Thomas "Tom" Alan Waits, born on December 7th, 1949, Pomona, California, U.S., is a singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and actor, whose music is characterized by lyrics focusing on the underside of society, delivered in his distinctively deep, gravelly voice. Waits mainly worked in jazz during the '70s but since the '80s his music has been more strongly influenced by blues, vaudeville, and experimental genres.