Tom Jones (singer)

For other uses, see Tom Jones (disambiguation).

Tom Jones

Sir Thomas John Woodward, (born 7 June 1940), known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh pop music singer particularly noted for his powerful voice. He was born in Trefforest, Pontypridd, near Cardiff in Wales.

Musical career

Tom Jones rose to fame in the mid-1960s, with an exuberant live act that included wearing tight breeches and billowing shirts, in an Edwardian style popular among his peers at the time. He was known for his overt sexuality, before this was as common as it has become in subsequent years.

In 1963 Jones became the frontman for Tommy Scott and The Senators, a local beat group. Clad in black leather, he soon gained a reputation in the South Wales area of the United Kingdom, although the Senators were still unknown in London.

In 1964 they laid down seven tracks with maverick "Telstar" producer Joe Meek, and took them to various labels in an attempt to get a record deal, with no success. The plan was to release a single, "Lonely Joe / I Was A Fool", but the ever-flighty Meek refused to release the tapes. Only after "It's Not Unusual" became a massive hit, Meek was able to sell the tapes to Tower (USA) and Columbia (UK). The group returned to South Wales and continued to play gigs at dance halls and working men's clubs. One night, at the Top Hat in Cwmtillery, Jones was spotted by Gordon Mills, a London-based manager originally from South Wales. Mills became Jones' manager, and took the young singer to London. He also renamed him "Tom Jones," an ingenious moniker that not only linked the singer to the image of the title character—a good-looking, low-born stud—portrayed in Tony Richardson's film of Henry Fielding's The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, which was a huge contemporary hit, but also subtly emphasized his nationality. Gordon Mills gave many rock stars their stage names, among them Engelbert Humperdinck (born Arnold George Dorsey). The Senators became the Playboys, and later still the Squires. It was the beginning of the second phase in Jones' career.

Record companies were finding his style and delivery to be too abrasive and raw. Jones' vocals were considered to be too raucous, and he moved like Elvis (whom he later cited as one of his influences). But eventually, Decca rekindled their early interest, and Jones recorded his first single, "Chills And Fever" in late 1964.

The single didn't chart, but the follow-up, "It's Not Unusual," (co-written by Les Reed), was an instant hit, released in early 1965. The BBC initially refused to play it, but an offshore pirate station, Radio Caroline, picked it up. Its orchestrated arrangement, coupled with Jones' energetic delivery, proved infectious, and by March the song reached number one in the UK and the top ten in America. In the same year, Jones sang the theme song to the James Bond film Thunderball. Jones was awarded the Grammy Award for Best New Artist for 1965. In 1966 Jones' popularity began to slip somewhat, causing Mills to redesign the singer's image into a more respectable, mature, tuxedoed crooner.

Inspired by long-time influence Jerry Lee Lewis' country version, Jones released his most successful single ever, "Green Green Grass of Home" (written by Claude "Curly" Putman Jr. in 1965), and began to sing material that appealed to a broad audience, as well as a string of hit singles and albums including "What's New Pussycat?,", "Help Yourself," and "Delilah." The strategy worked, as he returned to the top of the charts in the UK and began hitting the Top 40 again in the US.

In 1967 he performed for the first time in Las Vegas, at the Flamingo. In 1968, starting at New York's Copacabana night club, women would swoon and scream, and some would throw their knickers on stage. Soon after, he began to play Las Vegas and began recording less, choosing to concentrate on his lucrative club performances. At Caesars Palace his shows were traditionally a knicker-hurling frenzy of raw sexual tension and good-time entertainment. There, they started throwing hotel room keys. Jones and his idol Elvis Presley, met in 1965 at the Paramount stage, when Elvis was filming "Paradise Hawaiian Style"; after that, they became good friends, spending more and more time together in Las Vegas, their friendship enduring until Presley's death in 1977.

Jones had an internationally successful television variety show from 1969–1971 titled This Is Tom Jones. This hit TV show was aired by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC-TV) in America and ITV in the UK. The 1970s saw Jones' popularity leveling off, but the hits kept coming: "Daughter Of Darkness", "She's A Lady", "Till" and "The New Mexican Puppeteer" were all hits in the UK. On July 29,1986, Gordon Mills, Jones' long-time manager, died of cancer. Jones' son Mark became the singer's manager. In April 1987, the singer re-entered the singles chart with the hit "A Boy From Nowhere"', which got him back into the public eye. A few months later he performed a version of Prince's "Kiss", and recorded it with The Art of Noise, and it was an instant hit. In 1993 he signed to Interscope Records, releasing the album The Lead And How To Swing It, and his profile was raised with a younger audience by a powerful performance at the Glastonbury Festival. In 1998 he performed a medley of songs from the film The Full Monty with Robbie Williams at the BRIT Awards. That same year, Space and Cerys Matthews released "The Ballad Of Tom Jones".

