Tom Jones International

First, a rather snidely announced appearance in Abu Dabi from Maktoob Business.: ABU DHABI – Ageing pop legend Tom Jones will perform in Abu Dhabi next month, becoming the latest in a long list of artists to come to the UAE capital, Maktoob News has learnt.

The concert is being organised by Flash Entertainment, the state-owned promoter responsible for bringing the likes of Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Shakira and Beyonce to Abu Dhabi.

A spokeswoman for Flash Entertainment confirmed Jones will perform on April 16, but would not give further details. She said an official announcement will be made in the coming days.

The 69-year-old Welsh artist has sold over 100 million records worldwide. In his prime Jones was a regular on the Las Vegas Strip and renowned for his exuberant live act and tight trousers.

Jones’s early hits included It’s Not Unusual and What’s New Pussycat, while later ones included Mama Told Me Not to Come and Sex Bomb.

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Finally! This preview of Tom’s appearance in Manila is an interview in which more unusual questions are asked.

This is Tom Jones! (It’s not unusual, is it?)

FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo The Philippine Star Updated March 18, 2010 12:00 AM

Sexy at 70 (by June 7).

Sir Thomas Jones Woodward has performed in numerous concerts and sold more than 100 million records
and he’s not, so to speak, resting on his laurels.

“I love to make people happy,” he said during a 20-minute exclusive phone interview with Funfare (he was calling from Australia which is part of his Asian concert tour that includes the Philippines on March 28 at the Araneta Coliseum), “and I’m doing it for as long as I can.”

After the 1965 song It’s Not Unusual catapulted him to fame (and fortune), Tom Jones hosted the show This is Tom Jones which was telecast in both the US and UK. It has been great history since then.

As Jones would want it during his concerts, you can read the following interview to the tune of any Tom Jones hit and, why not, dance to it…Sexbomb, maybe?

Do you remember the last time you were in Manila? “Oh, it was in the ’80s. I remember we did a tour. That was a long time ago.”

A lot of changes have happened to the country since then. “Yeah, I understand. I’m looking forward to seeing all the changes because it has been so long. I’m curious what these changes are. I’m very inquisitive about seeing for myself how it is now.”

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A local radio station is reporting that Tom will be playing in Oman (as shown at left). Oman is on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula near Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This is not definite, as even one news report from there says that “it is not even on his official site.”

Tom will be in Manila, Philippines, on March 28. Here’s a six-question preview interview from the local newspaper:

Tom Jones vows to sing non-stop

By Pocholo Concepcion/Philippine Daily Inquirer/First Posted 22:45:00 03/16/201024 Hours, features collaborations with U2’s Bono and The Edge.

Two weeks before his concert on March 28 at the Araneta Coliseum, Jones granted this phone interview, facilitated by DJ Baby John of RJ-FM.

Is it true that you were heavily influenced by Elvis Presley? Yes, we were then playing rock and roll in South Wales. That could be anything from Elvis Presley to Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis…

For the rest of this interview and for Tom’s version of Danny Boy, click here to (more…)

Here’s a very favorable review from Tom’s last Australian show in Perth Saturday night. The reviewer didn’t care for the songs from 24 Hours and notes that they were greeted a “muted silence,” kind of like many audiences here greeted Stoned In Love a couple of years ago. But — hooray! — Tom added The Hitter. (I wonder if it is the entire 6+ minutes.) The thing is that, like most of Springsteen’s songbook, this is a very American song….can’t explain why, but I guess it’s because Springsteen is so very much of his time and place — his time being the last 40 years or so and his place, definitely, New Jersey. Anyway, interesting, thoughtful, well-researched and informed review. Finally.

Tom Jones charms Perth fans

Polly Coufos/PerthNow/ March 15, 2010 12:19PM

To be fair the girls were only singing what the rest of us were thinking.

As Tom Jones went backstage before his encore to swap one saturated-with-sweat dress shirt for another that would also look like he’d been swimming in it within minutes, his 11-piece backing band vamped a little on a little of Prince’s back catalogue before heading into Jones’ remake of Kiss. His two backing singers cooed ever so sweetly “you sexy mother …” They left the last word blank but anybody who wasn’t thinking the same thing couldn’t have been paying attention.

Here’s a man three months away from his 70th birthday, and yet still in fine vocal and physical form. He’d made fun of the fact that he is just about to join the septuagenarian club but the way he moved suggests the years have been very kind to him and he still has a ways to go.

