Tom Jones International

New Gig Announced: Tom’s website announced he’ll be playing the Suikerrock Festival in Belgium on Thursday, July 28. Tickets will be available here on Thursday, March 17 (not “Friday,” March 17 as his website says). So, don’t wait until Friday if you want the best seats!

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Last night in New York, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted the class of 2011. Inducted were Alice Cooper (a very nice man), Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love, Tom Waits and Leon Russell.

Mark Goldblatt wrote a column in the National Review about the event and about the induction process. His suggestion is that the “elitist” Hall open voting to fans. He also hates the fact that Patti Smith is in the Hall. She is not the only one-hit singer in there. Consider Percy Sledge, for example.

A couple of years ago, a fan of Tom’s thought a postcard campaign on his behalf would do the trick. Of course, every fan of everyone tries that. Others — including that fan — labored under the delusion that if you voted for your favorite star online at Future Rock Hall that would do the trick. Of course, they were acting and voting out of ignorance and hope and it didn’t work. Another fan wrote a letter to key people in the nominating process and sent a demo CD. That might have been too late for this year but, hopefully, will awaken someone next year. A former HOF official told me a few months ago why he thinks Tom Jones won’t get inducted but I cannot help believing and hoping he’s wrong. Well, there’s always next year.

Meanwhile, what do you think of the article below?

The Rock and Roll Hall of Lame
Fans should be able to elect the hall’s members.

The news that Neil Diamond has been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame came as a shock. Not that I thought him undeserving. His influence on American popular music ranks only a notch or two below Bob Dylan’s — and unlike Dylan, whom I revere, Diamond consistently sings on key. What came as a shock was the fact that he wasn’t already a member. To be sure, I haven’t kept a close watch on the doings of the hall. The concept itself has always struck me as bizarre. A Hall of Fame for rock and rollers is like a Twelve Step Program for anarchists. It goes against the grain of the thing.

That said, Diamond seemed like a no-brainer. The guy’s sold over 100 million records worldwide and written dozens of memorable songs. Off the top of my head, and I’m sure I’m leaving out several obvious ones, I came up with: Cherry Cherry, I Am . . . I Said, Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show, Holly Holy, Play Me, Song Sung Blue, Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon, I’m a Believer, Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow), A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You, You Don’t Send Me Flowers, Forever In Blue Jeans, and Longfellow Serenade. I’ve heard an entire bar, drunks and teetotalers alike, sing along to Cracklin’ Rosie on the jukebox, an entire stadium sing along to Sweet Caroline over the loudspeakers. If he’s not a first-ballot rock-and-roll hall of famer — as peculiar as such a question sounds — then who is?

Except it turns out that Neil Diamond isn’t — or wasn’t — the only glaring omission from the hall. Also on the outside looking in are Billy Idol, the B52s, the Bangles, Blood Sweat and Tears, Carly Simon, the Carpenters, the Cars, Cat Stevens, Chicago, Deep Purple, the Doobie Brothers, Duran Duran, Electric Light Orchestra, Glenn Campbell, the Go Gos, Grand Funk, the Guess Who, Heart, Jethro Tull, Jim Croce, Joe Cocker, John Denver, KISS, the Monkees, the Moody Blues, Motley Crue, Olivia Newton John, the Pointer Sisters, Rick James, Slade, Ted Nugent, Three Dog Night, and Tom Jones.

I’m not arguing for or against the artistic merits of any of the performers on that list — compiled from conversations with friends over the last several days. To be honest, I hadn’t thought about half of them in years. (I confess, however, that I still vacuum to Tom Jones’s songs, especially Delilah.) Evaluative debates, when the topic is rock and roll, rarely rise above the Olbermann-level of discourse — which is a silly, scream-y place. I wouldn’t even be writing about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame if not for a name that jumped out at me as I was cataloguing the exclusions, an inclusion so incongruous that it called into question not only the induction criteria but the coherence of the institution:

Patti Smith is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Patti Smith.

I mean, c’mon. Patti Smith? Why not Yoko Ono?

Please click here to (more…)

It was waaaaay back — 1978 to be precise — when Tom Jones (shown that year in this photo) was performing at the Oakdale Musical Center in Wallingford, CT. Like the venues at Westbury, Warwick and Valley Forge, Wallingford was a theater-in-the-round, where the stage rotated and audiences were seated completely around the stage. It made it easy for the performer to see who was there.

