Tom Jones International

Mary Muratore passed away Monday night in a hospice in Las Vegas.

At 89 years of age she was a devoted fan whom Tom — based on his long experience with her — called “Dancing Mary.”

She fell and had surgery a few years ago and, again, during physical therapy. After that, she chose to stay home, enjoying hearing about Tom, listening to his music and watching DVDs. Those of us who were fortunate enough to live near her would bring her photos and videos and these were joined by some sent to her from around the country.

A Brooklyn native, Mary traveled across the USA and into Canada going to Tom’s shows. But, as she once told me, “I didn’t sit in the hotel. I saw things. I went out and saw the cities we visited. I had a good time.”

Indeed, Mary was until the end very sharp, always asking about a visitor’s work, family, and life in general. She loved to visit and loved to laugh.

The many, many other fans who knew and loved Mary recall traveling with her when she lived In Brooklyn and seeing her here after she moved to Las Vegas to be near her sister. She is always spoken of with love, warmth and respect and, when she went to shows, was always greeted with joy.

Tom was quite aware Mary was ill and he called her twice when she was hospitalized in the last two years. When he’d see fans whom he knew were her friends he’d always ask about her. Last month he sent an autographed photo to her. On it, he sent his love and wish that she’d get well soon.

Before I moved to Las Vegas I “met” Mary by phone, interviewing her for the very special tribute book fans who participated on JonesTheVoice.com did for the 40th anniversary of the recording of It’s Not Unusual in 1964. Here’s what she said:

“I’ve been a fan of Tom’s since 1965. As soon as I heard his music I said, ‘That’s the guy I love. I want to meet him and see his shows.’ It was the voice that did it for me at first. I decided to make the effort to join fan clubs so I’d know where he was going to be.

“I found out he was going to be at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ. I went there to see him but I didn’t get to meet him until 1970 at the restaurant at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. That week, I had seen three of his shows at Caesars Palace. I approached him to sign a napkin and I told him I’d seen those shows and he was great and I hope he sings forever.

“From then on, the fan clubs always gave us the opportunity to go backstage because Mr. Lloyd Greenfield would arrange for us to meet Tom.

“I went to Montreal in the early 1980s. I went backstage and there, in the room, were some drinking glasses and I knew he’d used one of them. I said, ‘Please, Tom, would you give me the glass you drank from?’ He went to get that glass for me. That is my pride and glory, that glass.

“I’ve found him to be the most concerned person for his fans. He is so wonderful to us.

“The name ‘Dancing Mary’ came from one incident. He saw me dancing one night at a disco near Buffalo, New York. He was with friends and as I stopped, he said, ‘Oh, you’re a good dancer.’ Back then, he didn’t know my name. I said, ‘Oh, yes, Tom. I love to dance like you love to dance.’ The evening ended and we left.

About four months later, in 1980, I was waiting with other fans for him in front of his hotel. As he came out of the limo he spotted me waiting and said to me, ‘Have you been dancing lately?’

“I said, ‘No, I’ve been waiting to dance with you.’ He said, ‘OK, let’s dance.’ And he began to dance with me. I said, ‘Oh, my God, Tom, you’re great.’

“Since then he’s called me ‘Dancing Mary.’

“He is gracious, personable and always very kind to his fans. He has always treated me with great respect. His voice is just out of this world and I always tell him when I say good-bye to him, ‘Keep singing, Tom.’

“I was 85 on July 1, 2004 and, Tom, you keep me young. I am your loving fan,

“Mary Muratore
Brooklyn (now Las Vegas)”

To remember Mary, here’s Tom singing the wonderful Seasons, a favorite of so many from 24 Hours and a very appropriate song on this occasion. Mary’s seasons were plentiful and she enriched so many seasons for so many friends. This is posted with love. (The video is from Albany, NY, February 26, 2009. Thanks so much to Donna for this.)

You’ll find it in the TJI.com Video Library.

