OK, Mr. Vassar, let’s get honest here. Among the mix of entertainers in AC this year are: Engelbert, Frankie Valli, Dion, Michael Bolton, Neil Sedaka and, the only one who’s sold out thus far is Jeff Beck. Clearly, Mr. Vassar is being less than honest….perhaps the reason is that the casinos aren’t offering as many multi-night engagements and are offering a lot less money. (And, by the way, since when does Michael Bolton appeal to a young crowd?

Steven Morris/Monday 8 March 2010 13.07 GMT/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/mar/08/tom-jones-employment-jobcentre-records”>Guardian

He went on to sell many millions of records across the world, but employment office records suggest the civil servants who dealt with Tom Jones before he made it big were sceptical and perhaps a little jealous.

Found in a skip and now up for auction, the records include pointed remarks that mock him for signing on rather than signing autographs.

The notes also reveal that he preferred not to do shift work because it interfered with his burgeoning pop career and, it would appear, donned dapper outfits when he attended the employment office in his native south Wales.

One comment from the employment office in December 1963 states: “He does not want shiftwork but I believe the reason for his not liking shifts is because he is a member of a vocal group which is supposedly an amateur affair.

“From the number of adverts one sees in the local press, however, it seems that this group has a good thing going … from the way he is able to dress, it would seem that Mr Woodward’s [his original name] little hobby is highly lucrative and this would also account for his non-enthusiasm in securing employment.

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“Consider and submit as soon as possible to anything which wouldn’t dirty his fingernails! Nothing on offer at present …”

By March 1964 there is this comment: “No change in employment position but his vocal group is contemplating turning professional within next month or so …”

A month later a civil servant noted: “His group has still not turned professional but they are in close contact with Decca Records and are awaiting notification as to when they will record their next record.”

The final entry, written on 3 July 1964, makes interesting reading with the benefit of hindsight: “Claimant showed me a letter from Decca Studios confirming a recording session had been arranged. He has been talking about ‘going professional’ since April but he is still signing the UR [unemployment register] and not autograph books.”

The records, contained on six buff-coloured cards, were found in a skip some years ago. Richard Westwood-Brookes, from Mullock’s auction house in Ludlow, Shropshire, which is selling the notes, said: “These cards were rescued when the records were computerised. They are a wonderful look at the beginning of a glittering career when Tom Jones was trying to make a living from his singing. It shows how he did a number of manual jobs and also received some unemployment benefit.

“There are also some quite acerbic and sarcastic remarks made by the civil servants about him. The records set quite a scene with attractive Tom Jones in his tight trousers and smart clothes on one side of the desk and the civil servant on the other.”

The notes mention that Jones suffered from TB. “It’s amazing to think that such a voice came from a man who had suffered from the disease. Tom Jones is a huge international star and these records are highly collectable,” Westwood-Brookes said.

Sir Tom Jones turns 70 this year. The auctioneers hope the records will sell for thousands when they go under the hammer on 15 April.

Several years ago Pepsi briefly marketed a product called Pepsi Kona. As the name tells us, it was a combination of Pepsi and Kona coffee.

The product, produced in a Pepsi plant in the Philadelphia area, was test-marketed in a few places on the east coast. Couldn’t find an exact date but, if this really was a commercial, it looks like the late 1990s or early part of this century.

Pepsi Kona was pulled as, apparently, the consensus was that it tasted terrible. But the commercial is clever and fun.

If anyone knows about this, please email me using the contact link at right so I can post the info where all can see it.

You can watch the commercial here.

As usual, if you cannot play it, drop me a line using that same “Contact TJI” link at the bottom right that I referenced above and I’ll email it to you.

There can be no argument: Sammy Davis, Jr. was one of the greatest entertainers we were ever fortunate enough to see. Dancing, singing, acting — he did it all. I saw him in person a few times, the first when I was nine years old. I will never forget it.

Las Vegas also, indirectly owes Davis a debt. When the Rat Pack — Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford — played here originally, Davis had to stay on the “West Side,” that part of Las Vegas where black entertainers — who had to go in and out of the casinos through a kitchen door — stayed. They couldn’t stay where they were playing. (At the time, very segregated Las Vegas was known as “The Mississippi of the West.”)

