Tom Jones International

Be sure to visit TJI Sunday, Christmas Day, for very special holiday videos! It will be posted at 12 a.m. Pacific time on December 25.

Back in the day when there were active Tom Jones Fan Clubs, Tom sent a a holiday greeting to club presidents and members. It wasn’t personal, of course, but it gave everyone a sense that fans were important. As we know, these days there are few, if any entertainers who mail such stuff. Why should they when they can post a greeting online?

Anyway, to download a PDF of Tom’s 1980 holiday greeting to “Fan Club Presidents and Members,” click here.

Because this is one of your moderator’s favorites: Do you remember (around 2004) when Tom would sing What Am I Living For? He’d always say the same thing before he sang the song. He’d say this. Of course, as noted here before, Chuck Willis recorded the song in 1958.

Tom recorded it in 1969 for the BBC sessions. When he brought it back in this century, people just loved it but that early recording never did much and, therefore, wasn’t heard much. Tom did record it more recently. It is on the CD and DVD of the 2005 Australian tour he did with John Farnham. Here is Tom singing What Am I Living For? on the terrific live CD of that tour.

Finally, if you click here you can listen to that 1969 version of What Am I Living For?

If one is a native of New York City and happens to know anyone of a certain age who went to Brooklyn’s Erasmus Hall High School – the first public high school in the USA — then one probably has met at least one person who went to Erasmus and who claims to have been there at the same time as the school’s most famous alumna, Barbra Streisand. Now, it doesn’t matter if the person is older or younger then Streisand. As long as the approximate age is close, the claim is often made — even when totally untrue. (I know, PNR, you never claimed to go when Barbara did! I didn’t mean you!)

Ceri Haggett (right) is a Welsh singer/songwriter with, I think, a good — if sometimes a tad tasteless — sense of humor. And he’s written a song. The premise is:

“YOU’VE EVER SPOKEN TO SOMEONE FROM PONTIPRIDD, I GUARANTEE THAT WITHIN 30 SECS THEY’LL MENTION A CERTAIN PERSON….THEY CANNOT HELP IT….THEY ALLLLLLL RECKON THEY KNOW HIM!…….IMPOSSIBLE I SAY!”

In the song he mentions how Tom’s CD (Praise and Blame) was supposed to be number 1 but it was number 2…and so on.

Anyway, it’s a bit gross and infantile in spots and you stand warned. If you don’t think you can deal with it, don’t watch it. But it is (according to the moderator’s informal survey) funny. There’ll be special holiday stuff up soon.

Meanwhile, click here to see Living Next door To Tom Jones.

Haggett was a friend of the late Stuart Cable and he posted a video in Cable’s memory. Check that out, too.

Bridgend is a town in Wales, 22 miles west of Cardiff. Each year, it is the location of the Bridgend Feastival, an alternative food festival.

This year, local artist Nathan Wyburn used toast and Marmite as his media to draw celebrity pictures. to draw celebrity portraits.

Marmite is a spread for toast made from yeast. Its flavor is interesting — so interesting that its ad says,”Marmite: Love It or Hate It.”

Of course, it was Wales and the topic was celebrities, so one of those he drew on toast was Sir Tom Jones. Click here to see the creation of Sir Tom Jones’ portrait in Marmite.

Do you think it was yummy?

Note: Working on some really nice holiday video and audio posts. Be sure to check back.

Some people received their calendars on Saturday. Linda G. wrote: “Just received my calendar. Great pictures and job well done again!!! But could I get a full-sized copy of the August photo on the left? Looks like the picture was cropped and I’d like to have it all. LOL. Thanks Ellen for giving a great holiday gift. Hope we get to see him in person again soon.” Janice wrote, “Got my calendar today!! Awesome!! Great job!!”

It’s very gratifying to get comments like these because the annual calendar is, really!, a labor of love. I have fun doing it. (Sadly, I have to disappoint Linda about the August photo on the right. That’s the way it is.) The money is nice but, considering the time and work put in, it is rather incidental (though appreciated). This year, with prices for printing and postage going up, keeping it the price same as before was sort of difficult. Next year, with postage already costing hundreds of dollars and due to go up next year, the price may go up a bit. But, I really, really, hope you like it. Please share your reaction when you get it.

