Thomas Alan Waits is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Known for his distinctive deep gravelly singing voice, his lyrics are characterized by their focus on characters living on the underside of U.S. society. His early music during the 1970s was primarily in the jazz genre, but later work moved towards blues, vaudeville, and experimental music. Waits was raised in a middle-class family in Whittier, California and then San Diego.