Well, one day around 1960, Frank Sinatra had had enough of that. He told the management at the Sands Hotel, “If Sammy can’t stay, I can’t play.” Thus, for the first time — and always from that day on — a black performer could stay in a hotel on The Strip. Davis — with and without the Rat Pack — continued to play here for another 30 years or so.

That’s why, when Dre sent links to some 1966 video of Tom on the Sammy Davis, Jr. Show, (March 18th) I got caught up in nostalgia and looked for more of them together, found it and put them together in a video.

The first two clips, in black and white, are from 1966, Davis’ TV show. The first song they do is the beautiful Scarlet Ribbons. Check out how Davis sort of imitates Tom while they’re singing. Then they do a unique version of What’s New Pussycat.

The last three clips are from two episodes of the second season of This Is Tom Jones in 1970 (season #2; episode #s 2 and 26). They sing Thanks For the Memories, A Little Help From My Friends, A Boy Named Sue, Oh, Sweet Blindness, My Way, and And When I Die, Next up, from that same show, is the very moving Mr. Bojangles, which is included on one of the TITJ TImeLife DVDs. And, finally, Sammy — dressed in a 1970s-defining jumpsuit, sings one of his maay hits, For Once In My Life.

The clips from Sammy’s show are very old, transferred from a movie camera to video, but I still hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

You can watch it in the TJI.com Video Library.

By CRISPINA MARTINEZ-BELEN/ March 1, 2010, 3:16pmManila Bulletin

Tom Jones, the international pop sensation who captivated millions with the beauty and charm of his timeless love songs and romantic ditties, will be reunited with his countless Filipino fans when he visits Manila for a concert on March 28 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Titled Tom Jones Live In Manila! the one-night musical event from Ovation Productions is part of the Welsh star’s Asia-Australia tour that also includes New Zealand.

It will showcase a breathtaking array of classic and contemporary hits from one of the most acclaimed and enduring personalities in pop music, such as It’s Not Unusual, Delilah, Green Green Grass Of Home, Help Yourself, Love Me Tonight, I Who Have Nothing, She’s A Lady, Kiss, Sex Bomb, Black Betty and Stoned In Love.

The concert promises an unforgettable treat for music lovers from a singer and entertainer who is endowed with a special appeal and attraction that translate into an indefinable and lasting chemistry with his audience.

With his gorgeous baritone in absolutely perfect form that can reach every corner of the concert hall, Jones turns every performance into an absolutely delightful and entertaining experience.

Known in his native Wales as “Jones the Voice,” he is considered one of the most respected, admired and loved performers in modern popular music because of his unique vocal power, ability and appeal.

Tom Jones started his career in the 1960s and initially acquired a reputation as the front man for a local beat group in his native South Wales, until he was discovered by future manager Gordon Mills, who took him to London and renamed him “Tom Jones.”

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Jones became a sensation with the release in early 1965 of “It’s Not Unusual,” which turned into an instant hit, reaching No. 1 in the United Kingdom and the Top 10 in America in March.

In the same year, he sang the theme song to the James Bond spy thriller, “Thunderball,” and received the Grammy Award for “Best New Artist” for 1965.

He maintained his top chart position in the UK and the US, propelled by his most successful single ever, “Green Green Grass Of Home,” plus a string of hit singles and albums, such as “What’s New Pussycat,” “Help Yourself” and “Delilah.”

In 1970, he achieved multiple successes in the UK with Daughter Of Darkness, She’s A Lady, Till and The New Mexican Puppeteer and scored a No. 1 country hit in the US with Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow, which also reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Considered as the biggest hit of Jones’ career was his Reload album (2000), a compilation of cover versions recorded as duets with contemporary artists, using their record producers and their recording methods. The album reached No. 1 in the UK and sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

This was followed by his 2002 album, Mr. Jones, which included the singles Tom Jones International and Black Betty.