This year, also, there was a press overrun and more were printed and sent than I ordered. So, there are still a two (2) calendars available for purchase. I’ve reposted the button at right. If you’re interested, please hurry, as there are just a few. I will get them in the mail quickly in an effort to get them to you before the new year. It will arrive in the US; try my best outside.

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Rumor or Reality? The Sun claims in an exclusive article today by Colin Robertson that Sir Tom will act in a comedy on Sky TV next year. Remember! It’s not official until it’s posted on OFFICIAL TomJones. They say:

Tom Jones to play ageing lothario
BUSY Sir Tom Jones has signed up for another TV slot – and this time he’s ACTING, in a comedy.

The Welsh singing legend, last week unveiled as a judge on BBC1 talent show The Voice UK, will play an ageing lothario in a Sky TV rom-com.

The 71-year-old — famous for being pelted with knickers while on stage — will be fought over by a number of women of a certain age.

Two will be played by British acting royalty Brenda Blethyn and Alison Steadman.

A show source said: “It’s very top secret but Tom has agreed to do it which is pretty exciting as he doesn’t really do acting.

“He won’t be playing himself but his character isn’t a million miles away from his own. Essentially it’s a very British love story. Tom’s character is the subject of attention from hordes of women but his heart is not in the sleeping around game.

“He ends up getting together with a childhood sweetheart, played by Alison, and the show is all about how sweet that kind of love is.”

The similarities with Tom’s real life are obvious. He married his childhood sweetheart at 16 and they are wed to this day. But it hasn’t all been plain sailing, especially for wife Melinda, who has had to put up with his serial womanising.

The new show, provisionally titled King Of Neds, will air on Sky Arts.

It is set for broadcast next year before Tom gets busy with The Voice.

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Tomorrow, December 13, is the 15th anniversary of the release of Mars Attacks! The movie starred Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Stieger, Lukas Haas, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown, Lisa Marie, Sylvia Sidney Christina Applegate, Joe Don Baker, Pam Grier, Paul Winfield, Jack Black and — oh, yes — Tom Jones.

Watching the movie, it is very clear that Tom has a good time doing it. To illustrate the fact that the movie was fun, TJI.com has for you today:

One of two trailers (“Trailers” is what we call “previews” or “coming attractions” in the USA.): This one has as its theme the subtitle of the movie. Click here to see Mars Attacks: Nice Planet. We’ll Take It.

There’s a clip of Tom being interviewed on Entertainment Tonight about the movie, as well as the other trailer (the one with “Tom Jones — Yes! Tom Jones!”) and Tom’s big sequence in the movie with Jim Brown (in the gladiator costume), Danny DeVito and Annette Bening.

You can watch these — edited together as one video — in the TJI.com Video Library.It’s all great fun but, due to the video source (the ET video) and the size constraints of the Video Library site, it’s not as sharp as it should be. Still, lots of fun. And it includes my favorite quote from the movie. It’s what Tom responds when Jim Brown asks him if he can fly a plane. Enjoy!

It’s official! This world’s worst-kept secret was made pubic Thursday, December 8, by the BBC and OFFICIAL Tom Jones. Tom will be a coach on The Voice to be broadcast this spring on BBC One. Tom’s statement on the subject: “I’m excited about The Voice and thrilled to be participating as a coach. This is a strong show, it’s all about talent – but it’s also exciting, competitive and compelling television.”

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A new Facebook Tom Jones group: You may enjoy joining “Tom Jones Fans,” a new group on Facebook. They post photos and videos of Sir Tom and all seem to be ardent fans. Some of the members are very active. In the times since a friend joined for me on November 20, I’ve received 274 posts from them — and that’s only the ones I’ve kept. Of course, you can set your preferences not to receive messages.The difference between this group and others on facebook is that this one doesn’t get cute (“sexbombs”) or pretend that by joining you’ll connect directly with Sir Tom. You can check them out here. If you like what you see and want to be part of it, click “Request.” And, of course, don’t forget the group, “Tom Jones Please Come Back To North America.”