In 1999 he recorded the blockbuster album Reload, a collection of duets with some of the year's brightest stars, which brought him back into the limelight. On New Year's Eve to ring in 2000, United States President Bill Clinton invited him to perform at the Millennium celebrations in Washington D.C.. Throughout that year, Jones garnered several honours for his work, including a BRIT Award for Best Male. In 2001 he toured throughout the Middle East and Europe. In subsequent years, he recorded albums in collaboration with artists such as Wyclef Jean and Jools Holland.

In celebration of his 65th birthday on 28 May 2005, Jones returned to his homeland to perform a spectacular concert in Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd. This was his first performance in Pontypridd since 1964. The BBC reported that Sir Tom Jones received his knighthood from the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday 29 Mar 2006.

His early hits include:

• "It's Not Unusual" (1965), Jones' signature song
• "What's New Pussycat?", written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for What's New, Pussycat? (1965)
• "Thunderball", the theme for the James Bond film of the same name (1965)—an urban legend states that upon hitting the final high note of the song Jones actually passed out, but that the take was so good it was the version that was released. Jones later denied this.
• "Green Green Grass of Home" (1966), his most successful single, which was interpreted by many to refer to Jones' native Wales (correctly, according to Jones), despite having been originally written (by Curly Putman) about the USA.
• "(It Looks Like) I'll Never Fall In Love Again" (1969)
• "Delilah" (1968).
• "Help Yourself" (1968), used recently in an ad campaign for Diet Dr Pepper
• "Without Love" (1969).
• "She's A Lady" (1971), his highest charting U.S. single, peaking at #2. Written by Paul Anka

Jones' recording career slumped on the pop charts during the 1970s and 80s, although he placed 16 singles on the Billboard Country Music charts between 1976 and 1985, the biggest of which was "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow" (# 1 Country, # 15 pop) in 1977, and his touring continued successfully. When his son Mark became his manager in 1987, his musical style was taken in a different direction. His recording career was revived with his first major hit single in over a decade, "A Boy From Nowhere", taken from the musical Matador. In 1988 he collaborated with The Art of Noise to record Prince's popular song "Kiss". Following this, he started to record in collaboration with a younger generation of musicians:

• Prince's "Kiss" (1988, with The Art of Noise)
• EMF's "Unbelievable" – a staple of his 1990s live shows
• "I Wanna Get Back With You" (1995) features Tori Amos on its chorus vocals.
• Talking Heads' song "Burning Down The House" (1999, with The Cardigans)
• "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (1999, with Cerys Matthews of Catatonia)
• Iggy Pop's song "Lust for Life" (1999, with The Pretenders)
• Randy Newman's song "Mama Told Me Not To Come" (2000, with Stereophonics)
• "Sex Bomb" (From 1999's Reload, with Mousse T)
• "You Need Love Like I Do" (2000, with Heather Small of M People)

His Reload album, released in 2000, became the biggest hit of his career. An album of cover versions recorded as duets with contemporary artists, using their record producers, and utilising their recording methods, it reached number one in the United Kingdom, and sold over 4 million copies worldwide.[1] In 2002, he released the album Mr. Jones, which was produced by Wyclef Jean and included the singles "Tom Jones International" and "Black Betty". In 2003, he was honored with a BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004, his "Sex Bomb" single became a major club hit.

For his contribution to the recording industry, Tom Jones has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Blvd.

In 2005 the album Together In Concert, was recorded live with John Farnham and his band. Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end He has collaborated with Chicane for "Stoned in Love", a dance track that was released 24 April 2006. It entered at number eight in the UK charts the following Sunday.

In 2007, he signed to New York-based independent label S-Curve, owned by music executive Steve Greenberg. An album is expected in 2008.

The singer was awarded an OBE in 1999 and a Knight Bachelor in the 2006 New Years Honours list for his services to music and was subsequently knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, London on 29 March2006.

On July 1 2007, Jones was one of the invited artists who performed at Wembley Stadium at the Concert for Diana, joined on stage by guitarist Joe Perry of Aerosmith and British soul singer Joss Stone. He sang the British National Anthem before Ricky Hatton's fight against Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas on December 8 2007. On April 19 2008 he sang the Welsh National Anthem at the Calzaghe-Hopkins fight in Las Vegas.

