Song:Ol' 55
Album:Closing Time
Singer songwriter Tom Waits has been around since the 70s. He's been very successful for a non-commercial recording artist. Ol' 55 was the first single from his 1973 debut album Closing Time. It's one of his signature songs. He was born Dec. 7, 1949 in Pomona, CA. He says an uncle inspired his raspy singing voice. His parents separated in 1959 and his mother moved the family to the San Diego area. Waits was in an R&B band in high school. But his big influences were Bob Dylan and Beat poets like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg. After working as a fireman and in the Coast Guard, he started performing in local clubs. And he started writing songs. After playing The Troubadour in Los Angeles, he signed a publishing deal with Frank Zappa's manager Herb Cohen. Then he met David Geffen at The Troubadour who signed him to Asylum Records. His 1973 debut album Closing Time was produced by former Lovin' Spoonful member Jerry Yester. Though the album was not a big seller, Waits became a cult figure through critical acclaim. Waits was favorably compared to Randy Newman. He became more popular because of artists covering his songs. The Eagles covered Ol' 55. Waits recorded for Asylum until 1980. And then he recorded for Island in the 80s. After leaving Island in 1993, Waits worked in films for a few years. He did some acting in the 80s and that got him into soundtrack work. He signed with ANTI in 1999. He last recorded in 2011 but he has been releasing his back catalog on ANTI. There are no comp CDs in print right now. Waits recently appeared in the Netflix film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs from the Coen Brothers. He has been filming Jim Jarmusch's new film The Dead Don't Die. He has been in several Jarmusch films. I'm sure at some point Waits will return to music. Here's Tom Waits performing Ol' 55 in 1999.
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