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Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, Kt , OBE (born 7 June 1940 ), best known by his stage name, '''Tom Jones''' is a Welsh Pop singer particularly noted for his powerful voice. He was born in Treforest , near Pontypridd in South Wales . MUSICAL CAREER He rose to fame in the mid- 1960s , with an exuberant live act which included wearing tight breeches and billowing shirts, in an Edwardian style popular amongst his peers at the time. He was known for his overt Sexuality , before this was as common as it became in subsequent years. In 1963 he became the frontman for Tommy Scott and the Senators, a local beat group. Clad all in black leather, Tom soon gained a reputation in the South Wales area. The Senators were still all unheard of in London . In 1964 they laid down a few tracks with maverick Telstar producer Joe Meek , and took them to various labels in an attempt to get a record deal. The plan was to release a single, Lonely Joe/I Was A Fool, but the ever-flighty Meek refused to release the tapes. The group returned to South Wales and continued to play gigs at dance halls and working mens clubs. One night, at the Top Hat in Cwmtillery, Tom was spotted by Gordon Mills, a London-based manager originally from class="copylinks">South Wales . Mills Became Tom's Manager, And Took The Young Singer To [[London . He also renamed him ''Tom Jones''. The Senators became the Playboys, and later still the Squires. Jones was awarded the Grammy Award For Best New Artist for 1965. It's Not Unusual, was an instant smash hit. The song reached number one in the UK and the top ten in America. In 1965 Tom sang the theme tune to the James Bond film Thunderball . In 1966 Jones' popularity began to slip somewhat, causing Mills to redesign the singer's image into a more respectable, mature tuxedoed crooner. Tom released his most successful single ever, Green, Green Grass Of Home, and began to sing material that appealed to a broad audience. The strategy worked, as he returned to the top of the charts in the U.K. and began hitting the Top 40 again in the U.S. On February 9, 1964 Tom appeared on '' The Ed Sullivan Show ''. In 1967 he performed for the first time in Las Vegas , at The Flamingo . In 1968 , starting at New York's Copacabana night club, women would swoon and scream, and some would throw their Panties on stage. Soon after, he began to play Las Vegas , where he began recording less, choosing to concentrate on his lucrative club performances. At Caesar's Palace Tom's shows were traditionally a knicker-hurling frenzy of raw sexual tension and good-time entertainment. There, they started throwing hotel room keys. At the end of the decade Jones had an internationally successful television variety show from 1969-1971 titled ''. On 5 August 1986 Gordon Mills, Tom's long-time manager, died of cancer. Tom's son Mark became the singer's manager. In April 1987 the singer re-entered the singles chart again. With the hit "A Boy From Nowhere" Tom got back in the public eye. A few months later he performed a version of Prince 's Kiss, and recorded it with The Art Of Noise , and it was an instant hit. In 1993 he signed to Interscope Records and released the album The Lead And How To Swing It. In 1998 he performed a medley of songs from the film The Full Monty with Robbie Williams at the Brit Awards . That same year, Space and Cerys Matthews released The Ballad Of Tom Jones. In 1999 he recorded the blockbuster album "Reload", a collection of duets with some of the year's brightest stars, which brought him back into the limelight. On New Year's Eve 2000 President Bill Clinton invited Tom to perform at the Millennium Celebrations in Washington . Throughout 2000 , Tom garnered several honours for his work, including a Brit Award for Best Male. In 2001 Tom toured throughout the Middle East and Europe . In subsequent years Tom recorded albums in collaboration with such artists as Wyclef Jean and Jools Holland . In celebration of his 65th birthday, on 28 May 2005 Tom returned to his homeland to perform a spectacular concert in Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd . This was Tom's first performance in Ponty since 1964 . His early hits include:
Jones's recording career slumped on the pop charts during the seventies and eighties, although he placed sixteen singles on the Billboard Country Music charts between 1976 and 1985, and his touring continued successfully. When his son Mark became his manager in 1987, a change of image followed, and he is now highly respected by other singers and, today, attracts new audiences of all ages. His recording career was revived in 1987 with his first major hit single in over a decade, "A Boy From Nowhere'", taken from the musical '' Matador ''. Following this, he started to record with a younger generation of musicians. These recordings included:
His '', he released the album '' Mr. Jones '', which was produced by Wyclef Jean and included the singles "Tom Jones International" and "Black Betty". In 2003 , he was honoured with a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004 , his "Sex Bomb" single became a major US club hit. For his contribution to the recording industry, Tom Jones has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Blvd. In 2005 the album ''Together In Concert'', was recorded live with John Farnham and his band. He has collaborated with Chicane for Stoned In Love , a dance track that was released 24 April 2006. The singer was awarded an OBE in 1999 and a Knighthood in the 2006 New Years Honours list for his services to music, and was subsequently knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace , London on March 29 , 2006 . As of 2006 , Tom Jones continues to tour and record. He performs shows at the MGM Grand Las Vegas ten to twelve weeks each year. PERSONAL LIFE Born Thomas Jones Woodward, the son of Thomas Woodward and Freda Jones of Pontypridd , South Wales , Great Britain . Tom began singing at an early age. He'd regularly sing at family gatherings, weddings and also sang in his school choir. He was struck down by Tuberculosis and bedridden for almost a year. It was a critical time for him, but he could do little else but listen to music and draw. At the age of sixteen Jones married Linda Trenchard in 1957 and had a son named Mark, long before becoming a pop idol. Tom quit school with no qualifications and took a variety of jobs including a builder's labourer and a door-to-door vacuum salesman. In 1974 , Tom moved to America, buying the mansion formerly belonging to Dean Martin in Los Angeles ' Bel Air. Despite frequent and much publicised infidelities, including an affair with the dethroned Miss World of 1973 , USA's Marjorie Wallace , and a one night stand with Elvira in which he claimed her Virginity , he has remained married and a family man. One of his dalliances with a fan produced a love child, Jonathan Berkery born June 27th, 1988. He lost a paternity suit when DNA testing proved to be positive. Tom has two grandchildren, Emma and Alexander Woodward. Alexander competed in the 2006 Commonwealth Games , representing Wales as a Full-Bore Marksman . Jones lives in Beverly Hills, California and tours through most of the year. In 2006, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his "contributions to music." He carries his love of Wales with him and has become an informal world Ambassador for his homeland. DISCOGRAPHY Singles
Albums Source: Tom Jones web site
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