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Tom Waits
33,599,246 plays (700,357 listeners)
Listening now: szczeqan, wayland1986
Pomona, Los Angeles CA, United States (early 1970s – present)
Tom Waits (Thomas Alan Waits, Pomona, California, 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 (poets like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs). He could not make a living from his music, although he was well accepted by the critics. The people at that time didn’t like his classical bar music, pre-rock and americana styles reminiscent of musical genres of the 40’s and 50’s, such as blues, jazz, and vaudeville.
Waits has 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 by more visible artists, such as the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, and 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.
Lyrically, Waits’ songs are known for atmospheric portrayals of bizarre, seedy characters and places, although he has also shown a penchant for more conventional and touching ballads.
While opening for Frank Zappa, the audience catcalled and refused to listen to him. It appeared that Wait’s classical americana and Zappa’s avantgarde jazz Rock were a less than a perfect match. Waits’ voice back then was soft, warm and clear. He sang songs about the losers on the streets: alcoholics, junkies, prostitutes and social outcasts.
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 (poets like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs). He could not make a living from his music, although he was well accepted by the critics. The people at that time didn’t like his classical bar music, pre-rock and americana styles reminiscent of musical genres of the 40’s and 50’s, such as blues, jazz, and vaudeville.
Waits has 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 by more visible artists, such as the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, and 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.
Lyrically, Waits’ songs are known for atmospheric portrayals of bizarre, seedy characters and places, although he has also shown a penchant for more conventional and touching ballads.
While opening for Frank Zappa, the audience catcalled and refused to listen to him. It appeared that Wait’s classical americana and Zappa’s avantgarde jazz Rock were a less than a perfect match. Waits’ voice back then was soft, warm and clear. He sang songs about the losers on the streets: alcoholics, junkies, prostitutes and social outcasts.
Top Albums
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Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
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Closing Time
Tom Waits Buy- Download Album
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Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits Buy- Download Album
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Bone Machine
Tom Waits Buy- Download Album
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Top Tracks
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Jockey Full of Bourbon
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Singapore
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Downtown Train
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Rain Dogs
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Cemetery Polka
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Time
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Hang Down Your Head
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Big Black Mariah
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Tango Till They're Sore
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Gun Street Girl
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Anywhere I Lay My Head
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Underground
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Shoutbox
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elliotc89 wrote:
this is a pretty good piece of footage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhEYN4qSf4o hear him out...
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cjkisaragi wrote:
I think I would actually kill another human being to see this man in concert. I'm not joking either.
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JohnQuixote311 wrote:
Has anybody else heard Tim Buckley's cover of Tom's song "Martha"? It's amazing. Kind of threw me for a loop though because both albums were released the same year! I couldn't figure out which was the chicken and which was the egg.
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westhamcole wrote:
The owner is a mental midget
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zjaia wrote:
I wish You were in Norway or Poland now.
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WhichOneIsPink wrote:
I wish You were in Poland now. [2]
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chlindh wrote:
Wish the dude would tour a bit more often..
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swiernalswierna wrote:
I wish You were in Poland now.
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scuttlefishcod wrote:
holy shit these pictures on here are awesome
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charliekilo22 wrote:
Name a cooler guy than Tom Waits. OH WAIT, YOU CAN'T! [2]
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m1xa wrote:
Tom, russia loves you
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Cox_of_Seagulls wrote:
Name a cooler guy than Tom Waits. OH WAIT, YOU CAN'T!
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OneWhiteDuck wrote:
Tom Waits for no man ... :D
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Victo_prog wrote:
Damn I wish there was a "Night Hawks at the Diner Part 2"
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Defiant_Reliant wrote:
I saw Bob Dylan last night and Tom Waits played with him for a song!! It was one of the most exciting nights of my life!
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nechaev-misha wrote:
"Румбы о русалках, шаффлы о крушении поездов, мадригалы об утопленниках, тарантеллы о насекомых. Это страшные, неприятные, сиротские песни из области меланхолии и болезненного наслаждения..." From Russia with love!
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henryvoll wrote:
I wonder what he's waiting for.
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WildeVogel wrote:
JES !
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undercoverdevil wrote:
crazy guy...gotta like him !
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macijikralj wrote:
one is tom
Videos
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News
Pre-Order 'Glitter and Doom Live'
13 Oct 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/tomwaits
Glitter and Doom Live hits stores on November 24th and is currently available for pre-order in a whole slew of different bundles! Take a look below to see everything that's offered!
…
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12 Oct 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/tomwaits -
13 May 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/tomwaits -
18 Jun 2008 | from blog.myspace.com/tomwaits
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Recent Activity
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