There were lots of pelvic thrusts but they were almost always accompanied by a sly grin. All the knickers hurling nonsense – and the couple of pairs that passed this reviewer’s eyes could have served to cover your canary cage – is still part of the show. Fun for the ladies who should have spent a bit more time in the backyard practicing their throw, ignored by him.

If Tom Jones truly were a Lothario caricature, able to be reduced to a handful of novelty hits and lofted unmentionables it would have been curtains for him years ago. That’s just schtick, what got Jones in the public eye was talent. It’s what’s kept him there too. His warm baritone is ageing, and like the rest of him it may not be quite what it used to be but could still put to shame just about anybody else you care to name.

The sight of his now silver mop tilting back, his eyes rolling back in his head as he reached into the depths of his diaphragm to bring forth steel-like power is still something to behold. Likewise his smile as he looks out into the crowd. You’d go a long way to see someone who enjoys performing this much.

He showed the desire to front a hard-edged soul band still burns within, nailing Otis Redding’s’ Hard To Handle and Randy Newman’s Mama Told Me Not To Come. If only the pop hits hadn’t come along it’s hard not to think he may have become one of the all time best blue-eyed soul singers.

He held back a little on a trio of acoustic country songs including Green Green Grass Of Home and a stunning mariachi-infused arrangement of Save The Last Dance For Me and they offered another, less abrasive, side to the Welsh star.

For the radio interview, click here to (more…)

Tom ended the Australian leg of his tour in great style in front of 10,000 people in Perth, West Australia (right). The night before, near Melbourne, there was a crowd about 40 percent smaller than expected. But if you read the article below this, you’ll see that the responsibility falls right into the lap of the tour organizer. But, it was Tom who got the blame because he “appeals to an older demographic.”The guy who said that is a….um…..I’ll say jerk. Tomorrow we’ll have more from Perth and, soon, a review, photos and video from a fan who saw Tom in Melbourne.

Knickers fly at Tom Jones concert

DAILE PEPPER.March 15, 2010/10:19AM/WA Today/Photos: Duncan Barnes

The knickers were off before Tom Jones even hit the stage.

Fans went crazy for the now 69-year-old Sex Bomb who showed the crowd he has still got it last night at the final A Day on the Green concert for the season. They had been warmed up by David Campbell set and were truly ready to rock.

Women held their knickers aloft as Jones stalked onto the stage, and plenty attempted to throw them at his feet, though it was such a distance that most didn’t make it.

They lost their minds as the singer belted out songs including Delilah, If I Only Knew, It’s Not Unusual, She’s A Lady and Mama Told Me Not To Come.

Wives grooved, screamed, whistled and jumped their way through the exciting set, while husbands sat patiently beside them, some getting up to join the throng of dancing women during encore. It certainly was lady’s night.

From the minute he started belting out tunes, starting with Sugar Daddy, Jones had the massive crowd of nearly 10,000 people grounds excited.

“I’ve got the moves,” he declared, proving it with a couple of crotch-grabbing manouvers and plenty of hip thrusting throughout the evening.

“It’s good to be back once again in Perth,” he told the crowd.

“We were here five years ago now, it’s amazing how time flies!”

His hit Delilah really kicked off the madness, with the audience taking part in a massive sing-a-long, some women holding their knickers aloft as they swayed along to the tune.

During one particularly hot moment the singer flashed his toned abdomen, sending the crowd into yet another frenzy.

All agreed Jones’ sex appeal has not diminished with age.

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The Los Angeles Times is doing a rundown of the 2,400 stars on the Hollywood Star Walk. Tom’s star is at 6608 Hollywood Blvd. in front of Frederick’s of Hollywood, the famed purveyor of lingerie.

Tom was awarded his star on June 29, 1989. His star was totally paid for by his fans who also nominated him.

Tom Jones

Actor | Singer
Born Thomas Jones Woodward on June 7, 1940 in Pontypridd, Wales, United Kingdom

The hit 1965 single It’s Not Unusual put Welsh singer Tom Jones on the musical map, turning him into an international sensation known as much for his sexual charisma as for his vocalizing.

From the mid-1960s through the early-’70s, Jones enjoyed such other memorable chart busters as What’s New Pussycat?, Delilah, Daughter of Darkness and She’s a Lady. He also sang the title theme for the James Bond movie Thunderball.

During this era, Jones performed live in Las Vegas and in New York, where screaming women would routinely hurl their underwear and hotel room keys at the curly-haired sex symbol while he sang. He starred in several popular TV variety series and appeared on many TV specials around this time as well.

