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Tom Waits
Biography
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. " With this trademark growl, his incorporation of pre-rock music styles such as blues, jazz, and vaudeville, and experimental tendencies verging on industrial music, 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. Lyrically, Waits' songs frequently present atmospheric portrayals 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. Waits lives in Sonoma County, California with his wife, Kathleen Brennan, and three children.
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Discography
- Blood Money, 2002
- The Early Years, Volume 1, 1991
- 2006-08-13: House of Blues, Cleveland, OH, USA
- VH1 Storytellers
- 2004-11-15: Remasters, Volume 9: Theater Des Westens, Berlin, Germany
- Bad as Me, 2011
- Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years, 1998
- Daydreamer Man, 2007
- Shadows of Intolerance
- One From the Heart, 1982
- Rats & Angry Flowers
- Bone Machine, 1992
- Mule Variations, 1999
- The Heart of Saturday Night, 1974
- Real Gone, 2004
- Alice
- Heartattack and Vine, 1990
- 2003-09-23: Healing the Divide: Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, NY, USA, 2003
- On Broadway, 1984
- Live in Concert
- Tales From the Underground 5, 2000
- Rain Dogs, 1991
- The Black Rider, 1993
- Tales From the Underground 4, 1999
- Nighthawks at the Diner, 1989
- Swordfishtrombones, 1983
- 1999-03-20: Remasters, Volume 8: Paramount Theatre, Austin, TX, USA
- 2008-06-22: Glitter and Doom: Jones Hall, Houston, TX, USA, 2008
- 2004-11-16: Theater des Westens, Berlin, Germany
- Seven Dollar Suits
- Bridge School Travels
- Used Songs (1973-1980), 2001
- 1999-04-01: VH1 Storytellers: Burbank Airport, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1999
- Glitter and Doom: Live, 2009
- 1974-10-08: Remasters, Volume 4: Ebbets Field, Denver, CO, USA
- 1999-07-14: At the Cirkus: Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden, 1999
- Small Change, 1989
- Black Rider Outtakes
- Blue
- Mercy and Grand, 2012
- 2006-08-04: Orpheum Theatre, Memphis, TN, USA
- The Early Years, Volume 2, 1998
- 2006-08-05: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, USA
- A Nickel's Worth of Dreams
- Franks Wild Years, 1987
- Tales From the Underground 2, 1996
- San Diego Serenade, 2008
- Live in Firenze
- Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, 2006
- 2000-05-30: Rex Theatre, Paris, France
- Closing Time, 1973
- 1978-12-05: Remasters, Volume 2: Austin City Limits, Austin, TX, USA
- 1999-03-20: SXSW, Austin, TX, USA
- Foreign Affairs, 1995
- Romeo Is Bleeding, 1979
- Big Time, 1988
- 2006-08-09: Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA
- 2000-05-26: Sala Kongresawa, Warsaw, Poland
- Asylum Years, 1986
- Downtown Blues
- 2008-07-05: Glitter and Doom: Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA, USA, 2008
- 1999-09-23: Beacon Theatre, New York, NY, USA
- Blue Valentine, 1990
- My Set Purpose, 2004
- 1999-10-18: Seattle, WA, USA
- Live in Florence (1999)
- Drink at the Bar
- 1996-02-04: Don Hyde Benefit, Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA, USA
- 2004-11-21: Theater Carré, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Australia 1979 - Fast Women and Slow Horses
- 1999-04-01: Grand Weepers and Grim Reapers: Burbank Airport, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Glitter and Doom: Live Preview, 2009
- Little Drops of Poison: Rarities, 2005
- Tales From the Underground 3, 1997
- Tales From the Riverside
- 1977-04-26: Remasters, Volume 1: Post-Aula, Bremen, Germany
- Tales From the Underground, 1996
- Drunk on the Moon, 1994
- Night on Earth, 1992
- 1975-02-19: Remasters, Volume 5: Ebbets Field, Denver, CO, USA
- Last Call
- Bounced Checks, 1981
- 1979-05-02: Remasters, Volume 3: State Theatre, Sydney, Australia
- 1999-07-(23, 24, 25): Remasters, Volume 7: Teatro Comunale, Florence, Italy
- Alice (The Original Demos)
- Cold Beer on a Hot Night
- Every Time I Hear This Melody... Live in Hamburg '77
- 1996-08-11: Raven Theatre, Healdsburg, CA, USA
- The Dime Store Novels, Volume 1 (live at Ebbetts Field 1974), 2001
- Tales For the Audience Part 3, 1999
- The Blue Hour
- Live from Austin, 2009
- Greatest Hits, 2008
- Round Midnight: The Minneapolis Broadcast 1975, 2011
- One Night Stand
- Invitation to the Blues, 1977
- Rendezvous at Midnight
- 1999-07-(13, 14): Remasters, Volume 6: Circus, Stockholm, Sweden
This entry is automatically sourced from Musicbrainz , the public domain music
database. Visit the
Tom Waits page on Musicbrainz to correct or update this entry.
