own right) Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, and Lucy Wainwright Roche.