Throughout 2000, Jones received a number of honors for his achievements, including a BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music (2003) and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Blvd. He was also tapped as the new voice of Australia’s National Rugby League, singing in an advertisement to market the 2000 season.

Last year, Jones continued with his touring and recording activities, spending a major portion of the year performing at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas and in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He also had appearances in other parts of the US, the UK and Canada.

Of contemporary interest to local fans, Jones sang the national anthem of Great Britain during the boxing match of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton on May 2, 2009 in Las Vegas.

Tickets to the “Tom Jones Live In Manila!” are priced at P7,500, P6,500, P4,500, P2,500, P1,000 and P600 and are available at Ticketnet outlets at all SM Department Stores.

Reviewed by Rachel Olding/March 5, 2010/Sydney Morning Herald

Entertainment Centre, March 3: THE beard has turned grey, the hips need some oil and the many decades of hanging out at the tanning salon have left Tom Jones looking more leathery than a chesterfield.

It seems unfair to judge a man who has been topping charts since 1964 by today’s pop concert standards. But what yardstick to use? Pairs of underwear? Yes, there were plenty of them. Sexual fervour? There was plenty of that, too. The performance was drenched in it from Sir Tom’s velvet moves to his velvet voice.

Jones’s management have at times tried to tone down his motel-room sex appeal but all attempts to quash that wild libido have been futile. Where ever he goes, bedroom eyes follow. Unfortunately, so too does a blanket of cheapness.

Hits were sung with all the elan of a naked karaoke session. What’s New Pussycat?, She’s a Lady and You Can Leave Your Hat On exploded like fireworks; bam, bam, bam. The undie count rose exponentially and so did the pelvic thrusting. But the hits were delivered in sporadic doses only. Long periods of underwhelming soul, jazz, blues, bossa-nova and country tunes were dreary despite an impeccable voice that still leaps between octaves with ease. Songs from his latest album, 24 Hours, and moving ballads had the crowd stumped — ”This isn’t what I paid for”, they might have been thinking.

Tunes from Jones’s collaborative era in the 1990s, when he realised after two decades of relative mediocrity that he needed to get in bed with Gen Y, were not enough on their own. Kiss needed Prince, Sex Bomb needed Mousse T, Mama Told Me Not to Come needed the Stereophonics.

Some will say he’s still got it, and for fleeting moments he did, but this performance belongs in the piano bar on a cruise ship. Perhaps it was the cheap perfume in the air or perhaps this love boat has sailed.

Want to tell the newspaper what you think of this review? Just click the link to email the editor at The Sydney Morning Herald. And, please let TJI know if you do.

The interview, recorded in London, lasts 11:43 and, like the transcript posted Monday, is still kind of rude and intrusive and, like the interview posted yesterday, shows a photo of Tom’s sister and identifies her as his wife. Again, too, he gets Tom’s real name wrong.

The thing is, he got several hours with Tom and wasted the time asking silly and — worst of all — obvious questions. Absolutely nothing is new or revelatory. What is nice, that isn’t in the transcript, are the clips vintage video clips. My favorite was Tom singing with Johnny Cash.

In fairness, Tom is clearly having a good time. I love when he points out the limo’s window and states the obvious — “That’s Buckingham Palace.”

Anyhow, have a look and, join me in thanking Sean for sending it from Down Under.

You can watch it in the TJI.com Video Library.

There is video of an interview Tom did the other day with the Australian TV show Today Tonight. The transcript is at the bottom of this post. This interviewer did a better job than that last one. If you follow Tom, you won’t find anything new, but it’s nice — except they mistook a photo of Tom with his sister for a photo of Tom with his wife. (They did that in yesterday’s interview, too.)

To watch the interview, click the thumbnail at left. Then, come back here to read the new interview and, if you wish, the transcript of this video interview.

Tom Jones performing at Sandalford Wines

Sally Browne/PerthNow/March 03, 2010 11:27AM

WHEN Elvis is telling you one thing and Frank Sinatra is telling you another, it’s hard to know who to listen to.

But that’s what it was like for a young Tom Jones when he first made it in America.

