Tom Waits

Tom Waits is an American singer, songwriter, and actor known for his gravelly voice, theatrical lyrics, and experimental approach to instrumentation that blends blues, jazz, vaudeville, and avant-garde rock. Born Thomas Alan Waits on December 7, 1949, in Pomona, California, he has built a five-decade catalog that has influenced generations of songwriters.

Waits grew up in Whittier and Chula Vista and attended Hilltop High School. He worked as a doorman at the Heritage nightclub in San Diego while writing songs and absorbing Beat literature, particularly the work of Jack Kerouac, which shaped his early storytelling style.

Discovered by manager Herb Cohen at the Troubadour's hoot night in Los Angeles, he signed with Asylum Records and released his debut Closing Time in 1973, featuring "Ol' '55," later covered by the Eagles. He recorded seven Asylum albums, culminating in Heartattack and Vine (1980), before reinventing his sound in 1983 with Swordfishtrombones on Island Records.

The trilogy of Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs (1985), and Franks Wild Years (1987) introduced clattering percussion, marimbas, and distorted vocals that redefined his work. He won Grammy Awards for Bone Machine (1992) and Mule Variations (1999), and a third for the song "Hell Broke Luce" in 2012. As an actor he appeared in Down by Law (1986), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), and Seven Psychopaths (2012). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

The name Tom is a short form of Thomas, derived from the Aramaic name Ta'oma meaning "twin."