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Thomas Jones Woodward was born on June 7, 1940, in the village of Treforest in Pontypridd, Wales.
In 1963, the burgeoning entertainer began performing as Tommy Scott with the band the Senators, a local beat group.
Mills was instrumental in shaping Woodward's career. He urged him to use the stage name Tom Jones and secured the singer a recording contract with Decca.
At the same time, Jones was enjoying enormous success with his own television variety show, 'This Is Tom Jones.' The program garnered the singer a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy.
Jones, by now a global singing superstar and fabulously wealthy, took time out in 1967 to purchase a large detached property in Sunbury in Surrey, just outside London. He's pictured with wife Melinda and son Mark playing up for the camera as the family move in.
The 1990s had in fact seen a resurgence in all things Tom Jones. He ended the decade in style, joining former 'James Bond' star Roger Moore at Buckingham Palace in 1999 to receive an OBE (Moore collected a CBE).
Seven years after being honored with an OBE, Tom Jones became Sir Tom Jones after receiving a Knighthood at Buckingham Palace in March 2006.
With another hit under his belt in 'Delilah,' Tom Jones was at the peak of his career when he met his idol, Elvis Presley, backstage at the Flamingo in 1968. Presley later stated that he modeled some of his own Vegas persona on Jones, whom he'd watched performing on stage before his own triumphant return to live concerts in 1969. The pair remained good friends until Presley's death in 1977. Jones is pictured with Elvis and his wife Priscilla.
It was while touring South Wales with the Senators that Woodward met Gordon Mills. A London-based music industry executive and songwriter, Mills became the singer's manager in 1964.
The following year, 1965, Tom Jones had his first international hit with 'It's Not Unusual.' Co-written by Mills and Les Reed, the song reached the top of the charts in Great Britain and the United States, and effectively launched Jones' career.
The same year, Jones' deep baritone voice was being heard in cinemas around the world after recording the theme song to the James Bond film 'Thunderball.'
Indeed, 1965 was the most significant year of Jones' career. Another of his most famous songs, 'What's New Pussycat?' is also the name of the 1965 screwball comedy starring an A-list cast that included Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, Romy Schneider, Capucine, Paula Prentiss, Woody Allen, and Ursula Andress. It was another Bacharach, David, and Jones collaboration, and was even nominated for an Oscar.
British television viewers are familiar with Sir Tom Jones as a coach on the BBC talent show 'The Voice UK.'
Tom Jones scored another worldwide hit in 1966 with his version of the country song 'Green, Green Grass of Home.' And 1966 saw Jones walk away with a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
It was also in 1967 that Jones performed his first gig in Las Vegas, at the Flamingo Hotel. The glitzy venue provided a stage for Jones to hone his image, with half-unbuttoned shirts and tight trousers becoming his signature style, along with gyrating hips and suggestive groin thrusts.
Written by Paul Anka, 'She's a Lady' gave Tom Jones his first big hit of the new decade.
Jones hit another high note in 2000 with 'Sex Bomb,' taken from the singer's 34th album, 'Reload.' The song was performed in collaboration with German DJ and record producer Mousse T., and Jones subsequently picked up a prestigious Bambi Award—the oldest media award in Germany—for Comeback of the Year. He's pictured at the award ceremony with German singer Sabrina Setlur.
Tom Jones spent the 1970s and 1980s recording, touring, and making television appearances around the world. He made an impressive chart comeback in 1988 with British synthpop group the Art of Noise and a cover of the Prince song 'Kiss.'
Jones had made his acting debut in 1979 in the TV movie 'Pleasure Cove.' His best-known big screen appearance to date is in Tim Burton's 'Mars Attacks!'
It was during the mid-1960s that Jones developed his image into that of a crooner. And the hits kept coming on both sides of the Atlantic. 'I'll Never Fall in Love Again,' originally a hit for Scottish skiffle singer Lonnie Donegan, again saw the Welshman in the top end of the music charts.
'This is Tom Jones' featured guest appearances by many top actors, comedians, and singers of the time, including Shirley Bassey, Liza Minnelli, Stevie Wonder, Janis Joplin, and Little Richard (pictured).
In turn, Jones was in demand as a guest star himself on numerous shows in Europe, the UK, and America. He's pictured in 1970 duetting with country singer Glen Campbell on 'The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.'
Tom Jones made his Glastonbury debut in 1992, and made a triumphant return in 2009 on the main Pyramid Stage singing in front of a new, younger generation of fans.
A sex bomb is perhaps an apt description for Tom Jones. In 2020, the singer admitted to bedding around 250 women, including a dalliance with former Miss World Marjorie Wallace. And all this despite being married to his wife Melinda for nearly 60 years.
As a boy, Woodward began singing at home during family gatherings and special occasions. He also joined the school choir and later performed at weddings.
In April 2016, the singer's wife Melinda passed away aged 75 from lung cancer. Jones was devastated. Speaking soon afterwards in an interview carried by Hello! magazine, Jones was asked if he thought he would find love again. "No, I'll never love again," he replied. "There was one love of my life, and that was Linda." He's pictured fighting back tears during the 2016 Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales—his first public appearance since her death.
To date, Sir Tom Jones has sold over 100 million records, with 36 Top 40 hits in the United Kingdom and 19 in the United States. In September 2022, he had a UK iTunes hit with 'I Won't Crumble With You If You Fall,' a song he explained described his dying wife's wish for her husband to move forward without her.
Pictured here in April 2023 at Willie Nelson's 90th birthday party in Los Angeles, Sir Tom Jones is still recording and remains one of music's most admired and respected performers.
See also: The best musicians over 70 who are still performing
Possessed of a voice that's been described as a "full-throated, robust baritone," Jones first enjoyed worldwide chart success back in 1965 with "It's Not Unusual." A string of hits followed, promoted by numerous live concerts, including stints in Las Vegas where he met and befriended his idol, Elvis Presley. A regular face on television variety shows, Jones continues to record. Now in his eighties, Sir Tom is very much a celebrity in demand and continues to mentor and influence new generations of aspiring young singers.
Click through for an appreciation of the life and work of Tom Jones.
Woodward, meanwhile, was already married, have tied the knot with his high school sweetheart, Melinda Trenchard, in 1957. The couple had their only child together, Mark, the same year.
Jones also sang the theme song to 'Promise Her Anything,' a romantic comedy starring Warren Beaty and Leslie Caron. With music by Burt Bacharach and lyrics by Hal David, Jones performe on the soundtrack.
Tom Jones: a far from usual life
He is one of popular music's most admired and enduring entertainers
MUSIC Retrospective
Possessed of a voice that's been described as a "full-throated, robust baritone," Jones first enjoyed worldwide chart success back in 1965 with "It's Not Unusual." A string of hits followed, promoted by numerous live concerts, including stints in Las Vegas where he met and befriended his idol, Elvis Presley. A regular face on television variety shows, Jones continues to record. Now in his eighties, Sir Tom is very much a celebrity in demand and continues to mentor and influence new generations of aspiring young singers.
Click through for an appreciation of the life and work of Tom Jones.