Tom Waits biography, photos, personal life, wife and children,age 2025

Tom Waits Biography

Tom Waits is an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose gravelly voice and unique musical style have made him one of the most distinctive figures in contemporary music. This man created his own universe of sounds, and his music defies easy genre classification: it's blues and avant-garde, jazz and industrial all rolled into one. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he's become the voice of misfits and outcasts, the poet of urban fringes, and a master of musical theater.

Musician Tom Waits in a hat and coat with upturned collar — Tom Waits

Childhood and Family

Thomas Alan Waits was born on December 7, 1949, in Whittier, California. He grew up with two sisters – one older, one younger.

His father, Jesse Frank Waits (1922-2007), was a Texas native of Scottish-Irish descent who taught Spanish at the local school. He was also, according to Tom, a translator, radio technician, and "at various times, practically everything."

His mother, Alma Fern (née Johnson) (1921-2010), hailed from Oregon, had Norwegian roots, and also worked as a teacher.

As Waits later described his family:

...on my mother's side, they're all professors and lawyers, and on my father's side, they're all psychopaths and alcoholics.

In 1959, Jesse and Alma divorced, which came as a huge shock to 10-year-old Tom. Alma took the children and moved to Chula Vista, a middle-class San Diego suburb. Jesse frequently visited the family and took the kids on trips to Tijuana. These trips to Mexico with his father introduced young Tom to Mexican music, which would have a major influence on his later work.

School portrait of Tom Waits in a jacket, three-quarter view — Tom Waits as a child

Tom's father played a little guitar, and his uncle Robert played church organ. It was Robert who gave Tom a trumpet – the trumpet, not the guitar, became his first musical instrument. His earliest performances were at school flag-raising ceremonies. The raspy, scratchy timbre of his uncle's voice also inspired Tom's own singing style.

In a 1999 interview, Waits candidly discussed how childhood trauma affects artists:

I think most artists, on some level, are part of the freak show. And most of them have some wound from early childhood – a death in the family or the break-up of the family unit, and it sends them on a journey where they end up on their knees in front of a jukebox, praying to Ray Charles.

Education

Waits attended O'Farrell Community School, where he fronted the school band "Systems," which he described as "white kids trying to copy the artists from Motown Records."

Later, he transferred to Hilltop High School in Chula Vista. During those years, he was, by his own admission, "kind of a juvenile delinquency aficionado," interested in "malicious mischief" and constantly breaking the law. At the same time, he had to work to support his family.

...I started working when I was 14. I drove a cab, sold vacuum cleaners and encyclopedias, worked at gas stations and liquor stores, and delivered newspapers. I sold caterpillars to fishermen — you can buy live worms through the mail, you know. I dropped out of school at 17. Around 19, I started writing songs, and a year later I started performing, and I taught myself all of this.

At 17, Waits dropped out of high school and served in the U.S. Coast Guard for three years. Some time later, he decided to become a photographer and began studying photography at Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista. He continued his interest in music, playing guitar and taking piano lessons.

Young Tom Waits in a cap smiling — Tom Waits in his youth

Career

Music

Tom Waits' musical career began when he landed a job as a doorman at the Heritage nightclub in San Diego in 1969, where folk groups regularly performed. It was on this very stage that the young man got his chance to play his first gig, for which he was paid $6.

After that, Waits started hitting venues all around San Diego and gradually became part of the local folk scene.

In 1971, he moved to Los Angeles and two years later released his debut folk album "Closing Time," which went virtually unnoticed and sold poorly.

Tom Waits - "Tom Traubert's Blues" (Live on Rockpalast, 1977)

But the Eagles' cover version of "Ol' 55" brought Waits some money and recognition. The albums "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974) and "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975) followed.

His first breakthrough came with the 1976 album "Small Change." While working on it, Waits was going through a difficult period, so the songs turned out melancholic. This was followed by "Foreign Affairs" (1977), "Blue Valentine" (1978), and "Heartattack and Vine" (1980).