In a lovely blast from the past today we have a cultural exchange between Bob Hope and Tom Jones.

On November 16, 1970, Tom — billed as a “special guest” — was on the The Bob Hope Special. (photo left) Also on the show, but billed merely as “guests,” were George Burns, Danny Thomas and Lucille Ball. This was certainly pretty good company for Tom to be in.

The video has Tom singing Cabaret and duetting with Hope on Join The Navy To See The World, Heart and Let’s Fall In Love. You can watch the 13+-minute video in the TJI.com Video Library.

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Also performed on that show, but not included in the video in the TJI Video Library, Tom sang one of the best songs to come out of the Great Depression of the 1930′s. (Even worse conditions than we have today.) The video I chose — I think it’s super — for that terrific performance uses the iconic photos of Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange to illustrate the era. It’s a perfect setting for the music. (If you have the opportunity, listen to Mandy Patinkin’s version of the song. Angrier than Tom’s but also so very good.) You can click here for Tom Jones singing Brother, Can You Spare A Dime. (And, yeah, that’s how they say “khaki” in the UK:))

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Buzzfeed.com has listed “12 Extremely Disappointing Facts About Popular Music.” Check ‘em out and, please, share your reactions. (Thanks, Tracy.)

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Finally, today is the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day and it’s appropriate, I believe, to pause to remember all who gave their lives in the war that followed that “day that will live in infamy” and those who began fighting years before that in Europe.

Be sure to check this out! If you want to treat yourself, buy a gift for a Tom Jones fan or for someone who shared a Tom Jones experience with you, you absolutely must check out The Tom Jones Collectors Page. It is the website of The Flash, an ardent collector of Tom (and Elvis) — and good friend of TJI.com — who has a collection probably unmatched anywhere and products available that I just about guarantee you will not find elsewhere. FYI: PAL DVDs can be played on some DVD players and just about all computers worldwide. If you have any questions about anything you see on the site, ask The Flash using the “contact” link on the homepage.

More On The Voice: In an article about the ever-so-charming:) Jessie J in the Daily Star in which she talked about habitually peeing in a cup, they say, “But the singer didn’t get off to the best start with her new bosses when she let slip that Tom Jones and Will Young would also be on the panel, even though the BBC haven’t yet announced it.”

She also said of anticipating the show, “The Voice is going to be amazing. I’m shitting myself but in a good way.” Sorry, I am not a prude, but is the best company Sir Tom can find to keep?

On November 21, 1976, Tom Jones — along with Redd Foxx and Chastity (Chaz) Bono — were guests on The Sonny and Cher Show.

In keeping with the holiday season, it was a festive event and Tom did quite well in the comedy sketches.

You can watch 14+ minutes of video from that show in the TJI.com Video Library. Enjoy it!

Interested in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominating process and in what it can mean to an artist? If so, a very interesting article in Sunday’s New York Times is well worth reading. It’s called Battle of the Bands (and Egos) for the Rock Hall of Fame.

Hooray for Elvis Costello! You’ve got to admire him for the following, as recounted in the NY Daily News: In a post on his website, the English singer-songwriter tells fans not to buy the upcoming release, “The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook,” recorded over two nights at The Wiltern in Los Angeles in May, because it’s too expensive.

Costello isn’t slagging the quality of the box set, which he calls a “beautifully designed compendium” featuring live recordings that “find [his band] the Imposters in rare form.”

“Unfortunately,” the English songwriter adds, “we…find ourselves unable to recommend this lovely item to you as the price appears to be either a misprint or a satire.”

The set, which contains a CD, DVD, a 10-inch vinyl record and a 40-page tribute book autographed by Costello and other tour memorabilia, is currently available on pre-order for between $200 and $300 dollars, according to various retail websites.

