Tom Jones International

February 20: The Late Night At the Club story was in a local column in The Dallas Morning News. It’s written by Alan Peppard, who never mentions what the meal was.

It’s been more than 30 years since Tom Jones used to hang out in Vegas with Elvis Presley, but at 67, he still keeps Vegas hours.

Last weekend, the singer arrived at the Club in the Centrum just after 11 p.m. and sidled up to the bar for some Dom Perignon with some companions.

Once the entertainer was seated in the dining room, chef Vincenzo Indelicato and managing director Enam Chowdhury prepared a special meal to accommodate the Welsh singer’s well-known love of British food.

Apparently, Tom liked it.

When he left the Club (after 3 a.m.), he asked that Enam personally deliver another meal to him the next night at the Meyerson Symphony Center, where he was playing to a sold-out house.

12:00 AM CST on Tuesday, February 19, 2008/By JOY TIPPING /The Dallas Morning News

Did you notice that cloud of steam rising from downtown Monday evening? That would have been the heat wave stirred up by Tom Jones, who proved once and for all at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center that “bringing sexy back” is for the youngsters: He never lost it, thanks very much.

Tom Jones can still bring the sexy during his shows.

The pants might not be quite as tight as they were during his ’60s and ’70s heyday – Mr. Jones spent most of the evening demurely clad in a simple black suit, with just a hint of a sparkly shirt and silver chains peeking out. And a mere two pairs of ladies’ … erm, undergarments … were tossed onto the stage.

But Mr. Jones’ blistering Welsh baritone is still strong, and when he brought the suggestive moves late in the concert, the sold-out audience of nearly 2,100 came to its feet and matched him hip-swivel for hip-swivel.

(more…)

After the second fan sent us this we decided to post it, mostly for the photos. It’s from what the writer, who never gives her name, calls “a blog about a dissertation writing, photo taking, music listening, daughter mothering, mojito drinking, soccer refereeing, coffee consuming, athlete appreciating, university instructor.” While many fans may not like it, and we think she messed up the lyric, we don’t think she’s totally incorrect. But, clearly, she’s never been at recent shows where women in their 20s tossed dainties onstage or where younger women flashed Tom. And the photos (although she missed the magic shot) aren’t bad. We’d credit the writer-photographer if she’d given her name anywhere.

FEBRUARY 16, 2008

“Truth be told, I just want a little….”

These words were sung by Tom Jones last night in Oklahoma: “Truth be told, I just want a little….” Yes. That’s what he said. And that’s what he meant. Uh huh. Women were screaming, and swooning, and singing along. The song goes on (paraphrased), “I don’t want to be your boyfriend, I don’t want to spend the night . . . . truth be told, I just want a little.” Uh huh. Women threw their panties. Yes, they threw their panties at a 67-year old man. But then, they were in their 60s, too.

Part of me was creeped out. Part of me was intrigued.

While I expected to snicker at seeing Tom Jones in person, I was quite impressed that a 67-year old man could still sing as he does. The moves? Well, not quite as smooth, but those can be ignored. (Note to Tom: moonwalking and kicking out in front of yourself like Michael Jackson does? Not a good look. Stick to singing.)

My mother was a huge Tom Jones fan in the 1960s. Huge. She would walk around the house singing “What’s new pussycat? Whoa whoa whoooooo.” However, while I wasn’t close enough to the stage last night to verify, there is a rumor of a sock collection (collection: those rolled up socks have to be changed out, no?) — uh, huh, yea — and rumors still of insured chest hair, but truth be told: it was a fun night. Kitschy. And fun.

Tom’s 1970 US tour schedule — typed, mimeographed and distributed to fans by Parrot/London, his stateside label — had a major first on it. For, it was on Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13, that Tom Jones played New York’s fabled Madison Square Garden. At left is a 1970 photo. Perhaps he’s heading to a gig?

We’re told that Tom was the first solo act to do a concert at this most famous venue. We couldn’t find proof of that anywhere. If you can, please let us know.

Whether or not he was the first solo singer to have his own show at the Garden, you’ll certainly note that at that time Tom was playing huge arenas across the North America.

If you were at any of these shows, please tell us about them.

Thanks, Holly!

One of the Las Vegas alternative publications took a look at celebrity, at some of the press and — oh, yes — used Tom’s alleged chest hair insurance as a starting point. (For the record, A. Baldwin may be a metrosexual, but he is not merely “lightly downed.”) Hope you enjoy this as we did and just laugh.

Las Vegas Weekly/February 14, 2008/by Greg Beato

Tom Jones’ chest beard is just the beginning

Leather-throated lounge dinosaur Tom Jones is 67 now, which means his famous chest beard is at least 50, possibly 55. Cosmetically, it still resembles a pec thatch of, say, 30, but 55 is 55, and thus, when the U.K. tabloid The Daily Mirror recently reported that the hirsute troubadour had taken out a $7 million insurance policy from Lloyd’s of London, it seemed plausible enough. After all, what if Jones’ chest beard suffered a stroke, or needed a hip replacement, or fell prey to some other malady? Without insurance, it could end up bankrupt, homeless, begging for quarters and cigarettes on the dirty streets of Bel Air.

Talk about a story too good to fact-check! Or, from a publicist’s perspective, too good to deny. After all, it’s not as if the bellowing, Kennedy-era hipster is a gossip-page fixture these days, and with a new album in the works, a playful reminder that Jones is still extant, still furry enough to qualify for PETA protection and still bringing the man-cake by the pound while simultaneously sending it up with a roguish wink couldn’t hurt, right?

Alas, when other newspapers picked up the tale, Jones’ chest-beard people quickly issued a denial. “No such insurance policy exists or has ever been considered. We assume this is just the Mirror having a bit of fun and hope no one takes this kind of ‘reporting’ seriously,” an announcement on his official website declared. Lloyd’s of London confirmed the policy’s nonexistence. Apparently the whole thing was just wishful thinking on the part of some nostalgic reporter longing for the days when publicity stunts involved more than a drunk-driving arrest, or a month-long bout of detox at Promises, or a painstakingly advertent flash of celebutante nether-flaps.

(more…)

People are writing to tell us their new DVD sets have arrived. Please share your thoughts about it with us. Does it live up to the title This Is Tom Jones: Legendary Performers? We’re looking forward to hear what you have to say.