Tom Jones International

TIME TO GET TICKETS FOR THE VOICE

The first chance to get FREE tickets to see Tom on The Voice! The dates are Wed 18th Jan 2012 – Time: 13:15; Thu 19th Jan 2012 – Time: 13:15; Sat 21st Jan 2012 – Time: 13:15; Sun 22nd Jan 2012 – Time: 13:15. You must be 18 or over to attend. (I believe these are the dates the show will be recorded, not broadcast.)

If you can be there, you may want to visit the Applausestore.com for free tickets to The Voice. After you register, just move your cursor to the right and click The Voice on the list of shows. More dates will be announced soon. (Thanks, Chas)

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First, let’s take a moment to think of Elvis Presley on this day that would have been his 77th birthday. He lives on through his music and we’re still so fortunate that he shared it with us!

Their fans know Tom and Elvis were great friends — singing gospel together and gaining inspiration from each other.

Their friendship is part of the reason we’ve been given such wonderful gifts of music from each of them.

We are, indeed, fortunate, aren’t we?

MORE NEWS! The record — yes! the vinyl! — Tom recorded with Jack White will be released on March 7 and will be available digitally on iTunes the same day. Come back for the next post (Tuesday) for more news about that. (By the way, you can see Jack White Monday night in the USA on American Pickers on the History Channel. It’s on a few times, so check listings.)

So, of course, with a release date announced, this recording happening and we apparently don’t, in this instance, have to wait for the “OFFICIAL” word that it’s true. Though dozens of news organizations have carried stories about this. OFFICIAL Tom Jones is still touting those recipes (in which you learn that the “ingredient in pork shank” is — wait for it! — “pork shank”). You’d think they’d care more about discussing a much-anticipated recording than telling his fans what Sir Tom enjoyed eating last year. Really.

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Tom Jones ends his 42-year love affair with Las Vegas

Wales On Sunday | 8 January 2012

HE’S made everything from the Statue Of Liberty to part of the Orient Express disappear, but now David Copperfield has gone one bigger – he’s made Sir Tom Jones vanish from Las Vegas.

The award-winning US illusionist has taken over from the Voice Of The Valleys’ resident Vegas slot –putting an end to the legendary Ponty singer’s record-breaking 42-year run.

But, for the legion of fans who’ve made the pilgrimage to Sin City to catch Jones in action since his 1969 debut at The Flamingo Hotel, the biggest mystery is why the singer seems to have voluntarily given up his crown as The King of The Strip.

“People would literally come from all over the world to see him here and they just can’t get their heads around why this decision’s been made, I know I can’t,” said Ellen Sterling, the Vegas-based journalist behind the online US fansite dedicated to the star, www.tomjonesintl.com

“The Hollywood Theatre at the MGM Grand is a wonderful, intimate venue and would always be packed out for Tom. It was much more than just your standard gig experience too, because you could rub shoulders with Tom by the hotel pool and in the restaurant or casino.

“He’d always be very accessible and would happily pose for pictures, sign autographs or just have a chat – he’d would never fail to be polite and welcoming.”

And Sterling estimated that Sir Tom’s tally of Vegas appearances since that first late 60s foray probably ran into thousands.

“I once counted all my ticket stubs from 2005 to 2010 and figured out Tom was doing roughly about 10 weeks there each year, that’s about 140 shows every 12 months,” she said.

“In August 2010, the last time Tom came here, the tickets were $92.50 – but even then the majority of his 14-night stint was sold out, with the remaining shows close to the 700-seat capacity. So it’s not like he was failing to do good box office business.”

However, there is speculation that the move could be a further attempt to reinvent Jones’ credibility and image away from that of the medallion-wearing, hen-party favourite.

It was announced late last year that Sir Tom would be a “mentor” on new BBC talent show The Voice.

The 71-year-old performer recently ditched the hair dye to embrace his natural grey look, as well as taking a new musical direction on his 2010 album Praise & Blame.

It was also announced this week he would be teaming up with former White Stripes frontman Jack White to cover the Howlin’ Wolf song Evil.

“Put it this way, I don’t think anything that happens in Tom’s career happens by accident, everything is subject to careful thought and planning and I’d imagine that’s the case here too,” said Sterling.

“Ultimately, only those who manage Tom’s career can say why this has happened, but I know there are lots who’ve been deeply saddened by the news.”

And the sentiment was borne out by many of the subscribers to Sterling’s website.

One, calling herself SusannePDX, said: “Tom has callously tossed aside his old band (Jones ditched his veteran backing group for a younger model in 2009) and now us. Happy New Year Tom!”.

Meanwhile, Cyndy Stiff wrote, “This is heartbreaking. Tom is so loved over here and I just feel like he or his management have turned their backs on all of us.”

Another posted: “Stunned and saddened, my Vegas trips were the highlight of the year,” while one Llantrisant-born Californian called Shirley recalled first seeing Jones live in his early days at Wood Road Working Men’s Club in Pontypridd.

“We could only afford to have one night out a week and we always made it one of the nights Tom would be singing somewhere,” she said.

“Since moving abroad though, I saw Tom at the MGM almost every time he played. He’s been part of my life for so long and I never thought that would end.”

Jones’ management were unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

Big News! This is in every online music site that deals with this kind of music and lots of newspapers. It’s great for Sir Tom and can go a long way in reestablishing a very credible presence for him — no more “crooner” perhaps? — in North America.

For example: from Rolling Stone.com January 5, 2012 6:45 PM ET:

Jack White to Collaborate with Tom Jones
It’s Not Unusual singer joins White’s Third Man Records 7-inch single series

The latest collaborator in Jack White’s unusual arsenal? None other than Tom Jones, the contemporary Welsh crooner behind such pop hits as “It’s Not Unusual.”

