Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."[1] With this trademark growl, his incorporation of pre-rock music styles such as blues, jazz, and vaudeville, and experimental tendencies verging on industrial music,[2] Waits has built up a distinctive musical persona. He has worked as a composer for movies and musical plays and has acted in supporting roles in films, including Paradise Alley and Bram Stoker's Dracula; he also starred in the 1986 film Down by Law. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his soundtrack work on One from the Heart.

Waits' lyrics frequently present atmospheric portraits of grotesque, often seedy characters and places—although he has also shown a penchant for more conventional ballads. He has a cult following and has influenced subsequent songwriters despite having little radio or music video support. His songs are best-known through cover versions by more commercial artists: "Jersey Girl", performed by Bruce Springsteen, "Ol' '55", performed by the Eagles, and "Downtown Train", performed by Rod Stewart. Although Waits' albums have met with mixed commercial success in his native United States, they have occasionally achieved gold album sales status in other countries. He has been nominated for a number of major music awards and has won Grammy Awards for two albums, Bone Machine and Mule Variations. In 2011, Waits was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[3][4]

Waits lives in Sonoma County, California, with his wife and musical collaborator Kathleen Brennan, and three children.

Background information


Birth name
Thomas Alan Waits 

Born
December 7, 1949 (age 64)
Pomona, California, United States 

Genres
Rock, experimental, folk, blues, jazz 

Occupations
Singer-songwriter, musician, actor, composer 

Instruments
Vocals, piano, guitar, drums 

Years active
1972–present 

Labels
Asylum, Island, ANTI- 



(1973) Tom Waits - Closing Time {Asylum, US  SD5061] Vinyl 24-192
(1974) Tom Waits - The Heart Of Saturday Night [Asylum UK K53035 1976] Vinyl 24-192
(1975) Tom Waits - Nighthawks At The Diner  [Asylum,  Canada, 7E-2008] Vinyl 24-96
(1976) Tom Waits - Small Change [Asylum, US, 7E-1078A-SP] Vinyl 24-96
(1977) Tom Waits - Foreign Affairs [Asylum, US, 7E-1117-B] Vinyl 24-96
(1978) Tom Waits - Blue Valentine [Asylum K53088, UK] Vinyl 24-96
(1980) Tom Waits - Heartattack And Vine [Asylum, US,  6E-295-A SP] Vinyl 24-96
(1981) Tom Waits - Bounced Checks (Comp.)[Asylum, germany, AS K 52316] Vinyl 24-96
(1983) Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones [Island, 90095-1, US] Vinyl 24-96
(1985) Tom Waits - Rain Dogs [Island, UK,  ILPS 9803-B]Vinyl 24-96
(1987) Tom Waits - Franks Wild Years [Island, Canada, ISL-1129] Vinyl 24-96
(1992) Tom Waits - Bone Machine [Island 74321 10351 1Europe] Vinyl 24-96
(1999) Tom Waits - Mule Variations [Epitaph ‎– 86574-1 ,US] Vinyl 24-96
(2002) Tom Waits -  Alice (LP) [Anti-, 86632-1]Vinyl 24-192
(2002) Tom Waits - Blood Money [Anti- 86629-1 US] Vinyl 24-96
(2004) Tom Waits - Real Gone [ Anti- 86678-1 US]  Vinyl 24-96
(2009) Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom Live [ Anti-, 87053-1, US] Vinyl 24-96