In 1940 in the south of Wales, a small town named Treforest received the gift of life – a boy who most likely would grow up to follow the tradition of the men of the land and head into the coal mines as soon as he was of age.
The boy grew until tragedy struck at age 12, where he contracted tuberculosis and was confined to bed for the following 2 years, his mother's records his only source of comfort as he endured long, lonely hours.The seemingly devastating incident catalysed a complete change in life trajectory for the young man Thomas John Woodward, a man who would later be known as the one and only Tom Jones.
"The one good thing about suffering tuberculosis was that it stopped me going down the mines," Jones shared with Wales Online. "Maybe if I had not been ill, I'd never have become a singer. I don't know what path I'd have taken. I've never known life without singing."
"It's a weird thing to say, but it was hard to get away from Elvis Presley." - Tom Jones
Jones recalled the first song he remembers hearing to NME, Tommy Dorsey's 'Hawaiian War Chant'. "When I was a baby, my mother would wrap me up in a big shawl and strap me to her chest.
"It was so she could get on with the housework – they called it 'Welsh fashion'. And apparently when this song came on the radio, I would start to wriggle in the shawl.
"So whenever I'd hear 'Hawaiian War Chant' as a kid, my mother would say: 'That's the first song you ever took notice of.'"
As Jones discovered the power of music, it became the means of connection between the previously isolated young boy and the big, new world. His grandmother wrote in his fifth birthday card: 'To the little gentleman who sang 'Rose Marie', I love you.'
Jones shared with Best Classic Bands the first time music connected him with a stranger. "I wanted to sing all the time. When I did, people would listen.
"I sang at my cousin's wedding, and there was this fellow who had never heard me sing before – I remember he had a flat cap on; he was a coal miner. He threw it on the floor and said, 'You don't expect this kid to sing for nothing!'.
"Everybody said, 'Oh, it's Tommy,' and he said, 'This kid is a star!' So they threw money in the cap. That was the first time; I was about nine or ten and somebody was hearing me that didn't know me."
Jones' star began to rise with hits 'It's Not Unusual' and the reluctantly agreed to Burt Bacharach song 'What's New Pussycat', before in 1966 he was awarded his first Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
Jones' voice and newfound image as a swooning crooner continued to open doors, as he built a friendship with Elvis Presley. The two would sing gospel songs into the wee hours of the morning. "He was hard to stop," Jones confided to the BBC.
"The only problem was, we used to play Vegas, and he would finish his stint and I was still doing shows. He would come over every night. I used to say 'Elvis, I've still got two shows to do tomorrow' – he would just want to keep going. It's a weird thing to say, but it was hard to get away from Elvis Presley."
Jones' career spanned multiple successful ventures including TV variety shows and acting, before 1988 saw a resurgence in mainstream music popularity with his collaborative cover of Prince's 'Kiss' alongside Art of Noise. Collaborations continued his success with 2000's 'Sex Bomb' alongside Mousse T. bringing Jones into the 21st Century for a whole new slew of fans.
The generational appeal of Jones' husky baritone was firmly cemented. 2021 saw a special feather added to Jones' cap as his 'Surrounded By Time' covers album went straight to #1, placing him as the oldest man ever to top the UK album chart at 80 years young.
Energetic as ever in his first tour in 8 years, Jones performed 30 European shows in 54 days in 2023, his passion for performance burning bright.
Jones will be landing in Australia in March-April 2024, including playing A Day On The Green in the spectacular Centennial Vineyards, Bowral, with Australian music industry stalwart Delta Goodrem, in what will be a once in a lifetime celebration of longstanding talent and showmanship.
"The only way [I would retire] is if I couldn't sing any more," Jones told Metro. "I wouldn't like to shortchange an audience. I'm still able to get up there and do it live. I haven't thought about that [a holographic or AI generated concert] because I'm nowhere near that."
A successful and consistent mentor and judge on 'The Voice UK', Jones offered his secret to longevity in the music industry to Metro.
"You've got to love this. If you're going to make a career of this, you've got to really, really love what you do. It's not always going to be smooth. You're going to have ups and downs, and travelling, you've got to be able to deal with a lot.
"It's alright to do karaoke on a Friday night. People go, 'Oh this feels good, I'd like to do this for a living'. Yeah, well do it again tomorrow night, and then the night after that and then the night after that!
"You've got to love it more than anything else, because it's going to take all of your life. It affects your life so much, and if you're successful it's great. The basic thing is I still love to sing. I love singing now as much as I ever did."
The rascal, the charmer, the true performer – what a blessing to have Mr Jones still willing to share his life and legacy on Australian soil.
Tom Jones 2024 Tour Dates
Thu 21 Mar - Kings Park & Botanic Garden (Perth)Sat 23 Mar - A Day On The Green @ Centennial Vineyards (Bowral)
Tue 26 Mar - The Drive (Adelaide)
Thu 28 Mar - Margaret Court Arena (Melbourne)
Sat 30 Mar - Bluesfest (Byron Bay)
Tue 2 Apr - Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Thu 4 Apr - Aware Super Theatre (Sydney)
