Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall
Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall is the sixth album by the Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released through Geffen Records in December 2007. The album consists of live recordings from his sold-out June 14–15, 2006, tribute concerts at Carnegie Hall to the American actress and singer Judy Garland. Backed by a 36-piece orchestra conducted by Stephen Oremus, Wainwright recreated Garland's April 23, 1961, concert, often considered "the greatest night in show business history". Garland's 1961 double album, Judy at Carnegie Hall, a comeback performance with more than 25 American pop and jazz standards, was highly successful, initially spending 95 weeks on the Billboard charts and garnering five Grammy Awards.
Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall
The recordings of Judy Garland helped Wainwright to emotionally process the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Marc Jacobs (pictured in 2017) promoted the concerts in his Greenwich Village store and attended a Carnegie Hall performance.
Wainwright, mimicking Judy Garland's appearance in Summer Stock, in 2007
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set Shakespeare's sonnets to music for a theatre piece by Robert Wilson.
Portrait of Wainwright by Oliver Mark, Berlin 2010
Wainwright in concert in Chicago
Wainwright in 2008
Wainwright and his husband, German arts administrator Jörn Weisbrodt, in 2010.