The Murray Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall presents Loudon Wainwright III on 3/29

GRAMMY-Award winning, folk-singer/songwriter Loudon Wainwright III returns to the all-new Murray Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Thursday, March 29 at 7:30 pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 28 at 10 am.

Wainwright came to fame when his novelty song Dead Skunk became a Top 20 hit in 1972. His songs have since been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, his son Rufus Wainwright and Mose Allison, among others. In 2011, the songs were commemorated in a comprehensive five-disc retrospective, 40 Odd Years.

In 2016, Wainwright released Haven't Got the Blues (Yet), his 26th, and most recent album of his long and illustrious career. It follows his acclaimed Older Than My Old Man Now album-"my death n' decay opus," as Wainwright calls it, and 2010s GRAMMY-winning High Wide & Handsome.

In HGTB(Y) he broadens his scope with a 14-song, genre-bounding set ("eclectricity," he calls it) dealing with varied subject matter including depression, drinking, senior citizenship, gun control, heartbreak, pet ownership and New York City's arcane practice of alternate side-of-the-street parking.

Wainwright co-wrote the soundtrack for Judd Apatow's hit movie Knocked Up. He also composed topical songs for NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered and ABC's Nightline. An accomplished actor, Wainwright has appeared in films directed by Martin Scorsese, Hal Ashby, Christopher Guest, Tim Burton, Cameron Crowe, Judd Apatow and Steven Soderbergh. Wainwright has also starred on television in MASH and Undeclared. Most recently, he appeared in Soderbergh's film Mosaic.

This September, Wainwright will release a memoir titled Liner Notes, On Parents & Children, Exes & Excess, Death & Decay, & a Few of My Other Favorite Things, where he continues to emphasize the personal. Wainwright details the family history his lyrics have referenced and the fractured relationships in the Wainwright family throughout generations - the alcoholism, the infidelities, the competitiveness, as well as the closeness, the successes and the joy.

Tickets priced at $39.50 will be available at the Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Office, by calling 727.791.7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com. Pre-show dining is also available. The Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Office is open Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm and one hour prior to show time.

Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, owned by the City of Clearwater, manages and operates 2,200-seat Ruth Eckerd Hall, the 200-seat Murray Theatre, the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts, the 750-seat Capitol Theatre and Ruth Eckerd Hall On The Road. Our mission is: Changing lives through the performing arts.

The Murray Theatre, located at Ruth Eckerd Hall, originally opened in 2003 as part of an education expansion of the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts. Through the generous support of Ray and Nancy Murray, a state grant and Capital Campaign donors, a $1.5 million renovation was completed, which includes state-of-the-art lighting and sound and a one-of-a-kind hand-painted mural depicting music, theater and dance. The Murray Theatre offers affordable, accessible, high-quality experiences to audiences of all ages.