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In 1965, when British fever was in full swing, the Welsh singer had his first big hit with It’s Not Unusual —it was No. 1 in the UK and top 10 in the US. Not long after, the former construction worker from Pontypridd got to meet his idols, whom he had watched on TV as a teenager.

He became good friends with Elvis, who took a keen interest in his work. “I did an albums of standards once,” recalls Jones, “and (Elvis) said, `We don’t do that, Tom. We leave songs like that to Sinatra.’ And I said, `Well, OK, then’. And when I was talking to Frank Sinatra, he said, `You could be a great jazz singer. You should do more big band stuff.’

“So Elvis was wanting to be more rock ‘n’ roll and Frank was advising me to sing more swing stuff, but I said, `I like it all’. The singers’ friendship continued until Presley’s later years. Jones still has a recurring dream where he goes back in time to warn Elvis about his future.

“It was shocking,” he says about Elvis’s death. “I didn’t realise he was that sick. I could see that he was getting heavy and then he pushed away a lot of people so I couldn’t get to talk to him for the last few years of his life be cause he wouldn’t answer any of my calls anymore.” The piece of advice Jones remembers Sinatra telling him is about his voice.

“Frank Sinatra did tell me not to sing so hard all the time,” he says, “he said, “because you lose your voice, you’re going to blow it, you’re forcing, so he said relax a little bit more, you’ve got plenty there, you’ve got plenty of volume. You don’t have to prove it every song be cause you’re going to hurt yourself.”’

But at 69 years of age, Jones’s voice has not faded.

Swing or rock ‘n’ roll, pop or dance, Tom Jones has done it all. He has had hits every decade, reinventing himself from a wild boy in tight pants and billowing shirt to a respectable be-suited crooner to a Vegas staple to a 50-something sex bomb, recording duets with acts of the day, including The Cardigans, Stereophonics and Mousse T.

And the legendary women’s underwear has kept flying.

Next year Jones returns to Australia _ his last tour hear was with John Farnham.

“We toured together because he had gone out before apparently and said that was going to be his last tour,” Tom chuckles.

For his upcoming shows, promoters will be giving away a free copy of Jones’ latest album 24 Hours with every ticket sold. Believe it or not, 24 Hours marks the first time the singer has con tributed to the song- writing process in his five decade career.

It was Bono who first sparked the idea of him doing an album of personal songs.

The pair where chatting in Dublin, as superstars do, when the elder singer asked the younger if he would write a song for him. Bono said sure, but that he would like to write something about Tom Jones. So he asked him a few questions.

“We talked for I don’t know how long,” says Jones, “so he wrote down a lot of stuff that I told him about my life.”

The result is Sugar Daddy, on which Bono and U2 guitarist the Edge guest star.

Jones certainly has plenty of stories to tell. Never is about his relationship to a career in music and The Road, is about his wife, whom he married as a teenager in Wales. While Jones has lived the superstar life, and partaken of the inevitable perks that go with it, he has never left his wife Melinda. She leads a quiet life and avoids the showbiz scene.

“Wherever I’ve been travelling all over the place the road always leads back to Linda,” says Jones. “That’s where the title comes from. When we got married we were teenagers. She says to me sometimes, if I get a little loud, `Look I didn’t marry Tom Jones, I married Tommy Woodward’, which is my last name, so I said, ‘Yeah I know that’. Because we’ve been together for 52 years now.”

Although he’s a frequent visitor to the UK _ when we chat he is staying at his son and manager’s house outside London _ Jones and his wife have called LA home for years. The pair now live in a guarded estate off Mulholland Drive, but used to live in Bel Air, where tour busses were a frequent distraction, not that the good natured Jones minded too much.

“When I first bought the house from Dean Martin, on the weekend I went out to get the mail and I’m there in a bloody robe and I’m looking at these letters and I hear ‘Yoohoo!’ and I turn around and there’s all these people with these video cameras, but none of (the videos) ever surfaced!

“‘I thought, Oh Jesus Christ, they’re going to be seeing me in a robe, I hadn’t combed my hair, but it must have been for their personal use because I’ve never ever seen any of them.”