Well, this one day — and this is absolutely a true story — Tom was playing Wallingford and a fan whom we’ll call “Diana” for the sake of protecting her privacy, was there. He had just seen her at another venue and when he spotted her from the stage, Tom said, “Hello, Diana! What are you doing here? This is not your neighborhood!” She replied, “I came to this neighborhood to see your show, Tom.”

Then, literally skipping around in circles to the tune, Tom sang the theme from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, a TV show for children hosted by Fred Rogers that was shown for more than 30 years in the USA.

The theme goes: It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor, Would you be mine? Could you be mine? It’s a neighborly day in this beautywood, A neighborly day for a beauty, Would you be mine? Could you be mine? I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you, I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you. So let’s make the most of this beautiful day, Since we’re together, we might as well say, Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbor? Won’t you please, Won’t you please, please won’t you be my neighbor?

It was a very charming, off-beat moment that is still, I am sure, treasured by fans who saw it.

Why mention this now? Well, because I thought of it when reading the news these last few weeks. In case you haven’t noticed — or seen any of the sheer multitude of news stories where it is being mentioned — Tom Jones today numbers among his neighbors Paris Hilton, “Real Housewife” Adrienne Maloof, Avril Levigne and Charlie Sheen.

Moderator’s Note: A grateful thanks to all who took the time to send messages of encouragement. All is well.

Moderator’s Note: The list of dates below is from Tom’s management office and was sent to fan clubs in North America. Vacation time is clearly indicated but tour dates in other countries are not. The November date at Resorts is unclear but, likely, it could have been interrupted by Thanksgiving, November 24. Anyway, he usually played there for one week. In posting the list, I corrected some of the venue spellings.

If we assume seven shows in November in Atlantic City, the total number of shows in North America in 1983 was 143. Thus there were most likely tours on other continents, right?

TOM JONES 1983 TOUR

January 10 • Solid Gold • Los Angeles, CA; Janaury 13 – 26 • Caesars Palace • Las Vegas, NV; February 1 • Tonight Show • Burbank, CA; February 3 • Billy Bob’s • Fort Worth, TX; February 4 & 5 • Orpheum Theatre • New Orleans, LA; February 8 – 13 • Fox Theatre • St. Louis, MO; February 15 & 16 • Heinz Hall •’ Pittsburgh, PA; February 18 & 19 • Chateau de Ville • Framingham, MA; February 21 • Ampitheatre • Phoenix, AZ; February 22 • Susndome Theatre • Sun City, AZ; February 24 – March 1 • Circle Star Theater• San Carlos, CA; March 10 – 23 • Caesars Palace • Las Vegas, NV; April 6 • Tulsa Assembly Center • Tulsa, OK; April 8 – 10 • Holiday Star Theater • Merriville, IN; April 12 – 14 • Louisville Palace Theater • Louisville, KY; April 15 – 17 • The Front Row Theater • Cleveland, OH; April 19 • Boise State Pavillion • Boise, ID; April 20 • Dee Brents Center • Ogden, UT; April 22 – 28 • Harrah’s Club • Reno, NV; May 10 • St. Denis Community Centre • Windsor, Ontario, Canada; May 12 – 15 • Place Des Artes • Montreal, Canada; May 16 & 17 • National Arts Centre • Ottowa, Canada; May 20 – 29 • Westbury Music Fair • Westbury, Long Island, NY

June • Vacation

July 2 – 4 • Greek Theatre • Los Angeles, CA; July 7 – 9 • Warwick Musical Theater • Warwick, RI; July 11 – 17 • Resorts International • Atlantic City, NJ; July 19 – 21 • Cape Cod Melody Tent • Hyannis, MA; July 22 – 24 • Chateau de Ville • Framingham, MA; July 27 – 28 • Pine Knob Music Theater • Clarkston, MI; July 29 – 30 • Poplar Creek Music Theater • Hoffman Estates, IL; July 31 • Prarie Capitol Center • Springfield, IL; August 19 – 25 • Harrah’s Club • Lake Tahoe, NV; September 7 – 8 • Garden State Arts Center • Holmdel, NJ; September 9 – 11 • Oakdale Musical Center • Wallingford, CT; September 15 – 17 • Premier Theater • Sterling Heights, MI; September 23 – 25 • Sunrise Musical Theatre • Fort Lauderdale, FL; November ? – 25• Resorts International • Atlantic City, NJ

(At left is the cover of the 1982 tour book. There was not a new one until 1984.)

