Tom Waits Brief 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 musicals and has acted in supporting roles in films, including Paradise Alley and Bram Stoker's Dracula. He also starred in Jim Jarmusch's 1986 film Down by Law. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his soundtrack work on One from the Heart.

Tom Waits News

• The Almanac for December 7, the 341st day of 2018
• The Almanac for Dec. 7, the 341st day of 2017
• Quentin Tarantino reveals Tom Waits auditioned for 'Reservoir Dogs' movie
• The Almanac for Dec. 7, the 342nd day of 2016