The Only 1960s Country Singer That Tom Waits Gave Props To: “Most Sound Like They’re Talking to Their Accountant”

Tom Waits isn’t the most outspoken artist ever. He has tended to focus on speaking through his art rather than giving soundbites out freely. But, on occasion, he has given his opinion, which is usually as sharp as his music. He once spoke about the country music scene, giving props to only one 1960s legend. Find out which country star got Waits’ stamp of approval.

The 1960s Country Artist That Got Tom Waits’ Stamp of Approval

Waits has always been on the fringes of music. His avant-garde style puts him in a league of his own. Unsurprisingly, he wants his artists to have the same anti-establishment feel. At least his comments on Haggard speak to that idea.

When it comes to country music, Waits (like many of us) believes that there should be a working-class feel. Those are the roots of the genre. Singing about small towns and simple life sounds much more authentic if you can tell the artist has firsthand experience.

Now there comes a point in every successful country artist’s career when they can no longer authentically sing about common things, but some maintain that illusion better than others. According to Waits, only one 1960s artist did it well enough for his liking: Merle Haggard.

This outlaw legend maintained his grit throughout his life. No matter how huge his name became, he always carried a counterculture edge. That’s something Waits admired.

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“I like Merle Haggard, most of those other guys, though, sound like they’re all just drinking tea and watching their waist and talking to their accountant,” Waits once said. “This one I think subscribes to some of that roadhouse feel.”

Like Waits, Haggard had the grit to maintain the image he wanted to project. Waits, being a more cult figure, has had no trouble doing this. Despite being a mainstay in his particular genre (though that’s hard to define at times), no success could bring Waits any glitz or glamour.

These two artists represent an untouchable side of artistry that doesn’t really exist in modern music. Nowadays, you have to play the game. Even if you believe yourself to be part of the counterculture, you have to have a certain level of accessibility. Waits and Haggard don’t have that. Their music was and is authentically down-to-earth, and their prickly, sometimes hard-to-define personalities complete the picture of an unassuming star.

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)