Perhaps another UK gig: Wednesday July 27, 2011 – Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher. It was on one site and isn’t official until tickets go on sale or it’s posted on TJ.com.

Their names read like a list of the best of rock ‘n’ roll — Little Richard, Bill Haley and His Comets, The Beatles, John Lennon and, of course, Elvis. They are among those who sang Rip It Up, a 1955 song by Robert Blackwell and John Marascalco.

I’ve always liked the song and, in 2010, when Tom ad libbed it at a show at the MGM Grand, it was fun and special. On This Is Tom Jones he sang it as a duet with Little Richard. Click here to watch Little Richard and Tom Jones perform Rip It Up

And, here, you can listen to Tom at the MGM Grand as he spontaneously sings Rip It Up.

Twelve years ago today, on March 9, 1999 (are all those 9s a sign of something?) Tom was awarded the OBE, Order of the British Empire. Also honored that day was Roger Moore, who was knighted in 2003. Tom was photographed at the ceremony with his son Mark Woodward and grandchildren, Emma and Alexander. Of course, seven years later he was knighted.

Tom’s site announced (with exclamation points) that Tom will cap the races at Haydock Racecourse in Merseyside on Saturday, June 18. Tickets range from £30 up to £249.60 per person. Many of the ticket plans, with restaurant seating, include a meal. Tickets are now on sale here. If you get there on Thursday, June 16, you can get tickets for Bob Dylan and if you stay through the 21st, you can see Paul Simon.

The next day, Sunday, June 19, Tom will be at the Marquee in Cork, Ireland. Tickets on sale this Thursday, March 10 at Ticketmaster, Ireland.

Moderator’s Note: I just came across some fan club newsletters. Back in the (pre-internet) days, there were fan clubs for Tom around the world with most of them being here in the US.

This is the October/November 1985 newsletter from TOMgirls in Texas. Their slogan was “Friendship Through Tom.”

In this edition, Robbie from LA wrote about:

Solid Gold: Taping, September 30 1985. Air Date: Last weekend in October.

Introduction by Dionne Warwick

Song: It’s Four In the Morning

Tom’s outfit: Black leather pants, white leather jacket with fringe on the sleeves and at the back, *black top, black belt with oblong buckle

*Due to technical difficulties, TOM sang It’s Four In the Morning three times. It was rather warm, so TOM took off his jacket between takes and his black top was sleeveless! He looked MAHvelous! (What a shame he wasn’t on camera.)

TOM’s fans were all standing around the stage and we had a special treat: Alexander was there! with Donna, but but before TOM came on they both joined Mark at the back of the studio and Alexandr could be seen riding on his daddy’s shoulders.

After the taping — we waved (TOM put the window down to wave back) as they drove off, Mark at the wheel with Donna beside him and Alexander with his grandpa in the back seat.

The end of a perfect taping.

Couldn’t find a video of the show, but here is Tom singing Four In the Morning.

We have a winner! The question and answer are below:

The question: In the British Isles, one in 100 people bears the surname Jones. In Wales, Jones is the most popular surname. It comes from “John” which, itself, is from the Hebrew name “Yochanan,” meaning “Jehovah has favored me with a son.”

But, there’s something a bit odd going on.

In fact, it is unusual that “Jones” is such a common Welsh name.

Do you know why this is so?

The answer:

It is unusual because the Welsh alphabet does NOT contain the letter “J.”

There were a few correct responses. To determine the winner, I wrote those names on slips of paper, put them in a large envelope and asked a friend to shake the envelope and I drew the winning name. So…

….congratulations Denise in Georgia. You will be getting a copy of the CD.

Thanks to all who entered.

Tom is performing Friday, August 12, at Newmarket Nights at Newmarket Racecourses in Suffolk, England (as opposed to Suffolk, NY and Suffolk, MA).. Stephen Wallis, Newmarket Racecourses Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to be announcing Tom Jones for this year’s line-up. He is a sensational performer and I am sure his array of hits will be very popular with the Newmarket audience.”