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external sites.
Recently Played on Dig Music.
| Song | Coney Island Baby |
| Artist | Tom Waits |
| Album | Blood Money |
| Label | Anti |
| Year | 2002 |
| Song | Jesus Gonna Be Here |
| Artist | Tom Waits |
| Album | Bone Machine |
| Label | Island/PolyGram |
| Year | 1992 |
| Song | Bad As Me |
| Artist | Tom Waits |
| Album | Bad As Me |
| Label | WMA |
| Year | 2011 |
| Song | Rains On Me |
| Artist | Tom Waits |
| Album | Free The West Memphis 3 |
| Label | Kock/Shock |
| Year | 2001 |
| Song | Fish In The Jailhouse |
| Artist | Tom Waits |
| Album | Orphans |
| Label | Shock |
| Year | 2006 |
Media
Our default Flash video is not available on your device. Please use the link(s) 
below to open the video in your own player.
- YouTube Tom Waits interview Jimmy Fallon HD 5:45
- YouTube Tom Waits Hold On 4:15
- YouTube Tom Waits Waltzing Matilda live 1977 7:40
- YouTube Closing Time Tom Waits Full Album 1973 HD 46:01
- YouTube Nighthawks at the Diner Tom Waits Full Album 1975 74:01
Non-ABC videos are automatically sourced from YouTube , the user-contributed video sharing site. The ABC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Non-ABC images are automatically sourced from Discogs , a community-built database of music information. The ABC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Links
Artist Website
On the ABC
- DIG Radio - Web Article - Tom Waits Orphan Interview
- DIG Digital Radio - Tom Waits, Ray Davies Judge Song Contest
- Tom Waits - Radio National Breakfast - 10 November 2006
- The Planet - 7 October 2004 - Tom Waits
- DIG Digital Radio - Tom Waits Interviews... Tom Waits
- The Planet - 23 May 2002 - Tom Waits
- Tom Waits is a stayer. He has been writing and recording songs for over 30 years and ...">Deep End - 2 November 2004 - Tom Waits
- Tom Waits + The Planet + 07/10/2004
- Vicki Kerrigan's interview with Tom Waits is now available as audio on demand at the ...">Deep End - 5 October 2004 - Tom Waits
- Tom Waits - The Planet - 23/5/2002
Elsewhere on the Web
Links suggested here are generated automatically. The ABC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Page created on Mar 29, 2009. 3:43am and updated on May 1, 2013. 10:56pm.
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Comments
WOW - that was 1978??? I looked it up to prove it WAS Waits - but I thought it must've been recent! Waits is incredible - timeless is an understatement. The man writes music that sounds old the moment you hear it - like Dylan's tunes. And like Dylan, Waits will live on forever and ever.
OK.. I just hear this song for the first time..."Talking at the same Time" and I have to say I liked it! Tom Waits must have a wide vocal range. I just realised that all the previous songs I've heard him singing were sung in that deep drone tone..so I have to eat humble pie a bit...
I'm sorry but when I hear Tom Waits I can't help feeling that the man is in some degree of Pain. ...?!
I find his voice hard to listen to.... Not saying his music isn't good, it's just the pain I seem to hear in his voice...
Isn't it interesting how people can perceive the same music so differently!..such contrasting views...
I can't get enough of Tom Waits.. he just tugs at my heartstrings .. even when I don't recognise it's him singing doesn't surprise me ( I rarely jump on 'just played list' .. when it piques my interest). .. I have just about worn out my copies of Heart Attack and Vine and Blue Valentine... have Closing Time on Vinyl. Yes, Crammond I remember seeing him on Don Lane.. classic.. Don was sweating like a pig and Tom chain smokin.. off his face.. then sat down at the piano and played 'postcard from a hooker' and all was forgiven.. just magic <3
Dig people, I would love to hear Tom Waits' own version of Ol' 55 from the Closing Time album. It was covered by the Eagles in the early 70s. Hopefully you can find it in a digital format.
Jamil
Genius indeed! Love his work!
Tom is simply one of the few remining geniuses. Girlfriend who visits every friday always mistakes him for Nick Cave (she has a Cave fetish, and I don't blame her - but the amount of money I've won from her, and then forfeited on the Cave/Waits/Beefheart thang...) Anyway if Tom Waits reamins me of anyone, it's Alice Cooper. That same love/hate relationship with God/Satan (Cooper deserves more airplay, BTW. Chek out his 2001 'Dragontown'. It's by turns hilarious and terrifying).
Oh yeah, Tom Waits. Well, there were his early albums (remember seeing him on 'The Don Lane Show'), his classic, percussive trio of 'Swordfish Trombones', 'Rain Dogs' and 'Frank's Wild Years', and then the aftermath, including the horrifying 'Bone Machine'..... the man is not a God. That's the point.
Agreed Megan,Time to revisit Waits after all these years.Brilliant !!!!
timeless! i can' t belive this was 1978
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