Jones will join White’s Third Man Records in its Blue Series, which has pressed special one-off 7-inch singles from Insane Clown Posse, Stephen Colbert and other guest artists. Jones rerecorded Jezebel, a track from his 2002 album Mr. Jones, and also tackled the blues great Howlin’ Wolf with a cover of Evil.

A release date for his Blue Sessions disc has not been announced, but the sessions went well; White reportedly said of the 71-year-old pop icon, “He impressed the shit out of everybody.”

Meanwhile, White’s Third Man has also reached a business deal with Document Records to reissue the blues label’s albums on deluxe vinyl. The first release will be a compilation featuring early 20th-century blues musicians Charlie Patton, Blind Willie McTell and others.

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In response to a request from a friend, I’m posting the Howlin’ Wolf original of the song Tom is supposed to have recorded, Evil. I’d love to hear him sing another Howlin’ Wolf song, Built For Comfort. It’s perfect for him, along the lines of Git Me Some.

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Consequence of Sound.net says: “Jack White has revealed his latest strange bedfellow and it’s none other than 71-year-old singing legend, Sir Tom Jones. According to this month’s MOJO Magazine, Jones is the latest participant in Third Man Records’ infamous Blue Series, which has previously offered releases from Stephen Colbert, John C. Reily, and Insane Clown Possee. For his part, Jones recorded a rendition of Jezebel from his 2002 album Mr. Jones, along with a cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s Evil. As White notes, ‘He impressed the shit out of everybody.’”

If you are not familiar with Jack White, Rolling Stone says: “Weird and passionate, with burning eyes and an old man’s sensibilities, Jack White spent the 2000s going from promising garage-rocker to international rock star. He was one of the most important guitarists of the decade — on the strength of his forcefulness and ingenuity rather than virtuosity — as well as a great conceptualizer and a top-flight songwriter who could draw on a seemingly bottomless bag of riffs and melodies.” You can also check his official website, White Stripes.com.

Moderator’s Note: Of course Tom was impressive. According to the Third Man Records website: Singers and bands that are traveling through Nashville, are invited to stop by to record one or two songs at Third Man Studio to be produced by Jack White. The songs are then, as soon as possible, made available on 7” vinyl and digitally on iTunes. The cover photos are taken in Third Man’s “blue room” photo studio/live venue.

The first thing I bought that White produced was the Loretta Lynn album, Van Lear Rose. It was wonderful and, as someone who really loves vinyl, I love the idea of a 45! Of course, we’ll have to file this under “Rumor or Reality,” but I’m sure it’s true and it will show very soon up on OFFICIAL Tom Jones, as it should.

So, what do you all think of this?

For a vintage 1980s article about Tom’s allegedly favorite recipe/meal, please click here to (more…)

I hope you all had a very nice new year holiday and that 2012 is good to all of us. Please take a moment to answer the Question of the Month in the post below.

The only real TJ news (if you can call it that) is that Tom drank Brains beer, his favorite manufactured in Wales, when he was in Russia, as the company is starting to export the product. So, they bragged about Tom having a pint. No photo, though.

Comment From A Singer-Songwriter:
On December 18 I posted a fun song called Living Next Door To Tom Jones and Ceri Haggett, the singer-songwriter, to whom I wrote at the time, just responded. He read the (mostly negative) comments and wrote:
Thank you for taking the time and trouble to listen to my little ditty and to join this thread…comments good and bad…ha!..the song is just a bit of fun, not intended to ridicule tom at all….he is indeed a great man with whom i actually sang with once…….he was on the radio and i was on the toilet!…..peace!

Some Comments on Comments:
The December 29th post, A Record-Setting Run In Las Vegas — 42 Consecutive Years — Is Over…And That’s Very Sad elicited 40 comments. That is, for this site and the (sadly) ever-more limited universe it draws, pretty good. So I checked back to see what other posts drew a lot of comments. I found two:

On November 28, 2009, a post entitled, It’s A Fact — The Tom Jones US Band ill Not Be Back drew 38 comments.

But the largest response — 95 comments — was for the on January 16, 2009 — Tom Opens In Las Vegas: Ladies And Gentlemen, THIS Is Tom Jones (Au Naturel!)

The photo here is from that post, the first ever photo of Tom with gray (or, if you’re a Brit, “grEy”) hair. I took it the night he opened and a friend in New York published it on his website. As I’d told him to expect, he got calls for the picture from the BBC and MediaWales. It was sold to them (I never saw any money:)) and it made big news in the UK.

Anyway, that post drew 95(!) comments. Looking back, they’re interesting to read.

So, here’s the question: It’s been three years since Tom went gray, or as he referred to the change, “au natural.” How do you feel about it now? If you commented on the original post, have you changed your mind? And, if you were there that evening, do you recall your first reaction?

If you were away for the holiday or too busy to visit TJI.com the last few days, please be sure to read the December 29 post just below and check the comments, and be sure to add your own voice to the discussion if you wish.

Wishing the entire TJI community a year of health, prosperity, joy and good music!

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We all, I daresay, wish Sir Tom and his family a year of good health, good things and good music.

But, there are other things we probably all wish for Tom in 2012. Those wishes likely include a hearty “break a leg!” for any appearances he makes on TV or in concert and a wish that the new album be a smash worldwide. We also probably each wish he’d appear in a venue where we can see him.

So, the TJI.com Question of the Month for January, 2012 is:

Is there anything besides the items mentioned above that you wish for Sir Tom in 2012?

(Please don’t respond that you want him to appear near you. that is a given and does not need to be repeated.)