The photos above were taken in March, 2005. In the photo at right, Mary is with Tom, Stacy and her partner Cook E. Jarr and Don Archell.

Visitoslo.com announced today that Tom will be there in September. Since Tom’s been touting a European tour “in the fall,” it’s a logical assumption that he will, indeed, be in Europe then. This one is a Live Nation venue. This is the photo they sent out. Hopefully, they’ll get an up-to-date one. Look for him in several countries in September and October. And, have to note, how happy we are for European fans!

Tom Jones to Oslo 23 September

The concert will be the Welsh superstar’s first show in Norway in six years. Tickets go on sale on Monday 20 April. Pre-sale for Live Nation members from 9 am on 16 April to 3 pm on 17 April..

The 68-year-old is going on a European tour to support his new album, 24 Hours. Sir Tom Jones is a living legend with over 40 years behind him on the stage. He has sold over 100 million albums worldwide and has worked with all the big names in music and showbiz.

His new album has been well-received by the critics, but Jones is probably best known for his fantastic stage persona and live shows. In Oslo Spektrum he will perform hits from his whole career, so you can probably expect to hear It’s Not Unusual, Thunderball, What’s New, Pussycat, Green, Green Grass of Home, Delilah, and She’s A Lady

Tickets: Ticket price: NOK 560* + ticket fee.
You can by tickets online at www.billettservice.no, at Oslo Spektrum’s ticket office, or order them by phone at +47 815 11 211 or +47 815 33 133.

More information about Tom Jones and the tour at www.tomjones.com.

*That’s 82 USD; 63.51 Euros; 56.48 GBP and 101.69 CAD

Anita, as noted below, was at the Hard Rock in Orlando tonight and her report is below. Of course, as she and others have often noted, Tom gets his energy from the audience and, reading about a show in this kind of club-like venue is a good reminder that we fans should seek out a TJ show in a club as often as possible. The MGM may be good and Tom may be terrific but, until you’ve experienced a show like this, you just don’t really have a clue about how great this man is.

Here’s Anita’s report:

OK. Let’s get the preliminaries out of the way first. 10 of us met and had dinner at Bubba Gumps. Fun place to eat Met Lori, Flo, Annette, and hey, it’s 12:15 and I can’t remember everyone’s name. Suffice to say, we had a real good time.

Now on to the Hard Rock! How to begin? Full house and standing room only. There are no words that can describe this concert but I will try.

Tony came out and announced our man to a thundering round of applause, STANDING OVATION BEFORE HE EVEN SANG ONE NOTE. The audience was really into Tom.

My ears were ringing the cheers were so loud and long. Of course, he started out with I’m Alive People dancing, hands in the air, another standing ovation. In fact, EVERY song brought a standing ovation. This was just like one of Tom’s early concerts in a large venue. Tom was absolutely fantastic, I’ve never seen or heard him better. He was at the top of his game. His voice? perfect.

A friend from work, a guy, couldn’t believe how good he was. The audience participation spurred him on, he was dancing, shaking his hips, and doing the “grind” more than usual. Like I’ve said so many times, it’s getting old — Tom gets his energy from his fans…and this was the best audience I have ever seen. He will never, ever stop performing, it’s evident. Tom was sooo happy, you could see his face light up. After every song, the whole audience cheered and stood up. It was absolutely phenomenal. I was so happy for him and for us.

Cameras were going constantly. I got a lot of footage on my camcorder before I was told to put it away, about when the show was 3/4 over. Got cell phone pictures, too. The panties didn’t start coming until Sex Bomb. One man came up to us in the 2nd row and wanted us to get his wife’s panties back. Can you imagine?

I didn’t get to give Tom his presents, but I really didn’t mind, I was too busy dancing and having fun. Bebe sat right behind me and having a ball. He did so many songs from 24 Hours. Also did his oldies and Grandma’s Hands. I almost got the feeling that he, like his audience, didn’t want the evening to end. This was concert that I will never ever forget. Everyone agreed they haven’t seen Tom like this in a long time. Absolutely superb. Oh! I almost forgot! Tom wore his white jacket and his shirt was stuck to his back.

