Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits is an American singer, songwriter, composer and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underbelly and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the folk scene during the 1970s, but his music since the 1980s has reflected the influence of such diverse genres as rock, jazz, Delta blues, opera, vaudeville, cabaret, funk and experimental techniques verging on industrial music. Jim Fusilli calls him "A keen, sensitive and sympathetic chronicler of the adrift and downtrodden" who "creates three-dimensional characters who, even in their confusion and despair, are capable of insight and startling points of view." His unique voice was described by 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."
Background
- Born in
- Pomona
- Educated at
- Hilltop High SchoolO'Farrell Community SchoolSouthwestern College
- Awards
- 🏆 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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Timeline
1949
Born
Birth
Influenced By
Thinkers whose ideas shaped Tom's philosophy
No known influences documented.
Influenced
Thinkers whose work was shaped by Tom's ideas
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Source Attribution
Information about Tom Waits is sourced from curated knowledge bases and cross-referenced for accuracy. Influence relationships are scored by thematic overlap and historical plausibility.
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