Tom Waits: Asylum Records promo picture - 1972 or early 1973.

TOM WAITS
Hilltop High, Class of '68 
Musician & Songwriter

Grammy award winning songwriter and musican, Thomas Alan Waits, was born on December 7, 1949 in Pomona, CA. He and his two sisters grew up moving around from city to city in California. His parents who are both school teachers divorced when he was 10. They then moved to National City.

Known for his deep, gruff voice and melancholy tales of life's losers, Tom Waits began performing in the late 1960s. His early recordings were later released on The Early Years and The Early Years, Vol. 2. Waits signed with Asylum Records. His debut, 1973's Closing Time, received mixed reviews but did contain "Ol' 55," later covered by the Eagles. The Heart Of Saturday Night began a series of acclaimed, cult albums featuring Waits on piano with cabaret jazz backing, including Nighthawks at the Diner (1975), Small Change (1976), Foreign Affairs (1977), Blue Valentine (1978), and Heart Attack and Vine (1980). The latter contained "Jersey Girl," which would become a mainstay of Bruce Springsteen's live show. In 1982 he wrote the music for Francis Coppola's One From The Heart. In 1983 Waits moved to Island Records and the experimental Swordfishtrombones marked the beginning of a new sound that he would continue to pursue. The use of unusual instruments and rhythms, and purposely raw recording techniques was even more pronounced on 1985's Rain Dogs. It was his first album to chart in the UK, reaching the Top 30, as most of his subsequent albums would. In the US, Waits would continue to lurk in the Billboard 100s, as he did in the 1970s. Rain Dogs also included "Downtown Train," which Rod Stewart would later have a hit with. Waits released Frank's Wild Years in 1987, featuring songs written with his wife Kathleen Brennan for a play of the same name. 1988's Big Time was the soundtrack to a concert film. In 1992 Waits released the soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch's Night On Earth and a new album, Bone Machine. 1993's The Black Rider featured music from a play co-written with William Burroughs. He also wrote songs for Robert Wilson's stage adaptation of Alice In Wonderland, Alice, but they were not released until 2002. Waits didn't release his next album until 1999's Mule Variations on independent label Epitaph Records. It was his highest charting album in both the UK (#9) and US (#30). Another new album, Blood Money, was released on the same day as the Alice soundtrack in 2002, and both reached the US Top 40. Tom Waits Discography - 1970s Tom Waits Albums & Tom Waits CDs 1973 Closing Time Asylum 1974 The Heart of Saturday Night Asylum 1975 Nighthawks at the Diner Asylum 1976 Small Change Asylum 1977 Foreign Affairs Asylum 1978 Blue Valentine Asylum Tom Waits Discography - 1980s Tom Waits Albums & Tom Waits CDs 1980 Heartattack and Vine Asylum 1982 One from the Heart Columbia 1983 Swordfishtrombones Island 1985 Rain Dogs Island 1987 Franks Wild Years Island Tom Waits Discography - 1990s/00s Tom Waits Albums & Tom Waits CDs 1992 Night on Earth Island 1992 Bone Machine Island 1993 The Black Rider Island 1999 Mule Variations Anti/Epitaph 2002 Alice Epitaph 2002 Blood Money Anti- 2004 Real Gone Anti-
- Biography Compiled by Carole George -