Tom Jones International

I know this is a long post but I do hope you’ll read it. Three of the photos used on this occasion were sent by several people when we requested Fans’ Favorite Photos for a flickr set a few years ago. The fourth, bottom left, is the one that “launched a thousand arguments.” Tom looked at it and said, “Oooh, that’s a naughty one, isn’t it?” But every year a couple or a few people email me asking for it to be in the calendar. It was in two editions. I think that’s enough.

Dear Friends:

Today is the 6th anniversary of the official launch of TJI.com!

A lot has changed since October 10, 2006, when we had a casual “launch party” at the MGM Grand. Fans of TJ’s and friends of TJI.com gathered there to see a performance. We wanted to go backstage to tell Tom about the website and to give him a TJI.com t-shirt. We requested the privilege, but Management responded that we hadn’t done so “properly,” even though we did as people had always done. Oddly, they reacted like that even though they’d been very welcoming to TJI.com, to the extent of having a member of their UK staff call us to talk about our vision and their vision for the site. On October 10, however — apparently because Tom can only have one presentation an evening — they instead decided to allow the official US fan club to go back and present him with a book from fans. I have been told by a couple of people that this book was a clear rip-off of the book presented to Tom the previous year at Foxwoods that contained fan memories and tributes that was put together by people from JonesTheVoice.com. I don’t know if it is a rip-off but I do know their project was announced way after the original one was. In the end, it doesn’t matter. I know for a fact that Sir Tom read the original book and, four years later, when he saw the cover photo in another context, he commented on it, even mentioning the name of the photographer.

The JonesTheVoice book was professionally printed in hardcover and the people who did it, Keith and Joedy Cooper, Fay MacLachlan and me presented it to Tom backstage. The book given to him in October 2005 was a kind of amateurish affair, computer printed and, from we heard (don’t know if it’s true), copies were not given to any of the contributors. The JonesTheVoice original book, Tribute To A Legend was, because it was so expensive to produce in four colors on good quality paper in hardcover, sold to any contributor who wanted one at the cost of production ($48). I and many others still cherish it.

For the rest of this “thank you card” and two popular TJ photos, please click here to (more…)

Sir Tom had a very busy summer. Two venues — Newmarket Racecourse and Gandia, Spain — have issued financial and attendance reports.

At Newmarket in his native UK, he set attendance and profit records. The Newmarket Journal reported today:

THE visit of Welsh crooner Tom Jones to Newmarket’s July racecourse in August was the course’s most profitable ‘racing plus music’ night in its 25 years of hosting them.

The news was revealed by the course owner, The Jockey Club, which also announced that it had seen a record total attendance to its programme of racing plus music events in 2011 across its courses nationwide.

The fixtures, which saw competitive racing followed by performances from a music act such as Sir Tom Jones, Scissor Sisters and Blondie, welcomed 302,032 people in 2011. This compares with 297,750 attendees in 2010.

Paul Fisher, group managing director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “Our 2011 music programme has generated a seven-figure return on our investment, which we are directing straight into our sport, in line with The Jockey Club’s mission to act for the good of British horseracing.

“Despite a very tough marketplace for music festivals and events, this was our third most profitable year ever from racing plus music fixtures.”

Sir Tom Jones, who joined other top acts to celebrate Newmarket Nights’ 25th anniversary, attracted a crowd of 21,980 – the course’s most profitable music night ever.

In Gandia, Spain, on August 16, Tom attracted a larget crowd than Julio Iglesias did on August 14. Tom’s tickets were €95, €75 and €25. Not sure what Iglesias’ tickets were but, Euro Weekly reports that, with 812 attendees, as opposed to Iglesias’ 729 attendees, Iglesias’ concert brought in more than three times what Tom’s concert did”

“REVENUE from Julio Iglesias’ concert in Gandia this summer was more than double that of the Tom Jones concert.

While Julio Iglesias brought in €190,000 out of 729 attendees, Tom Jones brought in just €65,000 from 812 attendees.

Of the proceeds, €12,000 is set to be donated; split between the soup kitchen ‘Buñoleres sense Fronteres’ and Alzheimer’s association ‘L’Associacio de Familiars de Malalts d’Alzheime.

