Thomas Alan Waits was born on the 7th December 1949 in Pomona, California USA, and is a singer, songwriter, composer, and actor, noted for his distinctive voice and the music genre he performs which is something between blues, jazz, rock, vaudeville, and industrial music. Waits has released 17 studio albums, appeared in numerous movies and was nominated for an Oscar for his soundtrack in “One from the Heart” (1982). Tom was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. This multi-talented artist has generated millions thanks to his music. Waits’ career started in 1972.
Have you ever wondered how rich Tom Waits is, as of mid-2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Tom Waits’ net worth is as high as $25 million. In addition to having such a fantastic musical career, Waits also has over 30 on screen credits to his name and literally played a part in more than 150 movie soundtracks.
Tom Waits Net Worth $25 Million
Tom Waits is the son of Jesse Frank Waits and Alma Fern, both school teachers. His parents divorced when he was 11, and Tom stayed with his mother in Whittier, and later moved to National City, San Diego County, where he taught himself to play the piano at his neighbor’s place. Tom went to the Hilltop High School in Chula Vista and played in the band called The Systems, and had his first job at a pizza restaurant in 1965.
Waits got his first paid gig at the Heritage nightclub in San Diego in 1970, receiving $6 per night. Tom served with the United States Coast Guard, and after discharging, tried to get a contract by performing at The Troubadour and the Echo Park in Los Angeles in 1971. He met Herb Cohen and Frank Zappa, who gave him an opportunity, so Tom recorded series of demo recordings that would later become known.
Waits signed a professional contract with Asylum Records in 1972, and released his debut studio album called “Closing Time” in 1973. The album was well-received, but Waits was still relatively unknown; however he would continue to release another album in each of the next five years. “The Heart of Saturday Night” came out in 1974, “Nighthawks at the Diner” in 1975, and “Small Change” in 1976, which was a commercial success, as Waits reached the Billboard Top 100 Albums chart for the first time in his career. “Foreign Affairs” (1977), “Blue Valentine” (1978), “Heartattack and Vine” (1980), “Swordfishtrombones” (1983), “Rain Dogs” (1985), and “Franks Wild Years” (1987) followed, and by then Waits was already involved in cinema industry too. His net worth was well set.
Tom first appeared in “Paradise Alley” (1978) starring Sylvester Stallone and Armand Assante, before started a long lasting professional relationship with famous director Francis Ford Coppola. Tom provided music for Coppola’s “One from the Heart” (1980), and later had roles in Francis’ “The Outsiders” (1983), “Rumble Fish” (1983), “The Cotton Club” (1984), and ” Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992). Waits also released three more albums in the ’90s: “Bone Machine” (1992), “The Black Rider” (1993), and “Mule Variations” (1999), with the latter being his highest-charting album to date and also won a Grammy award.
Waits also had roles in Altman’s “Short Cuts” (1993), Jarmusch’s “Coffee and Cigarettes” (2003), “Wristcutters: A Love Story” (2006), “The Book of Eli” (2010), and “Seven Psychopaths” (2012) – all contributed to his net worth.
His last four albums have been “Blood Money” (2002), “Alice” (2002), “Real Gone” (2004), and “Bad as Me” (2011), which have also increased his net worth.
The musician’s songs are quite popular, and have been used in many movies with or without Waits appearing in them; however, he has filed several lawsuits against companies which have used his songs without permission. The first one was against Frito-Lay, and Waits received $2.375 in compensation. He also won cases against Levi’s in 1993, Audi in 2000, and Opel in 2005.
Regarding his personal life, Tom Waits married Kathleen Brennan, a screenwriter, in 1980, and has three children with her. He met her at the filming of Coppola’s “One from the Heart”, and she became his co-author and a significant influence on his work. They are living in Sonoma County, California.
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