(Note: Photo from the MGM Grand, March 2009)

Tom plays the Hard Rock at Universal Studios in Orlando tonight and, this afternoon at 4 pm, Joe Cocker is the star at radio station WMMO’s Downtown Concert Series at Orlando City Hall. (If you hurry, a $49 VIP ticket will get you a seat close to the stage where you can access a cash bar and the bathroom!)

Can you imagine what it’d be like if Cocker comes to Tom’s show tonight? (Do you think they call each other when they’re in the same town?) They could duet on the song with which they both had hits — You Can Leave Your Hat On — or, maybe, on With A Little Help From My Friends. Both men are unique and each is a lightening rod for impersonators. (That’s the kind of factoid you learn living in Las Vegas.)

It could be quite a show!

Meanwhile, Anita is one of the many fans in the region who will be there tonight and she’s sent along a photo of the gifts* she’s bringing for Tom. Will he like them? Will she get to present them? What will happen? And how will the show be? Anita will be sharing her review and any photos. Hope others do, too.
Stay tuned.

*You may not know it, but Sugar Daddy, in addition to meaning a certain type of man, is also a brand of caramel lollipop here in the US (and Canada, too). As you can see, Anita’s bringing a pair of boxers with hearts and inside each heart are the words “Sugar Daddy;” a bouquet of Sugar Daddy pops and a card. The card says, “You’re solid gold. No, platinum. You’re unsurpassed and I’m impressed.” When it opens it plays Tina singing Simply the Best.

On April 18, 2000, VH1′s Men Strike Back was broadcast. In it, Tom appeared along with Sting, Sisq, Enrique Iglesias, the Backstreet Boys, D’Angelo and Christina Aguilera.

The critic below, Jon Pareles of the New York Times was, I believe, very kind to the show which seemed to have more commercials than ever seen in any two-hour time block. And, among other numbers, it featured the looongest, slowest, almost torturous version of It’s Not Unusual ever heard. Other than that, Tom was great — even though he didn’t appear until the last quarter or so of the show.

Watching this is a reminder that The Hitter is not the first time Tom has covered Bruce Springsteen. Here (video below) he and Enrique Iglesias sing Fire, a Springsteen song written in 1978 for Elvis who, of course, never got to record it. The Pointer Sisters had the 1979 hit and, although he sang it in concert for several years beginning in 1978, Springsteen didn’t release his own recording of the song it until the 1980s.

TELEVISION REVIEW; Looking for Macho Rock? Not These Vintage Singers
By JON PARELES/Tuesday, April 18, 2000.The New York Times

VH1 gave a testosterone-stoked title to tonight’s Men Strike Back. But if this concert’s singers — the Backstreet Boys, D’Angelo, Enrique Iglesias, Tom Jones, Sisqo and Sting — share anything, it is their distance from the macho wing of current rock and hip-hop. These men are the nice guys: self-designated lovers, not fighters, who have thrived as objects of pop desire from the 1960′s (Mr. Jones) and 70′s (Sting) into the present. The front rows were primed with squealing young women when the concert was taped last Tuesday at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

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With so many fans in Florida, fans elsewhere are hoping to get reports about the shows there. Tonight, Tom was in Clearwater and, hopefully, lots of you saw him.

Laura did, and she asks:

Well, what can I say? Tom was phenomenal. He looked absolutely fantastic in his white jacket. He sang a lot of his new songs and a few of the older favorites. I thought the new songs sounded better live then on the CD. I wanted to get up and dance but of course when I tried to a lady behind me asked that I sit down. He had many standing ovations. Especially after he sang I’ll Never Fall In Love. A few people were throwing panties around and some made it onstage. Tom heard everyone laugh and turned to see them flying by. He didn’t really address the panty issue but did laugh and look down at where a large red bra was thrown onstage. It was from a young man who sat in the row in front of me. He went up front and asked someone close to the stage to throw it up.