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A Russian website posted this gorgeous photo and wrote about Tom’s show there. The translation isn’t perfect, but it’s the best I can do:

Tom Jones’ concert could be another event for fans of retro. But in the end he showed how you can reinvent yourself for fans you’ve had for 50 years. Above the stage BKZ “October” were ten spotlights – the show promised to be colorful: in terms of light, and in terms of music.

Jones, his hair brown and gray, boldly walked onstage and sang hit after hit —She’s a Lady, Thunderball, and What’s New Pussycat?. On stage, in addition to a guitar trio, there were an organist and keyboardist, two backing vocalists (thin blonde and shapely brunette) and a brass section. The guitarist was like Mark Knopfler, and flutes.

He sang his very first single, Jones Chills and Fever and moved without a break into Sex Bomb. Of course, this song is top-Jones.

And then the knight of the Kingdom embarked on more interesting experiments. First, was the old (18th century), the tragic St. James Infirmary Blues. Jones recorded it with well-known TV presenter and pianist Jools Holland. Next come songs from latest album Praise & Blame – and here the sound is only an overloaded guitar, drums and voice. John Lee Hooker’s Burning Hell sounds like it The White Stripes – but without hysterics and tears: this song is the life of man.

Jones performed Green, Green Grass of Home to the accompaniment of acoustic guitars. And then the singing and the b-side to this long-time hit – Detroit City by Mel Tillis employs guitar, bass, plus 8 pairs of hands. In the next year we will see more of Praise & Blame

Of course, there was Delilah, even : in the context of the tumultuous biography of the artist right now it sounds even better than Joe Cocker….Music is good for body and soul.— 11/29/2011, Radif Kashapov (SOUNDS RU)

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OFFICIAL Tom Jones (as his site, FB & Twitter pages are called) Tuesday noted that they already “squashed [sic] rumours” that he’d be on the show The Voice. Now, you know that pesky press — they’re persisting with the stories (see post below) despite those efforts. So, once again they are attempting to quash the rumor — er, rumour. Guess we’ll find out eventually.

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The note to the right appeared today on the OFFICIAL Tom Jones site. Sad, isn’t it? But, perhaps, we’ll soon be seeing news of new bookings and I believe we can all hope Sir Tom has a restful holiday month at home and that the new year will bring the new CD, many concerts and lots of good news.

BBC News reports that there was a fire at the site in Cwmtillery, Wales where the Top Hat Club was located. It was here, on May 10, 1964, that Gordon Mills — back home to visit his mother — discovered Tom Jones and brought him to London.

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I am expecting some good video of Tom in Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, I decided to take a quick trip back a few years.

Please join me on this journey back to 2003 when Tom was in New York City to promote his compilation of hits on the CD Reloaded.

The video, as you can see from the screen shot here, isn’t great, but it’s fun and I was able to improve the quality a bit. And, since Regis has been gone for an entire week, it’s fun to see him, too. On this show, Tom sings Mama Told Me Not To Come and (of course) It’s Not Unusual.

You can watch the video in the TJI.com Video Library. I found it especially enjoyable because of the glimpses of the last band and singers.

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Paying For Panties: Late Hollywood talent manager and publicist Jay Bernstein’s autobiography Starmaker says that it was Bernstein who started the whole panty-tossing thing with Tom Jones In a story on Fox News one of the book’s co-authors, David Rubini, is quoted: “Bernstein claims it was all his idea to turn Tom Jones into a sex symbol by paying women to throw their underwear and hotel keys at the singer.

“’Jones didn’t know his machismo was being stirred by Jay Bernstein behind the scenes,’ Rubini said. ‘He would go back and forth between Las Vegas and Los Angeles paying these women to go wild.’”

Stunt or not, it apparently worked.

