Thomas Alan Waits, (born December 7, 1949) is an American composer, singer, musician and actor.
Early Career
Born in Pomona, California, Waits' recording career began in 1971, after he relocated to Los Angeles and signed with Herb Cohen , manager of Frank Zappa, among others. After numerous abortive recording sessions, his first record, the melancholic, country-tinged Closing Time (1973) received warm reviews, but he first gained national attention when his "Ol' 55" was recorded by The Eagles in 1974. The Heart of Saturday Night showed his roots as a nightclub singer, half speaking and half crooning ballads, often with a soft jazz background. The 1975 album Nighthawks at the Diner, recorded in a studio but with a small audience to capture the ambience of a live show, captures this phase of his career, including the lengthy spoken interludes between songs that punctuated his live act.
Small Change (1976) featuring famed drummer Shelly Manne, was jazzier still, and songs such as "The Piano Has Been Drinking" and "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart" cemented his hard living reputation, with a lyrical style pitched somewhere between Raymond Chandler and Charles Bukowski. Foreign Affairs (1977) and Blue Valentine (1978) were in a similar vein, but showed further refinement of his artistic voice. 1980 saw the commencement of a long working relationship with Francis Ford Coppola, who asked him to provide music for his film One From The Heart . Waits tapped singer/songwriter Crystal Gayle as his vocal foil for the album. Waits would also act in Coppola's Rumblefish , The Outsiders, The Cotton Club and Dracula (as the insane Renfield), and work with such directors as Jim Jarmusch and Robert Altman. In August 1980, he married Kathleen Brennan , whom he had met on the set of One From The Heart . With his wife, he wrote and performed in Big Time, a slightly surreal concert movie. His wife is regularly credited as co-author of many songs on his later released albums, and is often cited by Waits as a major influence on his work.
1980s and later
After he left Asylum Records for Island Records in 1983, his music became less mainstream. His trio of albums from the mid-1980s, Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs and Frank's Wild Years, all featured some degree of eclectic instrumentation -- Waits' self described "Junkyard Orchestra"--often marrying soul music horn sections to avant-garde percussion reminiscent of Harry Partch's, or the distorted guitar of Marc Ribot. He also gradually altered his singing style, sounding less like the late-night crooner of the 70s, instead adopting a gravelly voice reminiscent of Howling Wolf and Captain Beefheart. The last of these albums -- an off-Broadway musical co-written with his wife -- and the later collaboration with William S. Burroughs on The Black Rider both demonstrated the increasing interest in theatre, which has resulted in a somewhat successful acting career as well as soundtrack work.
In the popular perception, however, he and his work remain mostly characterised by his rocky voice, his strong personality and theatrical presence on stage and the "late night smoky bars" humour of his texts ("I'd rather have a free bottle in front of me than a pre-frontal lobotomy."). Waits has been reported as having bipolar disorder. In essence, however, and despite his songs having been covered by famous stars such as Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart, Waits remains a cult performer, steadfastly outside the mainstream.
Lawsuits
Waits has steadfastly refused to allow the use of his songs in commercials and has filed several lawsuits against advertisers who used his material without permission. The first lawsuit was filed in 1988 against Frito Lay, and resulted in a US$2.6 million judgement in Waits's favor. Frito Lay had approached Waits to use one of his songs in an advertisement. Waits declined the offer, and Frito Lay hired a Waits soundalike to sing a jingle similar to "Step Right Up," which is, ironically, a song Waits has called "an indictment of advertising." [1] ("Step Right Up" concludes with the lyric "What the large print giveth, the small print taketh away").
In 1993, Levi's used Screamin' Jay Hawkins's version of Waits's "Heartattack and Vine" in a commercial. Waits sued, and Levis agreed to cease all use of the song, and offered a full page apology in Billboard Magazine. [2]
In 2000, an Audi commercial broadcast in Spain featured music very similar to Waits's "Innocent When You Dream", after Waits first had declined when they approached him about using the original. A Spanish court recognized there had been a violation of Waits' moral rights, in addition to the infringement of copyright [3]. The production company, Tandem Campany Guasch , was ordered to pay compensation to Waits through his Spanish publisher.
The Sons of Lee Marvin
Tom Waits has claimed on several occasions to being a member of the secret society, The Sons of Lee Marvin, a group founded by American director Jim Jarmusch in which all members bear a physical resemblence to actor Lee Marvin.
Discography
Major releases
+ Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album
^ Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
Collections
Contributions
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1991 Sailing the Seas of Cheese, by Primus: Waits does character vocals on Tommy The Cat
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1992 Beautiful Mess , by Thelonious Monster : Waits appears as a guest singer on Adios Lounge
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1993 Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet, by Gavin Bryars: Waits appears as guest singer
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1999 Antipop, by Primus: Waits does vocals on Coattails of a Deadman
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2000 Helium, by Tin Hat Trio: Waits appears as guest singer on Helium Reprise
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2001 It's A Wonderful Life, by Sparklehorse : Waits does vocals on "Dog Door"
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2002 For the Kids by various artists: Waits performs the lullaby "Bring Down the Branches"
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2004 The Ride by Los Lobos: Waits does vocals on the track "Kitate"
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2004 The Late Great Daniel Johnston by various artists: Waits covers Johnston's "King Kong"
Tribute albums
Filmography
Tours
See also:
External links:
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04
