More albums from Tom Waits
Tom Waits's Popular Music Videos
God's Away On Business
Tom Waits
Misery Is The River Of The World (Live) (Lyric Video)
Tom Waits
Hold On
Tom Waits
God's Away On Business (Live) [Lyric Video]
Tom Waits
Lost In The Harbour (Live) [Lyric Video]
Tom Waits
Satisfied
Tom Waits
Hell Broke Luce
Tom Waits
Lie To Me
Tom Waits
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About Tom Waits
Artist Biography
Tom Waits went from quintessential cult artist to national treasure over the course of a long career full of wildly innovative left turns. His evolutionary process rivals that of The Beatles for artistic distance travelled. Born December 7, 1949 in California, Waits started out in the early ’70s as a piano-based balladeer somewhat in sync with the era’s singer/songwriter scene but differentiated by his raspy tones, the jazzy tinge to his tunes and a persona with a beatnik/film-noir vibe. His first few albums achieved no commercial traction, though the Eagles’ cover of his 1973 track “Ol’ 55” boosted his bank account and profile. Waits’ increasingly quirky sound started gaining attention with 1976’s Small Change, but a major sea change came with his early-’80s move from Asylum Records to Island. On a game-changing trio of albums, Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs and Frank’s Wild Years, Waits combined a dizzying array of influences, including Brecht/Weill, Harry Partch, Ennio Morricone, brass-band music and more, twisting it all into an unprecedented amalgam and employing a similarly sui generis compositional style to match. Critics were gobsmacked, and his audience grew. Along the way, mainstream covers of his tunes by Bruce Springsteen (“Jersey Girl”) and Rod Stewart (“Downtown Train”) helped advance his cause. In the ’90s, Waits’ sound grew deeper and darker on albums like Bone Machine and Mule Variations, his audience still expanding. In the 21st century, his output slowed but intensified, and his legend grew until he was ultimately celebrated as a true genius of American music.
Hometown
Pomona, CA, United States
Genre
Alternative
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