Tom Waits is easily one of my favorite artists. He’s one of the most unique, passionate, funny, and talented artists your likely to find in any genre. Now don’t get me wrong, he’s not for everyone. Certainly not his whole music collection. But just about anyone could find a handful of his work that is appealing to them.
Indeed, I’m not the only person to find his work appealing. Waits was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 and Rolling Stone has named him one of the best singers and, in a separate list, songwriters ever. The former of those two is surprising when you listen to his gruff voice, which has been described as being “soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car.” But honestly, that’s what I love about it. There is no one like him.
‘Hold On’ is one of his more digestible songs for the uninitiated. But his songs, although they have never achieved huge chart success, have been covered by a bewildering array of artists. To list just a few of them, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, 10,000 Maniacs, Tori Amos, The Blind Boys of Alabama for the program ‘The Wire’, Rod Stewart, and Norah Jones. And let’s not forget this collection of female artists tipping their proverbial hats to the man.
Come and venture with me into the world to Tom Waits. You won’t regret it. A good foray into his strange little world is to see this odd video advertising his last tour (which he doesn’t do often).
Tom Waits and photographer Anton Corbijn had a long collaboration that resulted in a coffee table book. (Photo credit: Anton Corbijn)