Jones has never let his success get to his head, and remembering his working class roots is “very important”.

“Maybe the most important,” he says. “The early years of any child’s life is so important and I was lucky to have a great childhood in Wales, I came from a big family of aunties and uncles and cousins, we all lived in the same town it was a wonderful experience. I had a great start, and that’s carried me through.”

What did his coal miner father think of his singing son?

“We all sing in Wales,” he says, “so he knew, but he didn’t know I was going to be so successful, so he was knocked out. Because I retired him. “The financial side has been very important, so I could look after my family, which I always wanted to do, and fulfillment — I’m doing something, still, that I love to do and I’m getting paid for it. I thought that as a kid if I could become a professional singer and get paid to do something I love, that would be it, and that happened and it’s still happened, I’m still living it.”

24 Hours is out now.

Tom Jones plays Sandalford Wines on March 14. Tickets from Ticketmaster.

Wineries the way for the stars

Reporter: Sally Obermeder/March 01, 2010/Australia: Today Tonight

It’s the new arena for international stars — Elton John, Whitney Houston, Cliff Richard & Rod Stewart are just some of the big names that are choosing the outdoors.

No longer is it entertainment centres, now it’s the ’stadium under the stars’ — wineries.

Often a more relaxed environment, winery concerts are beneficial for local tourism and some say it can also be more profitable for the artist, thanks to the large venue numbers and lower costs.

And the latest name to hit the grapes is the legendary Tom Jones.

“I still move around quite a bit, not as much as I used to, because of course, the older you get your energy is not like it was when you’re young,” Tom said.

One of his greatest loves is wine, but the Welsh crooner is more famous for his love of women. When you listen to him now though, there is only one woman that has ever mattered. On his new album, he’s written a ballad to acknowledge his wife of 53 years, Linda.

“Well, I mean we’ve been married a long time and no matter where I’ve gone or what I’ve done the road always leads back to Linda.”

You’ve spoken in the past about your affairs, was that an apology song for her?

“Not an apology, I was just sort of saying, it is like it is. Just trying to put it into words and that’s the way it came out. There’s a line in it called “I left you shattered on the ground” and she said I don’t remember that part and I said well don’t take it literally, but she loved it,” Tom said.

In the five decades he’s been married to Linda, he’s sold 100 million albums and is now worth $250 million. And it all started with the song he initially thought was Nothing Unusual.

“That changed my life and without that song who knows how long it would have taken me.”

And while he might be turning 70 this year, there’s no sign of him stopping.

“No plans for retirement no, I dread it. I dread the day when my voice is not working as well and then I’ll have to say well I can’t do this anymore. I love singing and I hope I can do it as long as I live.”

So, the March TJI Question of the Month is:

If you were given the opportunity to interview Sir Tom, what is the one — only one (it’s a short interview) — question you would ask?

Remember, questions that are intrusive, rude or too personal will be moderated.

Happy St. David’s Day To All! And a special congratulations to Sir Tom whose song It’s Not Unusual hit #1 45 years ago today!

Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus! Happy St David’s Day!

Reporter: Liam Bartlett/Producer: Howard Sacre

He’s the coal miner’s son who hit pay-dirt with his great voice. The original, hip-swivelling smoothie from the swinging sixties.

And as Liam Bartlett discovered when he caught up with him on the eve of his Australian tour, there’s still no shortage of knicker-hurling fans.

LIAM BARTLETT: We’re at one of Tom Jones’ favourite hang-outs, a pub in London. Most of his contemporaries have long left the stage, but Tom’s as happy as ever in the spotlight. Still touring, still recording albums. I read where you’ve sold 100 million records?

TOM JONES: Oh, yeah. Yeah, it could be even more because like places in South America we couldn’t get the the proper results of what we did sell, you know, so that’s a conservative estimate.

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LIAM BARTLETT: If you got 1 pound for every record that you’ve sold – that’s a lot of pints.

TOM JONES: Yes.

LIAM BARTLETT: Gees, not bad for a coalminer’s son.

TOM JONES: Well, there you go.

