Tom Jones International

Here’s a nice interview with Sir Tom from the BBC. Even though we knew about the new album, we can now hope that his 70th birthday TV special — if there is one — is shown here. (And, since the interview is on BBC news, you can see it no matter where you live.)

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Here are two articles from the Welsh newspaper, The Western Mail. The first is a review of his show tonight in Cardiff and the second is called 70 Reasons To Celebrate Tom Jones. I know I’m bragging, but I am quite pleased that for the second article TJI.com was clearly a source — an uncredited source. How do I know, you ask? Check out #s 35, 36 and 37. They come, in the exact order, from the page here called Back In the Day. Of course, these facts may be found other places, but in that order? With almost the exact wording? I doubt that and I am foolishly proud that a news outlet in Wales uses this site as a an information source.

(Just from reading the review, I tend to doubt that the reviewer has seen Tom often — if at all — before Friday night. And, while that line about “a little piece of Vegas glamour” made me smile, I can imagine some people cringing.) Also, isn’t it insulting that the biggest newspaper in his homeland says he “croons?” Note, too, that in later online editions, the headline was changed to “Tom Jones’ blistering set at the CIA reviewed.” That’s a lot more exciting than the original but they changed the end of the review to a rather snotty, “This was an impressive 20-plus song performance which Jones obviously enjoyed, especially as its as close to his Ponty roots that he’s going to get without making a permanent move home.” Cannot believe even they believe the vague rumors they print. While we’re on the subject did he just — on that stage in Cardiff and nowhere else — “reveal” the names of the people who wrote Sugar Daddy? And since Tom acknowledges he’s “learned to spell,” one would think the reviewer would do the same. (That was meant to be a “rye” comment.) Sometimes this is all too idiotic to bear. In today’s economy one would think journalists with knowledge of the language and of their subject would be easy to find. Apparently, not for the Western Mail. Shame on them!

NOW! If you were at the Cardiff show Friday or will be there Saturday or Sunday (or all three days — imagine! going to three shows in a row!!) please do not post your reviews here as comments. Instead, please use this link to email comments/photos, etc. to TJI.com. Then, they’ll all be posted in a fashion that makes sense. Thanks so much!

Tom Jones treats fans to a performance to remember

Oct 10 2009/Western Mail,/Madeleine Brindley

HE MAY be celebrating his 70th birthday next year but Tom Jones last night showed little sign of his advancing years.

Jones marked the first of a three-night residency at Cardiff International Arena with a blistering set spanning his long career in the music business.

As he sashayed and crooned his way onto the stage, there were no signs of any pre-gig nerves Jones had confessed to suffering from as he returned to his home turf.

The opening three songs represented a no-nonsense start as they came in quick succession with minimal interaction between Jones and the highly- charged crowd.

But from then on it was as if the flood gates had opened.

His first words to the crowd as he walked on stage were “Thank you” and “Diolch” which brought a huge cheer from his faithful followers inside the International Arena.

“It’s great to be back home once again,” Jones said. “Is everything all right so far? Good –just checking.”

Backed by a new 10-piece band, Jones instead brought a little piece of Vegas glamour to the sell-out audience in Cardiff last night.

For the rest of the review and to learn the 70 things you can appreciate about Sir Tom, click to

While he may now be more silver fox than Peter Pan, after allowing his natural colour to dominate, Jones has lost none of his star charisma or his trademark voice.

Indeed his showmanship last night could have taught a thing or two to numerous acts half his age who have also performed at the CIA.

Against a glitzy backdrop and dressed in an equally glitzy jacket, the Voice from Pontypridd gave a masterclass in singing as he worked his way through his considerable repertoire.

The old and inevitable classics, for which we have come to know and love Jones by – Delilah, Green Green Grass of Home, It’s Not Unusual – were greeted loud roars of approval and equally deafening applause.

As were his contemporary offerings, from his own take on Sex Bomb, to the wonderful Mama Told Me Not to Come and his latest songs from the 2008 album 24 Hours.

Jones told the audience he was really proud of this album, which he co-wrote most of – a first for him – as he admitted.

“I finally learned how to spell,” he joked.

Jones also revealed the opening song of his set called Sugar Daddy was written for him by Bono and the Edge from U2 but with a rye [sic] smile on his face he told the crowd he didn’t know why they called it Sugar Daddy.

But the standout tracks of the night, which showed off Jones’ vocal capabilities to best effect, were the good old-fashioned soul numbers, including perennial favourite Hard to Handle, and his Bond soundtrack Thunderball.

This was an impressive 20-plus song performance which Jones obviously enjoyed, especially as its as close to his Ponty roots that he’s going to get without making a permanent move home.

