Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer,
songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. His lyrics often focus on
the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep,
gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during the 1970s, but his
music since the 1980s has reflected greater influence from blues,
rock, vaudeville, and experimental genres.Waits was born and raised in
a middle-class family in Pomona, California. Inspired by the work of
Bob Dylan and the Beat Generation, he began singing on the San Diego
folk music circuit as a teenager. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1972,
where he worked as a songwriter before signing a recording contract
with Asylum Records. His first albums were the jazz-oriented Closing
Time (1973) and The Heart of Saturday Night (1974), which reflected
his lyrical interest in nightlife, poverty, and criminality. He
repeatedly toured the United States, Europe, and Japan, and attracted
greater critical recognition and commercial success with Small Change
(1976), Blue Valentine (1978), and Heartattack and Vine (1980). He
produced the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's film One from the
Heart (1981), and subsequently made cameo appearances in several
Coppola films.In 1980, Waits married Kathleen Brennan, split from his
manager and record label, and moved to New York City. With Brennan's
encouragement and frequent collaboration, he pursued a more
experimental and eclectic musical aesthetic influenced by the work of
Harry Partch and Captain Beefheart. This was reflected in a series of
albums released by Island Records, including Swordfishtrombones
(1983), Rain Dogs (1985), and Franks Wild Years (1987). He continued
appearing in films, notably starring in Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law
(1986), and also made theatrical appearances. With theatre director
Robert Wilson, he produced the musicals The Black Rider and Alice,
first performed in Hamburg. Having returned to California in the
1990s, his albums Bone Machine (1992), The Black Rider (1993), and
Mule Variations (1999) earned him increasing critical acclaim and
multiple Grammy Awards. In the late 1990s, he switched to the record
label ANTI-, which released Blood Money (2002), Alice (2002), Real
Gone (2004), and Bad as Me (2011).
songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. His lyrics often focus on
the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep,
gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during the 1970s, but his
music since the 1980s has reflected greater influence from blues,
rock, vaudeville, and experimental genres.Waits was born and raised in
a middle-class family in Pomona, California. Inspired by the work of
Bob Dylan and the Beat Generation, he began singing on the San Diego
folk music circuit as a teenager. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1972,
where he worked as a songwriter before signing a recording contract
with Asylum Records. His first albums were the jazz-oriented Closing
Time (1973) and The Heart of Saturday Night (1974), which reflected
his lyrical interest in nightlife, poverty, and criminality. He
repeatedly toured the United States, Europe, and Japan, and attracted
greater critical recognition and commercial success with Small Change
(1976), Blue Valentine (1978), and Heartattack and Vine (1980). He
produced the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's film One from the
Heart (1981), and subsequently made cameo appearances in several
Coppola films.In 1980, Waits married Kathleen Brennan, split from his
manager and record label, and moved to New York City. With Brennan's
encouragement and frequent collaboration, he pursued a more
experimental and eclectic musical aesthetic influenced by the work of
Harry Partch and Captain Beefheart. This was reflected in a series of
albums released by Island Records, including Swordfishtrombones
(1983), Rain Dogs (1985), and Franks Wild Years (1987). He continued
appearing in films, notably starring in Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law
(1986), and also made theatrical appearances. With theatre director
Robert Wilson, he produced the musicals The Black Rider and Alice,
first performed in Hamburg. Having returned to California in the
1990s, his albums Bone Machine (1992), The Black Rider (1993), and
Mule Variations (1999) earned him increasing critical acclaim and
multiple Grammy Awards. In the late 1990s, he switched to the record
label ANTI-, which released Blood Money (2002), Alice (2002), Real
Gone (2004), and Bad as Me (2011).
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