BIOGRAPHY
Tom Waits, born December 7, 1949, emerged from Los Angeles' early-1970s folk scene with his 1973 debut Closing Time, which featured 'Ol' 55,' later a hit for the Eagles. He built critical and commercial momentum through Small Change (1976), Blue Valentine (1978), and Heartattack and Vine (1980), establishing his signature deep, gravelly voice and focus on society's overlooked characters. In 1983, working with Kathleen Brennan, he reinvented his sound on Swordfishtrombones, fusing blues, jazz, vaudeville, opera, and experimental rhythms. He later collaborated with director Robert Wilson on theatrical works including The Black Rider and Alice, won multiple Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, and built a parallel career as a film actor.