Toms voice was in top shape. My mom who has seen him many times when he was younger stated that he sounded like the young Tom tonight. The band was fantastic as always and I must also say that his backup singers are not only good looking but can really sing and make Tom sound even better.

He didn’t interact too much with the audience and he stayed pretty much in the center of the stage. He went over to the right side of the stage to shake someone’s hand and that was it. He did dance a lot and that made things fun. I did get to move up to the stage area for the encore where pretty much everyone was dancing and singing along.

My mom loved it so much she wanted me to see about getting tickets for Sunday’s show in Orlando. After last night’s performance we were hooked and need another fix.

BeBe saw the first Florida show Thursday night in Fort Myers. Her report and two of her photos are below (there’s one more to run with another post). If you were there, too, please share your thoughts.

BeBe says: The venue (photo left) is nice, a regular theater with a balcony. The sound was good, the stage was nice and I think it was sold out.

Tom wore a black velvet jacket and I didn’t like him as much all in black. He was spraying sweat. He even apologized to a woman in the front row for spraying her. After a few songs everyone was shouting and running to the stage. People were allowed to dance and there were, unfortunately, lots of panties thrown onstage. I think the men in the audience enjoyed that as much as the singing.

Tom had a lot of fun with the audience. His voice was in good shape and everyone on stage seemed to have a good time. He acknowledged the few Welsh flags but didn’t converse with the audience. But that didn’t matter. He got a standing ovation.

The set list was the same. The only new merchandise was a black 24 Hours t-shirt for men.

In all, it was a great show. It was a lot of fun for everyone — the audience and Tom. And there was a lot of sweat.

Lesley (photo left) also checked in with her review:

As you know for many years I have been a frequent visitor at the MGM Grand when Tom is in Vegas (I was last there in October), although I live in Fort Myers, FL. Tom opened his Florida tour here tonight to a very enthusiastic crowd for the second time in two years. He appeared with the new look of the gray hair and black velvet jacket and was very well-received.

By the way, Herman Matthews was sporting his new hair (!) and svelte physique as well — looking fabulous! It didn’t take long into the set list before people were on their feet dancing and standing with their applause at the end of each song. The crowd seemed to love the new material from 24 Hours as much as the classic songs. All ages and genders attended and all were as enthralled as another. Just goes to show you that true talent has no boundaries!

There was a solo performance by a woman early on (can’t recall the song he was singing) who made her way near the stage and was doing a dance for Tom of which he took notice. The crowd seemed to enjoy it and it opened the floodgates! The aisles filled with women trying to make their way to the stage backing up about six rows and a good time was had by all. Interestingly there was no shortage of knickers tossed at this performance. At one point they seemed to be raining down on him as one was thrown after another. In typical Tom fashion of late he smiled acknowledging the trademark gesture but went about the show without real acknowledgment of the littering of the stage. It seems to me that this practice occurs more on the road than in a venue like the Hollywood Theatre where he plays for an extended period.

This was only the second time I have seen the show with the 24 Hours material and I think it is great, although I do miss Here’s That Rainy Day. I always thought that was such a strong vocal performance although that almost sounds silly to say, since everything Tom sings is an incredible vocal performance!

He continues to impress me with his talent, ability, and stage presence. I am thankful that I have been able to enjoy his performances as many times as I have. We are not likely to see an entertainer of this caliber again in our lifetime.

Tickets are on sale now for Tom’s appearance at the Ravinia Festival outside Chicago. He’ll be on at 7:30, Friday, July 11.

Reserved seats are $65; Lawn seats are $22; $27 on the day of the concert.

You can buy now by clicking the link above. Phone sales begin May 17.

When he was there a couple of years ago, Etta James opened. As of yet, there’s no word on anyone else being on the bill.

In the next eight days, Tom will play seven dates in Florida — the second time he’s been there in two years. Until then, there was a long period of time when he didn’t do the Sunshine State and with this latest round of dates, fans are ecstatic.