A turning point in his artistry came in the early 1980s. Many critics consider "Swordfishtrombones" (1983) his breakthrough album, showcasing an experimental and innovative musical style. The next two albums, "Rain Dogs" (1985) and "Frank's Wild Years" (1987), formed an informal trilogy with it.

Tom Waits – In The Neighborhood

In the 1990s and 2000s, Waits continued to experiment. His 1992 release "Bone Machine" won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. His 1999 album "Mule Variations" was also highly acclaimed and won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Film Career

Alongside his music career, Waits built an impressive filmography. He made his acting debut in Sylvester Stallone's "Paradise Alley" (1978). During the 1980s, Waits appeared in three Francis Ford Coppola films: "Rumble Fish" as Benny, a philosophical store manager, "The Outsiders" as Buck Merrill, and "The Cotton Club" as a maître d'.

One of his most memorable performances came as R.M. Renfield, Dracula's servant, in Francis Ford Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992). Waits wore metal finger braces that caused genuine pain, perfectly emphasizing his character's descent into madness.

Tom Waits in round glasses and with finger braces holds a saucer in his hands, next to him stands a young man with a notepad — Tom Waits in "Bram Stoker's Dracula"

He played a brief role as an undercover cop in "The Two Jakes" (1990) and portrayed a disabled war veteran in Terry Gilliam's "The Fisher King" (1991). His dark features and gravelly voice made him perfect for devilish roles, and he knew exactly how to use these qualities. This was evident in "Wristcutters: A Love Story" (2006) and "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," where he literally played the Devil himself.

In 2018, Waits appeared in "The Old Man & the Gun," based on the true story of a bank robbery crew known as the "Over the Hill Gang," and in the Coen Brothers' western anthology "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," their love letter to the Wild West.

In 2019, he could be seen in Jim Jarmusch's zombie comedy "The Dead Don't Die," and in 2021 in Paul Thomas Anderson's coming-of-age drama "Licorice Pizza."

Tom Waits in a hat, green shirt and blue neckerchief against a green valley backdrop — Tom Waits in "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"

Tom Waits' Personal Life

The turning point in Waits' life came when he met Kathleen Patricia Brennan. Born in Cork, Ireland in 1955, she grew up in Johnsburg, Illinois. Kathleen was a musician, producer, and artist.

Brennan and Waits first crossed paths in 1978 on the set of "One from the Heart": Brennan was working as a script supervisor on the film, while Waits was trying his hand at acting for the first time.

They later reconnected on Francis Ford Coppola's "One from the Heart" in the early '80s. Brennan was working at American Zoetrope as a screenwriter, while Waits was composing the film's score.

Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan in their youth standing by a window — Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan

A week after this reunion, they got engaged. In August 1980, they tied the knot at a 24-hour wedding chapel. They decided to get married at 1 AM. The decision came so spontaneously that they had to page the pastor. Tom had $50 in his pocket, and Kathleen had $20.

The couple had three children: daughter Kellesimone (1983), and sons Casey (1985) and Sullivan (1993).

Kathleen became not just his wife, but his primary creative partner. Waits said about her:

When I got married, I had about $27 in the bank; I thought I was a millionaire. She opened my eyes to a lot of things, and my ears, too. Opera, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, John McCormack, gypsy music, makeup secrets... She's bold, inventive, and fearless. Someone who finishes your sentences for you.

Tom Waits Now

In 2025, 75-year-old Tom Waits continues to be a significant figure in American culture, though he maintains a reclusive lifestyle.

Tom Waits in a blue hoodie stands near a wooden house — Tom Waits in 2025 (frame from the film "Father, Mother, Sister, Brother")

Rumors swirled that the singer had returned to the recording studio and was working on a new album, possibly set for release in 2026. Fans eagerly awaited both a new record and a supporting tour, since Waits' last tour, "Glitter and Doom," took place in 2008.

Interesting Facts

Waits has always refused to let his songs be used in advertising. He's filed several lawsuits against advertisers for using his material without permission.
In 2011, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Presenting him, Neil Young said: "I'm here to describe a man who can't be described. A performer, singer, actor, magician, spiritual guide, shapeshifter."