LIAM BARTLETT: The coalminer’s son Thomas Jones Woodward, started out singing in pubs and clubs in Wales. The tight pants, billowy shirts and the hairy chest became an early trademark. By day he’d work on building sites, and even tried his hand as a door-to-door salesman.

TOM JONES: Once in a while I’d have to try and make a little extra cash so selling vacuum cleaners was sort of falling in with what I was doing because I’d be in these areas, you know, singing in these clubs. And then we’d go and pick up some vacuum cleaners in Cardiff and and go to these same areas.

LIAM BARTLETT: And knock on the door.

TOM JONES: And knock on a door. So it was, you know, she’d go, “I saw you in the the club the other night” and, yeah, can I come in and sell you a vacuum cleaner?

LIAM BARTLETT: From the south of Wales to NSW [Australia] and every place in between, Tom Jones has gone on to amass a personal fortune of $250 million. For 50 years he’s been a one-man variety show and there’s nothing he enjoys more than belting out a song in front of screaming fans.

TOM JONES: The music is my life. I mean it’s, it really is true. I mean I love performing. I love touring, I like getting out there, I like going to different countries, you know, and singing to different people. It’s all a ball to me.

LIAM BARTLETT: A lot of your contemporaries though have passed away now.

TOM JONES: Yeah.

LIAM BARTLETT: Does that make you sort of sit back and think, ‘gee’?

TOM JONES: Mm, well, I’ve been lucky, you know, that I never got into the drug situation and all that. I was never, it never appealed to me, you know, taking drugs. I’ve always been a drinker.

LIAM BARTLETT: As an ambitious 20-year-old, he moved from Wales to London looking for the big break. It was the early 60s and there was a lot of competition.

TOM JONES: The Beatles had just cracked it and and then the Rolling Stones, so, you know, I was told, “Well, you don’t look boyish enough. “You know, you look like a man.” and I said, “Well, what the hell’s wrong?”

LIAM BARTLETT: They want, they wanted bands and you were a solo singer.

TOM JONES: Yeah, but a macho solo singer as well, which they said that macho bullshit don’t go down any more. I said, “Well it did in Wales “and I don’t think England is that different.

LIAM BARTLETT: But he was always confident he’d make it because of his voice. And sure enough, success came in 1965 with his signature hit – ‘It’s Not Unusual’ The teasing moves and raunchy repertoire attracted frenzied crowds of knicker-hurling women. All along there was a secret admirer, a fan he never expected. She awarded him a Knighthood in 2006. What did the Queen say to you?

TOM JONES: She said, “You’ve given a lot of people a lot of pleasure for many years”. And I said, “Well I’ve had, “I’ve got a lot of pleasure out of it as well, Your Majesty” and she laughed, and then she did the sword.

LIAM BARTLETT: That was it.

TOM JONES: Yeah, so…

LIAM BARTLETT: Arise, Sir Thomas.

TOM JONES: Yeah.

LIAM BARTLETT: She didn’t throw a pair of royal knickers at you, did she?

TOM JONES: Ah no, she didn’t.

LIAM BARTLETT: Thank goodness for that.

TOM JONES: I mean I wouldn’t, eh, I don’t think, I wouldn’t even think about the Queen, you know, in that, in that way. It didn’t enter my mind.

LIAM BARTLETT: Over the years, he’s shared the stage with a who’s who of legends. But behind the scenes, no-one’s stuck by his side more than his wife, Linda.

TOM JONES: We fell in love. We were both, we went to school together, you know, we grew up together and then we realised what sex was, you know, tried that, but nobody had explained it properly.

LIAM BARTLETT: It wasn’t long before Linda fell pregnant and they decided to marry. After more than 50 years, they’re still together – despite some very rough patches along the way. It can’t have been easy for her over the years with all the publicly documented affairs.

TOM JONES: Yeah. Well, it’s…she’s, um, she has avoided things, you know, because she doesn’t want to know certain things.

LIAM BARTLETT: Vicky Carr, Nancy Wilson, Diana Dawes, Mary Wilson, Cindy Montgomery, Marjorie Wallis, the list – it’s a long list.

