An Evening with Loudon Wainwright III

The historic Newtown Theatre will present “An Evening with Loudon Wainwright III” on Friday, October 4 at 8 PM.

Wainwright rose to fame when “Dead Skunk” became a Top 20 hit in 1972. He had studied acting at Carnegie Mellon University but dropped out to partake in the Summer of Love in San Francisco and wrote his first song in 1968 (“Edgar,” about a lobsterman in Rhode Island).

He was soon signed to Atlantic Records and was later lured to Columbia Records, which released “Dead Skunk.” Wainwright has recorded 27 albums, including his 2009 Grammy Award-winning High Wide & Handsome. His songs have been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, his son Rufus Wainwright, and Mose Allison, among others.

In 2022 Loudon released Lifetime Achievement, an album of 15 original songs, that established his singular talent as our foremost six-string tragicomedian, not only undiminished, but hitting new heights.

Loudon puts his latest achievement in the context of a lifetime of music making this way: “When I made my first record for Atlantic in 1969, I wanted to make not only a recording, but a document that captures a moment. Now, 50 years later, I guess I still want to make a testament of songs, and I like to think they might last a while.”

In October of 2020 Loudon unveiled the album I’d Rather Lead a Band, in which he is featured as a vocalist with Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks. The 14-song collection of classic songs from the 1920s and ‘30s was widely acclaimed. During the pandemic, Wainwright produced a number of virtual shows, including The Special Relationship (presented by the Royal Albert Hall) and The Great Unknown, a musical tribute to his friend, the late George Gerdes.

Online tickets are $45 per person or $40 for theatre members. Any remaining tickets will be sold for $50 at the door on the night of the show (if available).

All seating is general admission.