Although his manager and public relations staff have attempted to change his sex-bomb image and neutralize the knicker-throwing fans, to the delight of his audiences Jones has never felt the need to tone down his behavior in the shows. Tom Jones has remained highly respected by other singers and continues to attract audiences of all ages. As of 2008, Jones continues to tour and record. A major portion of the year he regularly performs his show at the MGM Grand hotel, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, USA. His show at the MGM is performed in a cabaret style theater. Other venues on his yearly schedule include numerous shows at Atlantic City, NJ and appearances in the USA, United Kingdom and Canada. Jones has recently made long awaited performances in South America.

Early life and career

The son of coal miner Thomas Woodward (died 5 October 1981), and Freda Jones (died 7 February 2003 of cancer), Jones began singing at an early age. He'd regularly sing at family gatherings, weddings and also sang in his school choir. He was struck down by tuberculosis and bedridden for almost a year. It was a critical time for him, but he could do little else but listen to music and draw. At the age of sixteen, Jones married Linda Trenchard on 2 March 1957 and had a son named Mark, long before becoming a pop idol. Jones quit school with no qualifications and took a variety of jobs including a builder's labourer and a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman.

In 1974, Jones moved to the United States, buying the mansion formerly belonging to Dean Martin in Bel-Air, Los Angeles. Despite publicised infidelities, including an affair with the dethroned Miss World of 1973, USA's Marjorie Wallace, and a one night stand with Cassandra Peterson a.k.a. Elvira, in which he claimed her virginity, he has remained married to his wife Linda for 50 years. One of his dalliances with U.S. model Katherine Berkery produced a love child, Jonathan Berkery, born June 27 1988 although Jones has refused to recognise him as his son. Jones and his wife have two grandchildren, Emma and Alexander Woodward.

In 2005 the BBC reported that Jones had amassed a fortune of £175 million. Jones also owns a ten acre small holding in the Welsh Valleys which he uses when in Wales, and continues to tour extensively.

Discography

Main article: Tom Jones discography

Filmography

• The Special London Bridge Special TV special UK/USA (1972)
  • A fantasy story about the London Bridge being brought to America
• Hex (aka The Shrieking) (Leo Garen) feature film USA (1973)
• On Happiness Island BBC TV special UK (1974)
• Pleasure Cove (Bruce Bilson), feature film USA (1979)
• Fantasy Island (Aaron Spelling), TV series USA (ABC, April 7,1984)
• The Ghosts Of Oxford Street (Malcolm McLaren), TV special UK (1991)
  • A TV musical celebrating the 200th anniversary of London's most renowned Oxford Street
• Fresh Prince of Bel-Air TV series (Tom Jones guest starred as himself) (1991)
• The Simpsons TV series Season 4 Episode 7 ("Marge Gets a Job") (1991)
• Silk n' Sabotage (Joe Cauley), feature film USA (1994)
• The Jerky Boys (James Melkonian), feature film USA (1995)
• Mars Attacks! (Tim Burton), feature film USA (1996)
• Agnes Browne (aka The Mammy) (Anjelica Huston) feature film (1999)

Bibliography

• Bert Schwartz: "Tom Jones" (Grosset & Dunlap, New York City, 1969) 76-103307
• Peter Jones: "Tom Jones: Biography of a Great Star" (Avon Publishing, 1970 (1st edition), 1971)
• Colin MacFarlane: "Tom Jones: The Boy from Nowhere" (W.H. Allen, London, 1988 St Martins Press, New York) ISBN 0-491-03118-1
• Stafford Hildred & David Gritten: "Tom Jones : A Biography" (Isis Large Print Books, April 1991) ISBN 1-85089-486-8
• Roger St. Pierre: "Tom Jones - Quote Unquote" (Parragon Book Service, LTD. publishers, Great Britain, 1996) ISBN 0-7525-1696-5
• Stafford Hildred & David Gritten: "Tom Jones : A Biography" (revised edition '98) (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1998 an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Ltd) ISBN 0-283-06312-2
• Chris Roberts: "Tom Jones" (1st edition) (Virgin Books, 1999 an imprint of Virgin Publishing Limited) ISBN 1-85227-846-3
• Lucy Ellis, Bryony Sutherland: "Tom Jones: Close Up" (Omnibus Press, 2000) ISBN 0-7119-7549-3 (Hc) ISBN 0-7119-8645-2 (Pb)
• Robin Eggar: "Tom Jones - The Biography" (1st edition) (Headline Book Publishing, 2000) ISBN 0-7472-7578-5

External links

• Tom Jones Official Website
• VH1 artist page featuring Tom Jones
• BBC Wales Bio
• BBC interview from 1999
• Largest Tom Jones Fansite
• Transcript of interview with Larry King November 7, 2003
• Tom Jones Upcoming Events on Zvents
• Tom Jones Forum
• Tom Jones at IMDb