Tom’s setlist Monday night in Zagreb was: Give a Little Love; She’s a Lady; Thunderball; What’s New Pussycat?; Hard to Handle; I’ll Never Fall in Love Again; Chills and Fever; Sex Bomb; St. James Infirmary Blues; Am I Wrong; Burning Hell; Didn’t It Rain; Green, Green Grass of Home; Detroit City; Delilah; Mama Told Me Not to Come; You Can Leave Your Hat On; If I Only Knew; It’s Not Unusual Encore: Hey Pocky Way; Kiss

The Keb Mo’ song, Am I Wrong may be unfamiliar to many of us and it’s nice to see him perform some of the others we haven’t heard in person in awhile. If I get more decent video, I’ll expand he movie to include those additional songs.

You can see the 44+ minutes of video of Tom performing She’s A Lady, Hard To Handle, I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, Chills and Fever, Sex Bomb, Am I Wrong, Burning Hell, Green Green Grass of Home, Detroit City, Mama Told Me Not To Come, You Can Leave Your Hat On and Kiss in the TJI.com Video Library

It took a long time to put together and post. I hope you enjoy it!

More news: Tom’s official site, which did not post news of the contest to win tickets, did note — very happily — that Chris Evans’ “Dine & Disco” (disco?) auction to help Children In Need raised £611,904. Tom will be performing at Evans’ pub in Surrey on July 1, 2012. There was a contest involved that TJI posted last week. (Must note that someone needs to proofread the official site. The latest in a long line of errors is in today’s headline. It says — and I quote — “Chris Evan’s Auctions Tickets to See Tom Perform at his Pub for Children In Need.” Really, “Evan’s?” Does not say a lot that is good about education in the last 60 years or so.)

Thanks, Kat

In the photo at left, used in the news story, Tom is with a group of Yeomen Warders, popularly known as Beefeaters), guardians of the Tower of London. Looking at the photo in 2007 (given to TJI by our beloved Mary Muratore) Tom commented that all the Beefeaters gathered around him that momentous day he was knighted were Welsh.

Singer Sir Tom Jones is granted his own coat of arms
Sir Tom Jones, the veteran singer, has chosen a coat of arms featuring a Welsh dragon and a leek.

The Telegraph | Richard Eden | 7:28AM GMT 20 Nov 2011

For a member of the aristocracy, it’s not unusual to have a coat of arms. For the son of a coal miner who grew up in a terrace house in Pontypridd, it is, however, something to sing about.

Mandrake hears that Sir Tom Jones has applied for his own armorial bearings. “He has been granted arms in the last year,” says David White, Somerset Herald at the College of Arms.

“The crest features a demi red dragon holding an inverted leek. The shield features a key upright, in between two trees, a play on his real surname, Woodward.”

Sir Tom, 71, whose hits include Delilah and Green Green Grass of Home, was unavailable to comment on the honour. The singer, who was knighted in 2006, is not the first pop star to become armigerous.
In 2002, Sir Paul McCartney was granted a coat of arms featuring a guitar and a Liver Bird symbolising his music career and Liverpool roots. The motto was Ecce Cor Meum, or Behold MyHeart, which was the title of an oratorio written by the former Beatle during the illness of his first wife, Linda.

Anyone willing to pay at least £3,500 can apply for a coat of arms. There are no fixed criteria for eligibility, but awards and honours from the crown, civil or military commissions, university or professional qualifications, as well as eminence or good standing in national life, are taken into account. There are around 150 recipients a year.

The College of Arms was given a charter by Richard III in 1484, and in 1530 anyone considered a gentleman had to register at the college.

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According to the Royal College of Arms website, Sir Tom was granted his crest on August 3, 2011. It was granted to “Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, OBE of Remenham Hill, Oxfordshire.” That’s where his son’s home is. He’s still in LA but, probably, needed a UK address for the College.

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With the dearth of news these days, I believe it’s fun to find and post videos like this one.

It’s from The London Palladium Show broadcast on Friday, October 2, 1966. It was shown in color on NBC in the US and in black and white on ITV in the UK.

