Sloan Wainwright

Biography

Sloan Wainwright is a singer-songwriter, performer, teacher, and mentor known for her unique hybrid of pop, folk, jazz, and blues, unified by her rich, powerful contralto voice. Growing up in a musically influential family, she drew inspiration from 1960s and 1970s female artists like Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Laura Nyro, and Linda Ronstadt, as well as her brother Loudon Wainwright III and sister-in-law Kate McGarrigle, who introduced traditional music to the family by gifting her a banjo at age 16. She studied clawhammer banjo with family friend Jay Ungar and played piano in a string band, but evolved her style while raising a family and running The Baker’s Café in Katonah, NY, for 26 years.[1][2][3]

Her professional career launched in 1989 after winning the Open Mic Finals at Towne Crier Cafe, leading to an opening slot for Shawn Colvin and three decades of touring with various incarnations of the Sloan Wainwright Band at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Newport Folk Festival, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. She released her self-titled debut in 1993 and has collaborated on over ten albums with guitarist Stephen Murphy, including 2016’s Bright Side of a Rainy Day. Parallel to performing, Wainwright has taught vocals and songwriting since 1994 at leading retreats like Swannanoa Gathering, SummerSongs camps, and others, including master classes at SUNY Purchase since 2017.[1][2]

Now based upstate New York with partner Danny, Wainwright continues balancing performance, teaching, and new projects like her 2021 album Red Maple Tree, creative nonfiction essays under teacher Emily Weinstein, and retreats such as Yosemite Songwriting Retreat. Surrounded by family including children and grandchildren, she remains committed to growth through collaborations, traditional music exploration, and mentorship, earning praise from nephew Rufus Wainwright as 'The Voice' of the family.[1][2][3]

Fun Facts

• Owned and ran The Baker’s Café in Katonah, NY, for 26 years while raising her family and developing her music career.
• Won the 1989 Open Mic Finals at Towne Crier Cafe, which directly led to opening for Shawn Colvin and launching her touring career.
• Received a banjo from Kate McGarrigle at age 16, sparking her interest in traditional music before shifting to her hybrid style.
• Nephew Rufus Wainwright publicly calls her 'The Voice' and hails her songwriting as an 'astonishing feat'.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Jay Ungar - clawhammer banjo teacher and family friend (early banjo lessons) [around age 16]
• Penny Nichols - singing teacher who invited her to SummerSongs staff (Swannanoa Gathering coaching in 1994) [1994]
• Emily Weinstein - creative nonfiction essay writing teacher (ongoing essay writing development) [recent years]

Key Collaborators

• Stephen Murphy - guitarist and long-term musical partner (over ten albums from 1993 self-titled to 2016 Bright Side of a Rainy Day) [1993-2016]
• Brooks Williams - performance collaborator (joint shows) [ongoing]
• Loudon Wainwright III - brother and early supporter (family influence on songwriting) [early career]
• Kate McGarrigle - sister-in-law and major influence/supporter (introduced traditional music via banjo gift) [1970s]

Artists Influenced

• Hundreds of students - vocal, songwriting, and performance mentees (camps like SummerSongs, Swannanoa, Moab Folk Camp, SUNY Purchase) [1994-present]
• Rufus Wainwright - nephew who praises her as 'The Voice' of the family (public endorsement of her multifaceted work) [ongoing]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz

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