Tom Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor known for his musical tales of bohemians, drifters and misfits and for his stylistic blend of blues, folk and jazz. 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' lyrics frequently present atmospheric portraits 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", by the Eagles, and "Downtown Train", 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.
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.
Pausing at the crossroads in Santa Rossa, California 1999, Tom Waits casts a glance of displeasure, or so it appears, over his shoulder
Tom Waits onstage at the Victoria Apollo, London in March, 1981.
Tom Waits in a Chinese diner in Santa Rossa, California in January 1999
'I thought of improvisation as a large ball of string (a melody as yet unravelled)'. Cover art for Phish's 1997 album Slip Stitch and Pass
Shaun Ryder of the Happy Mondays captured in Yellow 2 Studios, Stockport in 1986
Punk icon Sid Vicious reading MAD magazine in Baton Rouge, Louisiana during the Sex Pistols one and only US tour in January 1978.
Bono from U2 performing live on their Joshua Tree Tour in Rotterdam, Holland in July 1987
As a self-taught composer and performer, Zappa's diverse musical influences led him to create music that was often difficult to categorize.
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960 and widely regarded as the most influential acts of the rock era.
Sir Elton John is an English pianist, singer-songwriter, composer & pop icon who has sold millions of records and won countless awards.
Van Morrison is a Northern Irish singer, songwriter and musician who is usually known by the name "Van the Man" to his fans.
A photographic celebration of Manchester's rock music history. Free exhibition at the University of Manchester
The Beatles were one of the most popular & influential bands of all time. Here we showcase our collection of their iconic fine art prints
A fantastic curated collection of museum quality fine art prints by leading music photographer Barry Schultz
Welcome to our Jazz & Blues Print Collection - over 50 years of iconic images of the world's greatest Jazz & Blues musicians