TOM JONES: Yeah, Yeah.

LIAM BARTLETT: You’ve been a naughty boy, haven’t you, over the years?

TOM JONES: Well, yeah, I’ve been a naughty boy, yeah. A couple of things that I did, you know, affairs came out in the newspaper and she beat me up one night.

LIAM BARTLETT: And fair enough too.

TOM JONES: Exactly.

LIAM BARTLETT: You deserved it.

TOM JONES: She started punching and kicking and I was just in the corner, blocking whatever I could, but, you know, she had a point. And that’s it, so I took my punishment, you know, which was, she called me all kinds of names and I took a beating.

LIAM BARTLETT: In the same contrite vein, he went on to assure me that his philandering days are over. In fact, he seemed very much at home in the sedate surroundings of his private club in London where he prepared for his latest tour of Australia starting this weekend. You you never look down at the audience and see a beautiful girl and think, “I could be her grandfather?”

TOM JONES: Ah, no. No, no. I mean it’s sometimes when, um…

LIAM BARTLETT: You resist the temptation?

TOM JONES: Well, yeah. There’s one thing about getting older, you know, you’re not as, eh, you’re not as, um…

LIAM BARTLETT: Come on!

TOM JONES: Well, you don’t sort of think about, you don’t think about it as much, you know, so I can concentrate more on the singing now than be distracted by other things.

LIAM BARTLETT: But don’t think his act will be any less exuberant than its always been. The husky baritone voice is still a mighty force and there’ll be a lot of swivelling hips and squealing women as he does what he loves most – performing. Tom Jones wouldn’t have it any other way. Seriously, can you still be singing ‘Sex Bomb’ at 70?

TOM JONES: Ah yeah, I think so. I don’t th… I mean think sex stays with you for as long as you live.

LIAM BARTLETT: But seriously, I don’t want to wish bad things on you by all means, but if you’re almost 70, realistically, when you think about singers and how far they can go, what, 78, 79 can you do it when you’re 80?

TOM JONES: Ah, hopefully. Hopefully I’ll do something that’s never been done before. Maybe I’ll sing longer, you know, than anybody else has done, that would be great. If I could do that, I’d be more than happy.

LIAM BARTLETT: Guinness Book of Records.

TOM JONES: Yeah, would be nice.

LIAM BARTLETT: Guinness Book of Records, Sir Tom Jones, longer than anyone else. How does that sound?

TOM JONES: Oh, it sounds, well, that’s, yeah. Yeah, right. Yeah.

LIAM BARTLETT: Oh dear.

If you have an opinion about this interview you’d like to share with the people at 60 Minutes Sunday you can email them. If you do, be sure to send along a copy.

Tom in Chile, February 7, 2010.

For this post TJI posted video of Tom at the Festival Antofagasta that hasn’t been posted here before. The quality isn’t terrific but it leaves o doubt about the crowd’s response. Watching the audience one cannot help wondering where they are today. Hopefully, those joyous people loving the show are all safe.

How You Can Help:

The Huffington Post (a wonderful website that features great writers) offers constantly updated information on relief efforts.

• American Red Cross —The Red Cross has made an initial pledge of $50,000 from their International Response Fund, which you can contribute to to further assist.

• Save The Children — Save The Children is sending an emergency assessment team to Chile, and they are asking for contributions to their Children’s Emergency Fund to aid these efforts.

• AmeriCares — AmeriCares Vice President of Emergency Response, Christoph Gorder, says AmeriCares is sending medical supplies and humanitarian aid to Chile. Make a direct contribution to AmeriCares’ Chilean earthquake fund.

• World Vision — World Vision is sending emergency relief supplies and staff to Chile to help injured survivors. Donate to World Vision’s Disaster Response Fund to directly contribute to aid heading to Chile.

And, of course, let’s not forget the British Red Cross.

You can watch Tom singing It’s Not Unusual and Kiss at the Festival Antofagasta on February 7…

…AND, right below that video, you can hear the 20+ minute radio interview which contains one of the few times he’s discussed his bands. You will find them both in the TJI.com Video Library.