There’ll be first-hand fan reviews here from at least two venues and hope more fans share their stories with others via TJI.com.

Meanwhile, here’s an article from the Sarasota Herald Tribune. The headline (not written by the correspondent, but by some dolt in the newsroom) is so wrong it’s difficult to give the rest of it any credibility. And, “king of pelvic thrusts?” Gads! Also they surely could have found a recent photo, not this historic artifact. But, it’s interesting that the two songs on 24 Hours most often singled out by writers in the US — Sugar Daddy and The Hitter — haven’t been put into the show. Tom did tell a journalist that The Hitter, clocking in at 6:33, would have to be shortened to be in the show but we know two fans who heard a rehearsal of Sugar Daddy (actually, OVERheard) at the MGM, so hopefully, that’ll be added at some point.

Tom Jones wants to keep on crooning

By STEVE HEISLER Correspondent/Published: Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 1:00 a.m./Last Modified: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 11:46 a.m.

As he approaches his 69th birthday this summer, the dulcet-toned and graying Welshman refuses to entertain the thought of hanging up the microphone.

“I really have to hold myself back not to sing,” he said. “So I can’t see me retiring. I can’t see it at all.”

Knighted in 2006, the charismatic crooner has developed a loyal following during his four-plus decades in music. Tunes like It’s Not Unusual and What’s New Pussycat? continue to be delivered in his distinctive tenor to baritone range.

But even as Sir Tom embraces life as a grandparent in his seventh decade, the Los Angeles resident remains sharp through a full touring schedule. And he hasn’t stopped recording either. His first U.S.-released CD in 15 years, last year’s 24 Hours, offers a few surprises: Sugar Daddy written U2′s Bono and The Edge, and a remake of the Bruce Springsteen classic The Hitter.

The warm reception the CD has received is no surprise given Jones’ penchant for responding to what he felt audiences craved. That dates to a perceptive nature honed while moving from pop to an emerging new sound, rock ‘n’ roll, at local Wales gigs in the 1950s.

“If we played a YMCA on a Friday night, I would be singing the pop songs of the day,” Jones said. “Then when we would play a working men’s club on a Saturday night, I’d throw in a couple of strong ballads like I Believe or a Roy Orbison ballad. Rock ‘n’ roll was very new in South Wales then and no rock band had ever been in a working men’s club.”

Jones last appeared at the Van Wezel in April 2007, his fourth visit since 1991. If he has his way, the king of the pelvic thrusts will be coming back.

“I might slow down in years to come, perhaps not work quite as much,” he said. “But I hope I’ll always be able to go out and do shows as long as I live.”

Jay Leno will finish his tenure as host of The Tonight Show on Friday, May 29. On Thursday, May 21, Sir Tom Jones will grace his stage. Hopefully, it’ll be a longer visit than the last two as, perhaps, Leno will be in a mood to reminisce about his career. And, as we know, Tom did play a part in that.

And, as noted in a comment on a post below, on Thursday, July 30, Tom is playing the Summer Evening Concert Series at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Biltmore Estate is one of those “American Castles” the A&E Network loved to show.Biltmore House is a French Renaissance-inspired chateau near Asheville, North Carolina, built by George Washington Vanderbilt between 1888 and 1895. At 175,000 square feet and featuring 250 rooms it is the largest privately owned home in the United States at. Still owned by one of Vanderbilt’s descendants, it stands today as one of the most prominent remaining examples of the Gilded Age. It is a beautiful venue.

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, May 5, 8 a.m. EDT. For info, check the Biltmore’s website.

Confessions of a Tom Jones fan

DENISE BOLTON /5:02 p.m., Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I am 53 and still loving Tom Jones and his music. What a voice and what a man!

I can remember years ago when I was 12… my sister 16, myself and my mother would faithfully sit in front of the television every week to watch the “This is Tom Jones” television show. He started in black and white and then went color. This was a weekly meeting of the girls in my family with Tom on television. Sometimes we had to hurry dinner.

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