I am told, and it makes great sense, that the difference, of course, is the fee paid to the performers.

Saw on Twitter and on one blog that the Olympic Gala last night (very odd night to schedule such an important event) was grand and Tom was “smashing.” Looking for moere news. If you were there or see anything, please email me privately using the link below on the right.

There’s been a lot of discussion here and elsewhere of Tom’s Canadian TV show, which was heavy on country music, and his country recordings. Now, I am prejudiced because I really like good country music — Waylon, Willie, Merle, Johnny, Hank (Hank senior, not junior — especially since 2008), Loretta, Dolly, etc. So, going back 30 years, to July 17, 1981, here’s the Associated Press story about Tom’s foray into country.

I found the part about fans throwing things amusing. That’s because, while some things change, the remain the same.

(Photo left is the one the AP sent out with the article.)

If you have trouble reading the article, just go to “zoom in” on your browser’s View menu.

One of my favorite of Tom’s country songs is his version of The Tennessee Waltz, done with the Irish group The Chieftans on their album The Long Black Veil. It is called ennessee-Waltz-_-Tennessee-Mazurka. The latter, if you didn’t know, is a Polish folk dance melody along the lines of a polka.

Click here to listen to Tom Jones and The Chieftans singing Tennessee Waltz – Tennessee Mazurka

Don’t forget 2 things! First, it is time to order the TomJonesInternational 2012 Fan Calendar! They cannot be printed until there is a set minimum number ordered. So, please, consider getting one for yourself and/or as a gift for a fan. Just click the order form at right.

Second: Please answer the TJI Question of the Month in the post below.

A Tribute To A Man Who Changed So Many Lives: I am posting this because my life was among those and, sadly, in today’s world, too many people change lives in a bad way. But not this one particular man. I am referring to Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer who died yesterday after a valiant seven-year battle with cancer. I can remember the exact date I walked into a newspaper office where I was working as an editor and was confronted with stacks of Apple Computer boxes. That was the day the creative part of my life changed forever. And I know I am not alone. The computers, MP3 players and phones Jobs gave us are today an integral and important part of my life and of so many other lives. (I don’t know if it’s true, but I was told by someone who should definitely know, that the office of a certain singer is all Mac-based.) Steve Jobs was a living example of the famous Apple ad, Think Different. In fact, several people posted new versions of that ad as a tribute to Steve Jobs.

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At left is the commuter train in Wales named for — well, you can see for yourself. This story was published on Monday, 4 January 1999 in
The Independent. Note: The name of the train was clearly updated five years ago.

AN OBE was not the only award that Tom Jones, Wales’s singing legend, received last year. The Pontypridd-born – but California-residing – Jones attended a special ceremony before the new year at Queen Street Station, Cardiff, to witness the renaming of Pacer diesel unit 143609 as the “Tom Jones”. Managing Director of Cardiff Railway, Tom Clift, explained: “We thought it would be appropriate to ask Tom to name a train that would be travelling every day from his home town.” That is some branch line, all the way to Los Angeles.

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Tom’s dark-haired back-up singer Sophie Hiller is coming out with an album. There’s a preview on youtube you can watch here.

Finally, two videos from 1994 when Tom hosted the MTV European Music Awards show in Berlin. I’m posting these songs because I like them both. First, click here to watch Tom sing Heaven’s Been A Long Time Coming. Then, you can see him perform another terrific song he still (last time we looked) had in the show — If I Only Knew.

Finally, Sir Tom is set to headline at the October 7 BT Olympic Ball in London. Wishing him a safe journey and, also, break a leg!

Don’t forget! You can now order the TomJonesInternational 2012 Fan Calendar! They cannot be printed until there is a set minimum number ordered. So, please, consider getting one for yourself and/or as a gift for a fan. Just click the order form at right.

And, if you missed the PBS appearance on September 20, you can access it in the post below.

Seeing Tom perform by himself is terrific but let’s just imagine he’s going to tour with another artist. Perhaps he could do a series of shows with Hugh Laurie. Or, maybe he could be the one to lure Jools Holland out of the UK. Their 2004 collaboration is one of my favorites and I’d love to see them work together. Or, how about U2?

