Lucy Wainwright Roche is the daughter of singer-songwriters Loudon Wainwright III, a Grammy Award winner, and Suzzy Roche, who, along with her sisters Maggie and Terre Roche, made up the vocal group The Roches, known for their original harmonies. The couple split when Lucy was two years old and her father spent much of his time in the UK, so Lucy did not often see her father during her childhood. The Loudon Wainwright song "Screaming Issue" is written about Lucy. Lucy is also the half-sister of singer-songwriters Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright. She has toured with Rufus throughout the years. Through her father, she is a niece of singer-songwriter Sloan Wainwright.
Roche initially chose to bypass the family career choice of music in order to teach elementary school in Durham, NC and New York City for several years. In 2007, she made the decision to pursue a career in music full-time. This decision is chronicled in her "Spring Song" which appears on her EP 8 More, released in 2008. Also featured on this record is a duet of Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" with actress Martha Plimpton. Prior to 8 More, Roche released her first EP in 2007 titled 8 Songs which featured "Saddest Sound", a song that appeared on the television show Lipstick Jungle. Lucy has toured as an opening act for the Indigo Girls, and the duo is featured on two songs on Lucy's self-titled record released in October 2010. Lucy has also opened for such acts as the Dar Williams, Girlyman, Amos Lee, her father Loudon Wainwright, and half-brother Rufus Wainwright. Lucy also has sung backup for Grammy-nominated artist Neko Case, including an appearance with Case on the Late Show with David Letterman. In early 2009, Lucy's song "Snare Drum" won the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song. In 2008, Roche was one of the winners of the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival's "Emerging Artist" competition. Again in 2009, she was one of six winners of the Grassy Hill Kerrville Folk Festival's "New Folk Singer/Songwriter Competition". Roche released her debut album, Lucy, in October 2010. Two of her songs, "Once In" and "Starting Square" are featured on the soundtrack of the 2013 movie The Last Keepers. In 2015, Roche opened for her brother Rufus Wainwright on his Australia tour, where he premiered a song about her, "Lucy's Blue". On the tour, Roche shared a song from an album of "dark lullabies" that she and sister Martha Wainwright were working on.