The singer has reinvented himself over the years, finding major success on the country music charts, all while continuing to tour, record and appear on TV and in the occasional acting gig.

In 1999, Jones released Reload, his biggest-selling album ever, mainly composed of cover duets sung with such eclectic talents as the Pretenders, Barenaked Ladies and Van Morrison.

The singer, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006, has been married to his wife, Melinda, since 1957 (they were both 16 at the time). They have one son, Mark.

— Gary Goldstein for the Los Angeles Times March 1, 2010

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An article about Atlantic City in the Baltimore Sun quoted Jeff Vassar, president of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Bureau, who said: “Ten years ago, you saw the same acts rotating through Atlantic City all the time,” he says. “As much as I like Tom Jones and Don Rickles, they appeal to a much older audience. Now, Atlantic City is taking a much younger approach. We’ve got Carrie Underwood, Nickelback – you wouldn’t see acts like that 10 years ago.”

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?

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On April 15, Mullocks Auctions in Shropshire (UK) will include some TJ memorabilia in it’s auction. Here’s the story and it’s amusing….imagine not wanting to take any old job! …imagine not being absolutely honest with a government official! Note, too, that the spellings (scepticism eg.) are left here as in the original. The story was in several UK papers and I posted the best version. But, honestly, hasn’t enough time elapsed to let it go and just regard it as a quaint curiosity. Hasn’t Tom Woodward proven he’s a hard worker? Jeez! Wouldn’t it be great if Tom could acquire these books (well, of course, he could acquire them) and frame the relevant pages?

Tom Jones jobcentre records reveal staff scepticism
Documents up for auction show 60s civil servants were not too impressed with young singer chasing big break

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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*Moderator’s Note: If you have a minute, please use it to go to the Bel Air Magazine website and fill out the Oscar survey on the right side of the homepage. If you surf around the site, it’ll become clear why I am asking. Thanks!

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This preview of Tom’s appearance in the Philippines reads as if it’s taken straight from his press kit. Nonetheless, there are errors. For example, the song she calls The New Mexican Puppeteer is really The Young New Mexican Puppeteer and it never got higher than #80 on the Billboard Top 100 Pop Chart. It was not on any country chart. And notice that, here, it’s no longer the 24 Hours tour. It’s Tom Jones Live In Manila! (Love the exclamation point!).

If you’ve never seen the rugby that National Rugby League of Australia advert with Tom singing to the tune of the Salt ‘N’ Pepa song, What A Man,, here it is. It’s called What A Game

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

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Tom Jones to serenade fans at the Big Dome

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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As noted in the March 1, Tom was interviewed by reporter Liam Bartlett for 60 Minutes Sunday in Australia.

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.

Don’t forget the TJI Question of the Month, in the post below.

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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How could I forget?

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!

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Tom was one of the guests on the Australian TV news magazine 60 Minutes Sunday. TJI should have the video soon and, despite how I feel about this interview, I will post it. At least it’s something nice to look at and one can always turn down the sound. Meanwhile, the transcript of the interview is below. But as you read it, note that the reporter’s voiceover comments are mixed in with the conversation, so it’s a bit confusing.

Of course, even though we can bet sure money that the reporter was given ground rules — told NOT to discuss knickers, Tom’s marriage, infidelity, he just plowed right ahead, even asking about dead contemporaries (perhaps to underscore the point that he thinks Tom is old?) and whether the Queen, upon knighting Sir Tom, threw ” a pair of royal knickers.” And, no surprise, he gets Tom’s name wrong.

After all is said and done, it is a pointless, stupid interview with no discussion of Tom’s music, the 24 Hours tour and CD. I’ve seen Tom’s press material and there’s a enough stuff in there — and in other sources that any halfway decent reporter can obtain — on which to base reasonable questions. I’m not a prude and there were no new revelations here but — I’ve never said this before — whomever accompanied Tom to the interview should have put a stop to it. I’m among those many fans who’d love to see Tom have another shot here at 60 Minutes, 20//20 or Dateline but, if it were to be like this, I’d just as soon skip it. This is pure crap that does nothing to promote his tour or enhance his image.

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Sex Bomb

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.

Now he’s pushing seventy, but Tom Jones is still a sex bomb and hard at it, singing, that is.

He says his days as a serial philanderer are over. But on stage, Sir Tom, yes he’s even scored a knighthood, can still bump ‘n’ grind with the best.

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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