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Tom Waits

Tom Waits

Acting · Sound · Crew · Writing

Born December 7, 1949, Pomona, California, USA

Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter 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 Whittier, California. Inspired by the work of Bob Dylan and the Beat Generation, he began singing on the San Diego folk music circuit as a young boy. 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 (1990) and Alice (1992), 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). Despite a lack of mainstream commercial success, Waits has influenced many musicians and gained an international cult following, and several biographies have been written about him. In 2015, he was ranked at No. 55 on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

Filmography

Appearances as themselves (36)
  • 2026Who Is Martin Mull? — Self
  • 2025The Last Ride — Self
  • 2024Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Concert Experience — Self
  • 2022Robert Wilson: The Beauty of the Mysterious — Self
  • 2022This Is Sparklehorse — Self
  • 2017Roy Orbison: Black and White Night 30 — Self
  • 2017Tom Waits: Tales from a Cracked Jukebox — Self
  • 2015Keith Richards: Under the Influence — Self
  • 2009Tom Waits: Romeo Bleeding - Live from Austin — Self
  • 2008One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur — Self
  • 2008Tom Waits: Under Review — Self
  • 2006Tom Waits - Burma Shave [Live Concert] — Self
  • 2005The Tiger and the Snow — Self / Sè stesso
  • 2003Bukowski: Born Into This — Self
  • 1999Tom Waits - Bridge School Benefit — Self
  • 1999Tom Waits: VH1 Storytellers — Self
  • 1998Tom Waits - Dead Man Walking, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, USA. — Self
  • The Daily Show — Self
  • Late Night with Conan O'Brien — Self - Musical Guest
  • 1993Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country — Self
  • Fishing with John — Self
  • 1990Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter — Self
  • 1990The Black Rider — Himself
  • 1988Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night — Self - Organ/Guitar
  • 1986Tom Waits - Live at Premio Tenco in Sanremo Italy — Himself
  • 1985Tom Waits - Live On The Tube — Self
  • 1982Poetry in Motion — Self
  • 1982The Making of 'One from the Heart' — Self
  • 1980Tom Waits at Theatre le Palace — Self
  • 1979Tom Waits: No Visitors After Midnight — Self
  • 1978Tom Waits: A Day in Vienna — Self
  • 1976Tom Waits: Elephant Beer Blues - Songs After Closing Time — Self
  • Austin City Limits — Self
  • Saturday Night Live — Self - Musical Guest
  • The Mike Douglas Show — Self
  • Tom Waits - One Star Shining : The First Decade — Self
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