Tom Waits
1 catalogued object connected to Tom Waits.
Biography
Person.
Tom Waits is an American singer, songwriter and actor whose recordings move between jazz, blues, theatrical song and experimental sound. His debut album, Closing Time, began a recording career that gradually developed beyond conventional singer-songwriter arrangements into rougher textures and unusual instrumental combinations.
His long creative partnership with Kathleen Brennan has been central to his later songwriting and theatre work. Waits has also acted in films, including Jim Jarmusch’s Down by Law and Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula. His songs have travelled widely through other performers’ interpretations, including recordings by British and Irish artists such as Elvis Costello, the Pogues and PJ Harvey.
Reviewed 2026-09-07Selected sources
- Sony Music — Tom Waits biographyRecording development, film appearances and artists interpreting his songs.
- American Repertory Theater — Tom Waits and Kathleen BrennanCreative and songwriting partnership.