Stephen continued: “As in previous years, tickets for this year’s Nights are selling phenomenally fast and so I would urge people to book early in order to ensure their ticket.”

Tickets are: Premier Enclosure: £40; Grandstand & Paddock: £32; and Garden Enclosure: £22. Tickets are available here.

Apparently news that Beyoncé and Nelly Furtado each made big bucks singing for the family of Muammar Gaddafi (which they turned over to charity), had today’s Hollywood Reporter looking into the situation with a story called:

The Shocking Amounts of Money a Singer Can Make Off a Private Performance

It was posted at 2:46 PM 3/3/2011 by Mark Cina and went over the amounts some singers have been paid for private gigs. It said, in part:

“British reports swirled last year that Sir Tom Jones walked away with $3.1 million after performing at a Red Cross charity concert. (A spokesperson for the event was quoted by the Britain’s The Mirror as saying: “He was worth every euro.”) He is said to have donated much of his earnings to charity.”

At the time, The Mirror said:

“The bumper pay cheque makes the Welsh crooner, 70, the top earner for a single gig – at £103,332 per song.”

And, The Telegraph said in an article by Laura Roberts posted at 7:30AM BST on 03 Aug 2010:

“The Welshman sang for an hour and a half earning more than £100,000 per song, it was claimed.

“Guests, who had paid up to 20,000 euros for a table at the 62nd Red Cross Ball in Monaco were treated to songs such as Sex Bomb and It’s Not Unusual.

“According to the Daily Mirror Jones donated a substantial proportion of the money he had earned back to the charity.

“The evening, which took place last Friday, raised more than £10million for victims of the floods in Tanzania and the Haiti earthquake.”

“Which band has broken the bank the most? The Eagles. They were once paid $6 million by an unknown benefactor to play one song, Hotel California at a private bash in NYC. That’s almost $1 million per minute.”

Members of Anita’s family have written notes to thank all in the TJI.com fan community for their comments. Check out what they said.

Please don’t forget the Question of the Month in the post below.

New Date July 6: Tom’s office announced he’ll be playing Wednesday, July 6 at the Henley Festival. This event supports two charities. Dress is “black tie, lounge suit or jacket & tie / any length evening dress or evening trousers for ladies.” Ticket information is here.

In a change from what’s become the usual, his site says, “Tom Jones will headlining on the opening night of the Henley Festival on Wednesday 6th July. He will be performing on the Floating Stage with a programme that includes classic hits, special selections, and songs from his acclaimed latest work, Praise & Blame.”

Here is a 1996 British commercial for Reebok with Tom, Dave Stewart, Jose Carreras, Sting, Steven Berkoff, Quentin Crisp, Richard Attenborough, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, David Mellor, Warren Mitchell, Chris Eubank, and Wallace and Gromit.

They are all singers, actors, sports figures and there’s one designer in the bunch and one former (naked, but not in this video) civil servant. Of course, “football” is what we in the US call “soccer.”

It’s a fun spot, very well done. But, the people who referred to it as “the best commercial ever, clearly never saw the literate and, at the time startling, Apple Computer “1984″ spot.

Click here to watch this Reebok ad.

Well, thanks to Shirley’s comment, I am reminded it is St. David’s Day and 46 years to the day that It’s Not Unusual hit #1 on the UK charts. So, hope the celebration is glorious!

March may “come in like a lion,: but the Question of the Month is about the “tiger,” Tom Jones and what you prefer.

For almost eight months — with one brief exception in Las Vegas last August — Tom has been performing Praise and Blame and, perhaps, tacked on It’s Not Unusual and Green Green Grass of Home at the end. He’s done this in concert, at benefits and on TV. Well, not that it will have any impact, but the question is, in essence, how do you feel about this?

Keeping in mind all Tom has said about the new phase of his career, the Question of the Month for March is:

If you could design Tom’s set list what would be on it?

You can be specific and name specific songs, but you don’t have to do that. Note that, up until Praise and Blame, the usual set had between 21 and 23 songs. Remember, while you certainly may do so, you do not have to name specific songs.