So, the TJI.com Question of the Month for October is:

If you could arrange to have Tom tour with any other performer, who would it be? And why?

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Bonus! Finally, a somewhat decent video was posted of Tom singing with Hugh Laurie at The Mint was posted by HughLaurie.net. The video is of Tom singing Baby Please Make A Change. But unlike the videos from the night already posted all over the place — even places that should care about quality — this shows Tom, not some red blob moving in the dark and you can see the joy he and Laurie experienced interacting/performing with each other. Click here to watch Hugh Laurie and Tom Jones at The Mint, September 30, 2011.

Look for the TJI October Question of the Month on Tuesday. I thought posting this was more important then having that up on October 1.

Back in October, 2010, TJI was the first of any Tom Jones site to report (and, yes, I am proud of being first!) that Tom would be working with Hugh Laurie on what turned out to be his revealing, surprising and very good album, Let Them Talk along with many eminent musicians who made their names in New Orleans doing blues and jazz. Laurie, by the way, is a Guiness record-holder because House, his TV show, is seen by more people than any other — 80 million in 65 countries.

Last night (September 30), the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), the US’ publicly (and, for the moment, government-supported) television network, broadcast the first show in a new season of their Great Performances series. For the show, the “doctor” was, indeed, in the house.

Tom sang Baby Please Make A Change, with Irma Thomas adding vocal support and Hugh Laurie on piano. This is the song he does with them on the album. You can, by the way, order the album using the link at the bottom right. Tom also talks about Laurie’s musicianship.

It’s a lovely few minutes.

I do apologize for the line on the left side of the picture. It doesn’t interfere with viewing, but it does really annoy me. If you know how it got there (it wasn’t on the TV), please email me using the email link on the sidebar and let me know so I can fix it.

Meanwhile, you can watch the video in the TJI.com Video Library.

Morning Update: I should have noted last night that Tom made an appearance when Hugh Laurie played The Mint, a club in LA, last night, but I forgot. (Laurie was also on Leno last night, not singing, but promoting the new season of House. I saw video from The Mint last night/this morning, but it was so bad I didn’t post it. Maybe something better will come along. Maybe we should try to get Hugh Laurie to Las Vegas?

Sunday update: I’ve gotten emails asking why, since it’s embedded on tj.com, I don’t post the video from The Mint. Clearly, the people who asked didn’t read what I wrote just above. I repeat: The video is not good enough and the material Tom sings isn’t new or unique enough to warrant posting bad video. Go to youtube, search for “Tom Jones Hugh Laurie The Mint” and you can find it and download it yourself.

Monday update/REViEWS: Los Angeles Times music critic Mikael Wood reviewed Laurie’s show at The Mint and loved the band, hated Laurie, criticizing his vocal ability. He said of Tom: “Several guest vocalists put in cameos on ‘Let Them Talk,’ and Friday one of them showed up during Laurie’s encore: Tom Jones, the great Welsh entertainer who made his own roots-music bid with last year’s stripped-down “Praise & Blame.” The plan, as it appeared, was for Jones to sit in on ‘Baby, Please Make a Change,’ from ‘Let Them Talk.’ Mission accomplished, though Jones stuck around for ‘End of the Road’ and ‘Great Balls of Fire,’ two high-spirited Jerry Lee Lewis tunes Laurie seemed more than happy to let Jones commandeer.”

Billboard headlined the fact Tom was at The Mint and said, “‘When in doubt,’ Tom Jones told the 200 people sardined into the tiny Mint nightclub Friday night to see ‘House’ star Hugh Laurie interpret vintage blues, ‘go with ‘Great Balls of Fire.’

“Jones joined Laurie at the end of his hourlong record release performance for ‘Let Them Talk,’ singing — as he does on the album — the Mississippi Sheiks’ ‘Baby, Please Make a Change,’ and, for a bonus, Jerry Lee Lewis’ ‘End of the Road,’ which he recorded with Jools Holland. Encouraged to stay on stage, Jones and Laurie huddled before merging with the Killer’s classic.”