Tom Jones - Biography

Last Editor: disko_ditz_				Tom Jones Biography -   Name : Tom Jones Birth name : Thomas Jones Woodward Nickname : Tiger, The Voice Date of birth : 7 June 1940 Place of birth : Pontypridd, Wales, United Kingdom Profession : Singer Height : 5' 10" (1.78 m)

Tom Jones Trivia -

He had a debut UK #1 with "It's Not Unusual" in 1965. He had UK 26 Top 20 hits between 1965 and 1999. He won a Grammy as Best New Artist in 1965. Awarded an OBE in the 1999 New Years honours list. His son is now his manager. He has a son and a daughter. Also has two grandsons (son Mark's sons). He lives in Bel Air, Los Angeles. He won a Brit Award for Best Male Artist in 2000 for the first time in more than 30 years of his music career. He once performed "It's Not Unusual" live to the audience, and as he was dancing, he ripped the bottom part of his trousers!. Contrary to widespread belief, "it's Not Unusual" was not his debut single. "Chills and Fever" was released six months earlier. It later became an audience favorite. His song "Sex Bomb" was so successful, a group of girls in the Philippines was formed and named after the song. That group was very successful 3 years after the song was released. He was given a knighthood in the 2006 New Year's Honours List. He was winner of the 2003 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution. He and Shirley Bassey are the only two Welsh artists to have sung title songs from the James Bond series of movies, as of 2007. He was ranked #61 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists. He has insured his chest hairs for $7 million.

Tom Jones Detailed Biography -

Tom Jones was born on June 7, 1940, in Pontypridd, Wales, United Kingdom to a traditional coal-mining family. His father's name was Thomas Woodward and mother's name Freda Jones. Freda Jones died of cancer on 7 February 2003. Tom Jones began his singing career at an early age in church and in the school choir. He was struck down by tuberculosis at the age of 13 and was subsequently bedridden for 2 years. After leaving school at the age of 16, he married to Linda Trenchard on 2 March 1957 and had a son named Mark a year later. Tom Jones is his stage name and his birth name is Thomas Jones Woodward. He is a Welsh pop music singer particularly noted for his powerful voice. Tom Jones rose to fame in the mid-1960s. In 1963 Jones became the frontman for Tommy Scott and The Senators, a local beat group. In 1964 they laid down seven tracks with maverick "Telstar" producer Joe Meek, and took them to various labels in an attempt to get a record deal, with no success. They released only the album "It's Not Unusual", which became a massive hit. They achieved huge international success with the song. The group started to play gigs at dance halls and working men's clubs of South Wales. The song "It's Not Unusual" was released in early 1965. The BBC initially refused to play it, but an offshore pirate station, Radio Caroline, picked it up. Its orchestrated arrangement, coupled with Jones' energetic delivery, proved infectious, and by March the song reached number one in the UK and the top ten in America. In the same year, Jones sang the theme song to the James Bond film Thunderball. Jones was awarded the Grammy Award for Best New Artist for 1965. Inspired by long-time influence Jerry Lee Lewis' country version, Jones released his most successful single ever, "Green Green Grass of Home". In 1967 he performed for the first time in sommerset, at the Flamingo. Jones had an internationally successful television variety show from 1969-1971 titled This Is Tom Jones. This hit TV show was aired by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC-TV) in America and ITV in the UK. In 1999 he recorded the blockbuster album "Reload", a collection of duets with some of the year's brightest stars. On New Year's Eve to ring in 2000, United States President Bill Clinton invited him to perform at the Millennium celebrations in Washington D.C. His early hits include: "It's Not Unusual", Jones' signature song. "What's New Pussycat?", written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for What's New, Pussycat? "Thunderball", the theme for the James Bond film of the same name (1965)—an urban legend states that upon hitting the final high note of the song Jones actually passed out, but that the take was so good it was the version that was released. Jones later denied this. "Green Green Grass of Home" (1966), his most successful single, which was interpreted by many to refer to Jones' native Wales (correctly, according to Jones), despite having been originally written (by Curly Putman) about the USA. "(It Looks Like) I'll Never Fall In Love Again" (1969) "Delilah". "Help Yourself", used recently[when?] in an ad campaign for Diet Dr Pepper. "Without Love". "She's A Lady", his highest charting U.S. single, peaking at #2. Written by Paul Anka. For his contribution to the recording industry, Tom Jones has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Blvd. In 2007, he signed to New York-based independent label S-Curve, owned by music executive Steve Greenberg. An album is expected in 2008. On 1 July 2007, Jones was one of the invited artists who performed at Wembley Stadium at the Concert for Diana, joined on stage by guitarist Joe Perry of Aerosmith and British soul singer Joss Stone. He sang the Welsh National Anthem at the Calzaghe-Hopkins fight in Las Vegas on 19 April 2008. On Sunday 16 November, Jones was invited to perform on BBC Strictly Come Dancing, where he performed the debut single from his album 24 Hours. On Wednesday 19 November, 2008, Jones performed in front of the Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the River Thames in central London to o raise money for a cancer charity.