Tom Waits

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Pomona, Los Angeles CA, United States (1949 – present)

Tom Waits (born Thomas Alan Waits, in Pomona, California, on December 7, 1949) is a prolific American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor.

He started his career in the early 1970s as a singer in spit ‘n’ sawdust bars. Initially, he was deeply influenced by the beat generation, novelists like Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, and poets like Allen Ginsberg and Charles Bukowski. Waits is often compared to Charles Bukowski, being similar both in content and lifestyle, although Waits’s views are more egalitarian than Bukowski’s. Waits was unable to make a living from his music in the 70s because his classical bar music, based in pre-rock, and , , and styles were not popular. Waits’s voice back then was soft, warm and clear.

Waits subsequently developed a devoted cult following and has influenced subsequent songwriters, despite having little radio or music video support. In fact, his songs are perhaps best known to the general public in the form of cover versions of more visible artists, such as the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart.

Although Waits’s albums have met with mixed commercial success in his native United States, they have occasionally achieved gold album sales status in other countries.
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Popular tags: blues, singer-songwriter, experimental, rock, alternative  See more

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  • fifax

    poetycki nurt progresywny, kurwa, jak ja się tu znalazłem?

    3 hours ago

  • JuiPoe94

    I'm addicted.

    yesterday morning

  • harajukudude

    please join my group! its a fun addictive way of talking about and sharing your tastes! all i need is members :) http://www.last.fm/group/Last.fm+Song+Contest

    Thursday evening

  • AdNaturam

    Hang down your head.

    Thursday afternoon

  • Hell_Pet

    Little Drop Of Poison!

    Monday evening

  • AndreDias164

    this guy is a badass

    Monday evening

  • GuakaRocker

    Alcohol is perfect with Tom Waits and viceversa <3

    Monday morning

  • Misbrained

    Tom Waits = God

    Sunday evening

  • IlanDatabase

    tom waits > rest of the world.

    Saturday evening

  • so-did-we

    "Tom Waits > Leonard Cohen. " Duh...

    last week

  • badoom_bum

    thank Tom Waits there is a God

    last week

  • Sentenzia22

    downtown train!!!11oneone

    last week

  • KingsAndQueen

    Chuck Norris checks under his bed for Tom Waits [4] lol!

    last week

  • Slesar-int

    Check some sleaze/hard rock http://www.lastfm.ru/music/Shit+rave

    last week

  • Alina_a

    Come to Romania!

    12 days ago

  • Sentenzia22

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    13 days ago

  • anjakarlson

    thank god there is Tom Waits

    13 days ago

  • huangxiang2008

    dead and love

    13 days ago

  • HardRokas

    @Misbraided I think Tom Waits is awesome but he's not that under-appreciated, lol.

    13 days ago

  • chltpleasure

    I want you! ♥

    14 days ago
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TomWaits.com Releases Exclusive Red Vinyl Edition of 4 Tom Waits' E/A Albums

1 Nov 2010 | from blog.myspace.com/tomwaits

Ahead of the general December 21 Rhino retail release, TOMWAITS.COM is offering limited edition 180 gram red vinyl versions of Closing Time, The Heart of Saturday Night, Nighthawks at the Diner an...

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