There were no signs of any of the nerves Jones had confessed to suffering from as he returned to his home turf last night. This was a truly impressive performance

70 reasons to celebrate Tom Jones

Oct 9 2009/Western Mail

As Tom Jones, who turns 70 next year, prepares to step onto the Cardiff stage, Michael Curtis presents 70 facts about the singer

1. Tom Jones’ real name is Thomas Woodward. Tom Jones is his stage name with the Jones coming from his mother’s maiden name.

2. He was born at 57, Kingsland Terrace, Treforest, Pontypridd.

3. His maternal grandfather was of Welsh descent, while the rest of his ancestry is English.

4. It was clear from an early age that he had a singing talent but then he was struck down by tuberculosis and bedridden for almost a year.

5. President Bill Clinton invited him to perform at the Millennium celebrations in Washington.

6. At the age of 16, he married Melinda Trenchard on March 2, 1957.

7. In 2004 a distressed Krystal McMillan launched an online petition in a plea for him to lose his facial hair, even writing a protest song.

8. Tom has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.

9. He had a television chat show from 1969 to 1971 called This is Tom Jones which featured guests of the era, including Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and Sammy Davis Jnr.

10. Tom’s first paid gig was in 1958 at the Wood Road Non-Political club in Treforest earning £1 for singing six songs.

11. During the years 1965 to 1999 he had 26 hits that made it into the top 20.

12. While his songs have been used in many films he has acted too, playing a photographer in the 1994 flick Silk n’ Sabotage.

13. Some of his most famous hits were originally written for other people. It’s Not Unusual was penned for Sandie Shaw and Green Green Grass Of Home was recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis.

14. He won a Grammy award in 1965 for “Best New Artist.”

15. When he relocated to California in 1976, he bought a mansion formerly owned by Dean Martin in Bel-Air.

16. He was given an OBE in 1999 and knighted by the Queen on March 29, 2006.

17. His early career saw him become frontman of Tommy Scott and the Senators, a local beat group, in 1963.

18. He was discovered by his long time manager Gordon Mills at the Top Hat in Cwmtillery, who went on to give him the moniker Tom Jones, from the novel by Henry Fielding and also because it was his mother’s maiden name.

19. It’s Not Unusual was originally refused airplay by the then conservative BBC only for a pirate radio station, Radio Caroline to pick it up.

20. The first time that knickers were thrown at him onstage is thought to be at the Copacabana in New York in 1968, but Ceasar’s Palace is where it became really popular, with him even receiving room keys on some occasions.

21. He has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard.

22. Although he still tours and records, Tom enjoys performing at the MGM Grand for a major portion of the year.

23. After the death of Gordon Mills in the late Seventies, Tom’s son Mark Woodward took over the role of the singer’s manager.

24. One of his best loved tracks is the cover of Prince’s Kiss with the Art of Noise in 1988.

25. The track The Road on his latest album 24 Hours is dedicated to Melinda, his wife of 51 years. Almost confessional, it celebrates their marriage with the lyric, ‘The road always leads back to you.’

26. He does not speak a word of Welsh.

27. Sir Tom suffers from dyslexia.

28. He sang for the first time with The Senators when the band’s original singer failed to turn up, and legend has it he was persuaded to take his place with a crate of beer.

29. He sung the theme tune for the James Bond film Thunderball in 1965.

30. His first single was entitled Chills and Fever for Decca records in 1964.

31. One of his other hits What’s New Pussycat? was actually written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1965 comedy of the same name.

32. Green Green Grass of Home written by Claude Putman Jnr. tells the story of a convicted murderer awaiting execution reminiscing about home. Tom reached number 1 with it in the UK on December 1, 1966.

33. His gig in Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd, on May 28, 2005 to mark his 65th birthday was his first appearance there since 1964.

34. He has sung at various sporting events but perhaps favourite is Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau before the bout between Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas.

35. When he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in 1968 to sing Delilah, he was not allowed to sing the line, ‘At the break of day when that man drove away I was waiting’ as it insinuated a woman was being unfaithful.

36. While waiting for his solo career to take off, one Reg Dwight, later to become Elton John, sang backing vocals on Daughter of Darkness, a song that Jones was alleged to have recorded in one take, while drunk.

37. The original lyric for Sex Bomb was, “I’m your sex bomb,’ but was changed to ‘You’re my sex bomb’ after Donna Woodward, Tom’s daughter-in-law and publicity officer suggested the original lyric sounded too egotistical.

38. In 2000, Tom was hired as the official voice of the Australian National Rugby League.

39. In the early 1970s he and his then manager Gordon Wills formed a company named MAM, Management Agency and Music Ltd, mainly for the acronym to remind them of their roots.