That week, the show was hosted by Kate Smith (1907-1986), a singer most famous in the 1930s through the 1960s. Her best-known recording was the Irving Berlin song, God Bless America. Among her other hits was Dream A Little Dream, later a huge hit for Mama Cass Elliot in 1968. Late in her life, Smith sang before home games of the Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey team.There is a statue of her in front of the Spectrum, the team’s home arena. And, baseball maven Alan Rubin tells me her version of God Bless America is played in Yankee Stadium during every seventh inning stretch. (Those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about can look up “seventh inning stretch, a great baseball tradition.)

Smith introduces Tom (check hos she pronounces the word “discotheque”) and he sings Mem>Not Responsible and Once There Was A Time. Then, he and Smith duet of the traditional folk song, It Takes A Worried Man from Tom’s 1965 album, Along Came Jones.

You’ll find the video in the TJI.com Video Library. Please bear in mind that it’s a recording from 45 years ago so it’s not the same quality as a newer recording would be. Enjoy this 26 year-old Tom Jones!

Calendar orders will close in a couple of days So, if you wish to order, now is the time! Just click on the right.

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Tom is in Beirut for the first time ever to do a concert tonight. This is the second time there’s been specific notice paid to the fact he is bringing his own band. Does anyone know why? It’s like when I was in Australia and, after a couple of shows, when I stood to participate in a standing ovation, I was told they “don’t do that” in Australia. Guess customs differ worldwide. Anyway, he seems excited to be in Beirut. (Wish he were going to Israel so he could sing MY Yiddishe Momme.) Anyway, click here to see the 16-second video of Sir Tom’s press statement in Beirut.

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Tom (to whom they still refer as a “crooner”) will be making a special appearance in Dubai this Tuesday evening at the 2011 Dubai Airshow Gala Dinner. That’s nice, as it should be warm, at least, before he goes to the oh-so-temperate climes of Eastern Europe in November: Rumania (November 17; Bulgaria, November 18; Croatia, November 21; Hungary, November 22; Czech Republic, November 23; Russia, November 28).

As you’ll see in the article below, “Tom” issued a statement about being so happy to play gig.

Question: Today and tomorrow, November 12 and 13, the annual Avation Nation takes place at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas celebrating 70 years of air power in Las Vegas and the Air Force’s accomplishments. It is something to see. Sir Tom has played the city (not the base, as they don’t do entertainment) during Aviation Nation. Why not this year? (OK, I know that was a dumb question.) Of course, one realizes that even the nighty MGM Grand’s parent corporation lacks the money that Dubai possesses to pay entertainers the fees some are asking these days but, even so….

Sir Tom Jones back in the UAE
Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones will be the special guest performer at the 2011 Dubai Airshow Gala Dinner

Staff Reporter | Published: 12:00 November 12, 2011 | Gulf News

Dubai: The legendary crooner is back. Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones will be the special guest performer at the 2011 Dubai Airshow Gala Dinner on Tuesday evening at the Meydan, organisers have announced.

Jones, whose last UAE appearance was at a concert in Abu Dhabi in April last year, will be performing for an audience of about 3,200 invited guests from the aviation world, including visiting dignitaries, exhibitors, business executives and members of the media.

“This is a great show. I love performing these songs and the band is fantastic, so I’m looking forward to seeing and entertaining everyone at the Airshow Gala in Dubai this month,” Jones said in a statement.

Anita Mehra, the chairperson of the Dubai Airshow Gala Dinner Committee said Jones’ performance follows a string of international performers that have graced the event over the years including Diana Ross, Michael Bolton, Lionel Richie and George Benson.

“Tom Jones is an entertainer whose popularity has spanned many decades and I have no doubt he will enthral the guests as soon as he steps on stage,” she said.

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Lovely interview with Sir Tom In Ireland: Ireland’s Late Late Show went on the air in 1968 and, still going today, is an Irish institution.

So, of course, it was only right that when the marvelous institution that is Sir Tom Jones was in Ireland promoting Praise and Blame he paid a visit to host Ryan Tubridy.

He sang Strange Things and then sat with the host for a jolly confab.

You can watch see Tom on the show in the TJI.com Video Library.