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Learn 50 interesting things about Welsh singer Tom Jones.
1. Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, OBE, is a Welsh singer known by his stage name Tom Jones.
2. Tom Jones became one of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the mid-1960s.
3. Since then, he has sung nearly every form of popular music - pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, soul, and gospel - and sold over 100 million records.
4. Tom Jones has had thirty-six Top 40 hits in the United Kingdom and nineteen in the United States; some of his notable songs include "It's Not Unusual", "What's New Pussycat", "Delilah", "Green, Green Grass of Home", "She's a Lady", "Kiss", and "Sex Bomb".
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5. Tom Jones was awarded an OBE in 1999 and received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for "services to music" in 2006.
6. He has received many other awards throughout his career, including the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1966, an MTV Video Music Award in 1989, and two Brit Awards, winning Best British Male in 2000 and Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2003.
7. Jones was born Thomas Jones Woodward, at 57 Kingsland Terrace, Treforest, Pontypridd in Glamorgan, South Wales.
8. His parents were Thomas Woodward (died 5 October 1981), a coal miner, and Freda Jones (died 7 February 2003).
9. Three of his grandparents were of English origin: his paternal grandfather, James Woodward, was an ironmonger's haulier from Gloucestershire, and his paternal grandmother was from Wiltshire.
10. His maternal grandfather was Welsh, and his maternal grandmother, Ada Jones, was born in Pontypridd, to parents from Somerset and Wiltshire.
11. Tom Jones began singing at an early age: He would regularly sing at family gatherings, weddings and in his school choir.
12. Tom Jones did not like school or sports, but gained confidence through his singing talent.
13. At 12 he was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
14. Many years later he said: "I spent two years in bed recovering. It was the worst time of my life." During convalescence he could do little else but listen to music and draw.
15. Jones' bluesy singing style developed out of the sound of American soul music.
16. His early influences included blues and R&B singers Little Richard, Solomon Burke, Jackie Wilson and Brook Benton, as well as Elvis Presley, whom Jones idolised and with whom he would later become good friends.
17. In March 1957 Jones married his high school girlfriend, Melinda Trenchard when they were expecting a child together, both aged 16.
18. The couple's son, Mark, was born in the month following their wedding.
19. To support his young family Jones took a job working in a glove factory and was later employed in construction.
20. Jones' voice has been described as a "full-throated, robust baritone".
21. Tom Jones became the frontman in 1963 for Tommy Scott and the Senators, a Welsh beat group. They soon gained a local following and reputation in South Wales.
22. In 1964, the group recorded several solo tracks with producer Joe Meek, who took them to various labels, but they had little success. Later that year, Decca producer Peter Sullivan saw Tommy Scott and the Senators performing in a club and directed them to manager Phil Solomon, but the partnership was short-lived.
23. The group continued to play gigs at dance halls and working men's clubs in South Wales.
24. One night at the Top Hat in Cwmtillery, Wales, Jones was spotted by Gordon Mills, a London-based manager who also originally hailed from South Wales.
25. Mills became Jones' manager and took the young singer to London, and also renamed him Tom Jones, to exploit the popularity of the Academy Award winning 1963 film.
26. Eventually, Mills got Jones a recording contract with Decca. His first single, "Chills and Fever", was released in late 1964. It did not chart, but the follow-up, "It's Not Unusual", became an international hit after offshore pirate radio station Radio Caroline promoted it.
27. The following year was the most prominent of Jones' career, making him one of the most popular vocalists of the British Invasion.
28. In early 1965, "It's Not Unusual" reached #1 in the United Kingdom and the top ten in the United States. During 1965, Mills secured a number of film themes for Jones to record, including the themes for the film What's New Pussycat? (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David) and for the James Bond film Thunderball.
29. Jones was also awarded the Grammy Award for Best New Artist for 1966.
30. In Hollywood, Jones met Elvis Presley for the first time who he recalls singing his song as he walked towards him on set.
31. In 1966, Jones' popularity began to slip somewhat, causing Mills to reshape the singer's image into that of a crooner. Jones also began to sing material that appealed to a wider audience, such as the big country hit "Green, Green Grass of Home".
32. The strategy worked, and Jones returned to the top of the charts in the United Kingdom and began hitting the Top 40 again in the United States. For the remainder of the decade, he scored a string of hits on both sides of the Atlantic, including "I'll Never Fall in Love Again", "I'm Coming Home", and "Delilah" which all reached #2 in the UK chart.
33. Jones had an internationally successful television variety show titled This Is Tom Jones from 1969 to 1971.
34. In 1970, Jones teamed up with Raquel Welch and Producer/Choreographer David Winters of Winters-Rosen Productions for the television special Raquel!. The multi-million dollar television song and dance extravaganza was filmed around the world and included production numbers of classic songs from the era, lavish costumes, and guest performances from Jones, John Wayne, and Bob Hope.
35. United States President Bill Clinton invited Jones to perform on New Year's Eve at the 2000 millennium celebrations in Washington, D.C..
36. Throughout 2000 Jones garnered a number of honours for his work including a BRIT Award for Best British Male.
37. He was also hired as the new voice of Australia's National Rugby League, singing in an advertisement to market the 2000 season.
38. Jones received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2003.
39. The following year, he teamed up with pianist Jools Holland and released Tom Jones & Jools Holland, a roots rock 'n' roll album. It peaked at No. 5 in the UK.
40. On 28 May 2005, in celebration of his approaching 65th birthday, Jones returned to his homeland to perform a concert in Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd before a crowd of about 20,000.
41. Jones, who was awarded an OBE in 1999, was knighted by Elizabeth II in 2006 at Buckingham Palace for his services to music. "When you first come into show business and get a hit record, it is the start of something", Jones said. "As time goes by it just gets better. This is the best thing I have had. It's a wonderful feeling, a heady feeling."
42. On 1 July 2007 Jones was among 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.
43. On 5 June 2010 a performance at Norwich City F.C.'s Carrow Road stadium, two days before he celebrated his 70th birthday, was cancelled due to incomplete improvements to the stadium.
44. On 11 September 2010 Jones performed for an audience of 50,000 at the Help for Heroes charity concert at Twickenham Stadium performing "Strange Things Are Happening Every Day" and his classic hit "Green Green Grass of Home".
45. Since March 2012 Jones has been a coach on the BBC talent show The Voice UK. He mentored Leanne Mitchell to win the first series.
46. On 27 September 2014 Jones performed at the Australian Football League's pre game entertainment for the 2014 Grand Final along with Ed Sheeran.
47. Tom Jones has remained married to Melinda since 1957, despite his many well-publicised infidelities.
48. The couple have one son, Mark Woodward.
49. One affair resulted in the birth of a son. In October 1987, while on tour in the United States, Jones had a brief relationship with model Katherine Berkery, who then discovered she was pregnant. After a legal battle that included DNA testing, a United States' court ruled in 1989 that Jones was the boy's father.
50. Jones denied the court's findings, until finally, in 2008, he admitted they were true. He has shown no interest in meeting his son, Jonathan Berkery.
Source: Wikipedia.org