40. While Linda his wife has always been portrayed as somewhat docile and accommodating, he admitted on American television that she physically beat him up once. The attack came after it was reported in the press that he’d had an affair.

41. His nicknames include ‘Tiger’ and ‘The Voice’ to his friends.

42 In 2009 pregnant Raquel Aular claimed that her baby was craving Tom Jones. She claimed that after four months pregnancy her only craving was to see the lothario dance and sing.

43. An urban legend surfaced in 2006 spread by American newspapers that Tom had insured his chest hair with Lloyds of London for £3.5 million.

44. The real name of one of his tribute acts is John Prescott from Abergele Clwyd, who regularly travels the tribute act circuit.

45. On July 1, 2007 he was invited to perform at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, being joined onstage to sing by Joss Stone.

46 In 2003 he received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

47. While his pop recording career declined in the Seventies and Eighties he recorded 16 singles on the Billboard Country Music charts between 1976 and 1985.

48. Reload, his 1999 album, became the biggest release of his career and sold more than four million copies worldwide.

49. He had a third UK number one with Islands in the Stream, which he recorded with Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones, of Gavin and Stacey fame, in aid of Comic Relief.

50. On their recent 52nd anniversary he sent his wife three dozen of her favourite red roses.

51. When he was starting out in America he was given conflicting advice by none other than Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Sinatra advised him to do older, more classic stuff after Jones had released a standards album, and Elvis told him to concentrate on singing more rock n’ roll.

52. In 2008 he surprised passers-by on London’s South Bank with an impromptu busking session. He raised £460 for Cancer Research as part of the BBC’s Culture Show’s busking challenge.

53. In 1987 he performed a play with a bullfighting theme entitled Matador. The single from the play A Boy From Nowhere reached number 2 in the UK.

54. In 1992 he went into TV again with Tom Jones: The Right Time produced for ITV. Guests included Joe Cocker, Stevie Wonder and Shakespears Sister.

55. He appeared on The Simpsons in 1992 as himself. When evil power plant boss Mr Burns plans to woo Marge Simpson , he kidnaps Tom in an effort to seduce her.

56. When living in the Vale of Glamorgan his local was the Red Lion in Pendoylan.

57. His lap time when competing in the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car section on BBC’s Top Gear was 1.52.2 making him the second best OAP after Sir Michael Gambon.

58. Sir Tom doesn’t care for text messages. “I don’t get any pleasure from that sort of thing. I have never sent a text message,” he said. “What’s the point? Why not ring someone up?”

59. His hairy chest marks him out as a better lover, according to a new book called The Great Book of British Useless Information by Hannah Warner.

60. As a Gemini, he is bored easily and feels uncomfortable in an enclosed environment. It also means he is naturally bright, uses a good vocabulary and enjoys learning for its own sake.

61. He shares a birthday, June 7 with Prince, Anna Kournikova, Liam Neeson and Dean Martin.

62. The official Tom Jones Facebook page currently has 12,868 fans.

63. It’s not just onstage that feelings run high. A Tom Jones gig was the site of a behind-the-scenes bust-up between Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood and his lover Ekaterina Ivanova.

64. Life hasn’t always been rosy for the singer. In his early days he nearly threw himself, depressed, under a Tube train. His drummer Vernon Watkins had to talk him out of it.

65. Close friends with Elvis, he was witness to some of the star’s stranger habits. “It was before the days of remote controls,” he said. “Elvis used to shoot the TV off. And I remember whenever he saw Robert Goulet [the Memphis singer] on the TV he used to shoot it, he would actually blow the TV up.”

66. A faulty musical birthday card playing Sex Bomb once caused a bomb threat in a Worcester card shop.

67. Comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar once tried to ingratiate himself with Sir Tom – and failed. “I tried to speak Welsh to him,” he explains. “I was a bit drunk, and I don’t actually speak Welsh. He just looked at me blankly.”

68. Despite his long and illustrious career, Sir Tom would have no problems with appearing on the X Factor. “I’d definitely have gone for the X Factor if it had been going when I was starting out,” he said.

69. His advice helped Cerys Matthews cut out the booze. “Tom Jones told me not to drink before going on stage,” she said. “You grow up with all these myths about rock ‘n’ roll behaviour, even if the stars are on a rollercoaster to hell.”

70. And finally, as he nears the age of 70, he has no plans to retire. “I’ve just got to be pleased that I’ve come this far, you know,” he says. “Some people go ‘Ooh, getting older’ and this, that and the other. I mean, what’s the alternative?”

The uncredited photos are from the Western Mail. And, hey!, guys, didn’t anyone notice the major typo in the headline? (Fixed it.)