David Waits – Musician, Songwriter and Actor

David Waits is an award-winning singer-songwriter and part-time actor known for his raw, beat poet style of singing and songwriting. His influence can be found among numerous musicians as he has amassed an international cult following.

Waits’ music has long been enjoyed by audiences everywhere; however, his life and career were marred by conflict – something Barney Hoskyns explores in this informative yet sympathetic biography of this iconic artist.

Early Life and Education

David Waits hails from Cedartown, Georgia and attended Morehouse College with a major in psychology and history.

After graduating, Waits honed his musical talents by studying privately with percussionist Michael Carvin and mentor Max Roach.

Neo-soul singer began performing professionally in his early twenties and toured with a band. He played various genres including R&B, jazz and blues.

He developed his songwriting and vocal talents, writing songs that explored adversity and despair.

His first recordings, such as Nighthawks at the Diner – which captured the raw, gritty sound of his live shows – were also created during this stage in his career.

Professional Career

Waits has engaged in an array of creative pursuits, such as writing, recording and performing music. He has also had notable roles in films.

Example films of his appearances: Jim Jarmusch’s Down by Law and Robert Altman’s Short Cuts. Additionally, he performed in several plays and wrote lyrics for musicals such as Franks Wild Years and Alice.

At 17 years old, Waits took an interest in acting. He soon after appeared in two films and has gone on to star in more than a dozen.

Waits has maintained his policy against commercial endorsements despite his considerable success as an artist; over the past ten years he has declined all offers to endorse major products or films.

Achievement and Honors

Waits is a businessman in Stillwater who has received accolades from various local and national organizations. He was honored as Oklahoma Small Business Person of the Year as well as being given a Champion Award by OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

He was honored with a Precision Agriculture Legacy Award by his peers at InfoAg in 2009.

As founder and CEO of SST Software, Waits advanced technology used for site-specific crop management to new heights, enabling farmers to manage more acres than ever before. He led SST Software into becoming an international leader in precision agriculture technologies; his achievements being recognized with products like SSToolbox, SST Summit and SST Stratus being created and introduced into use worldwide.

Personal Life

David Waits is a singer-songwriter renowned for his iconic music. His influential musical style has had an effect on numerous artists throughout his career and in 2011 was honored as an inductee into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He is well known for his charitable endeavors and has received multiple leadership, innovation and service awards.

Waits was born in California and began performing folk music around San Diego as a youth. Later, he relocated to Los Angeles where he signed an Asylum Records contract; during this period he released several albums such as Closing Time (1973) and The Heart of Saturday Night (1974).

Net Worth

Waits is an acclaimed musician, composer and actor known for his signature gravelly voice and songs that explore society’s underbelly.

He has amassed an avid following, with several artists covering his music. Additionally, he frequently appears as a guest on various talk shows.

His estimated net worth is estimated to be $25 Million based on earnings from acting and album sales.

Since his debut, he has become a key component of the music industry, inspiring many musicians and selling millions of records. For this achievement he received both a Grammy award and Oscar nomination.