Singer Tom Jones. Tom Jones: biography, personal life, family, wife, children - photo of Tom Jones after the death of his wife

British singer Tom Jones celebrates his 77th birthday. BIOGRAPHY OF TOM JONES Tom Jones is a British singer who over the years has become a true legend in his genre of music. His compositions “She’s a Lady” and “Sex Bomb” became immortal hits and brought international success to the musician. Many of his other songs also became no less popular. That is why his work evokes constant admiration. But what do we know about Tom Jones himself? Today we will try to put together the scattered pieces of the puzzle and present to your attention a complete story about his life and fate. TOM JONES' CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY, FIRST SONGS Thomas Jones Woodward was born on June 7, 1940 in the small provincial town of Pontypridd, located in South Wales. His father was a coal mine worker, and his mother was an ordinary housewife. The family of the future musician was quite devout. His parents often took the boy to church, and therefore, no matter how trivial, our today's hero began his musical career here - in the church choir. As the singer himself recalls, his parents were always very proud of his musical abilities, and therefore supported the guy in every possible way in all his endeavors. A little later, Tom Jones began performing in his school's musical choir, and after that he joined a local rock band, where he began playing drums and performing backing vocals. It was during this period that the future hero of the British scene began to become interested in rock and roll, rhythm and blues, as well as American blues. Subsequently, all this left its mark on his professional work. At the age of sixteen, our today's hero somehow graduated from school. At this moment, he began an affair with a girl named Melinda, who a year later became his wife. A few months later, the couple had a son, Mark. And from that moment on, Tom Jones' life changed dramatically. Trying to provide his family with everything they needed, the young guy left music and went to work at a construction site as a laborer. After that, he also worked for a short time in a glove factory and then in a store selling household appliances. Only in the evenings did Tom Jones get the opportunity to do what he loved again. He sang in bars and clubs. Here one fine day he was noticed by the famous London producer Gordon Mills. It was he who first recognized the enormous talent in the guy and decided to start “promoting” him. A TURN IN TOM JONES' BIOGRAPHY Gordon was delighted with Thomas Jones's voice, but for a long time other managers did not share his enthusiasm. Rough manner of singing, as well as a little hoarse voice the young singer made them doubt the need to collaborate with him. That is why Tom Jones and his producer for a long time could not find a suitable record company that could further promote the musician. However, the tenacity of Gordon Mills and Tom Jones still proved stronger than all the obstacles. In 1964, our today's hero signed a contract with Decca Records and from that moment his work began completely new stage . HOW DID SINGER TOM JONES BECOME POPULAR? The young singer's first single did not become too popular, but the second - "It"s Not Unusual" - became a truly international hit. A year later, the British singer performed the title song for the film - "Thunderball" - the next part of the legendary James Bond franchise. And soon received a Grammy Award for this song. From that moment on, Tom Jones's popularity began to grow rapidly. He recorded several successful albums, and also traveled halfway around the world with concert performances. Some time later, on the wave of success, our today's hero even got his own TV show. At various times, such stars as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley and many other celebrities of those years were guests on his program. As a result, the seventies became a truly stellar time in the career of the young guy. However, with the death of his permanent producer and friend Gordon Mills, which happened in 1986, everything suddenly went downhill.The musician's albums lay idle on the shelves, and he himself performed at small concert venues in small provincial towns. Perhaps, soon the name of Tom Jones would have been completely erased from the memory of listeners, but at some point his son Mark took over the promotion of the aging musician. Surprisingly, it was he who managed to return the idol of the seventies to his former popularity. As a result, in the nineties, our today's hero literally experienced a rebirth. His compositions began to once again reach the top lines of the international charts, and the album “A Boy From Nowhere” became one of the most successful in his career. TOM JONES AT THE PRESENT TIME On the wave of new success in 1999, Tom Jones recorded a record with the symbolic name “Reload”, which very soon became a real hit in the UK, USA and some other countries of the planet. Moreover, the composition “Sex Bomb” presented on it was subsequently recognized as one of the most popular and famous songs in the entire history of the music industry. Currently, Tom Jones continues to perform and record new albums. In 2012, the legendary singer presented his new album “Spirit in the Room” to the audience, and a little later he also went on another international tour. At the moment, the British singer permanently resides in the United States, but often visits his homeland. In particular, since the spring of 2012, Thomas has been one of the permanent mentors of the British version of the Voice project. PERSONAL LIFE OF TOM JONES Surprisingly, Tom Jones lived his entire life with that same girl named Melinda. The couple currently lives permanently in California. The only son of the musician Mark gave his father two grandchildren. Further.

The owner of a powerful, handsome baritone, born on June 7, 1940 as Thomas Jones Woodward, is better known to the world simply as Tom Jones. Already from the very early years the boy loved to sing at family gatherings, weddings and in the school choir, and the development of his tastes was influenced by BBC programs where American blues, R&B and rock and roll sounded. Tom was an average student and dropped out of school at the age of 16, and at seventeen he got married and had a son. Young Jones earned money for his living in various ways, from working in construction to selling vacuum cleaners, but in 1963 he began a musical career, leading the Welsh beat group “Tommy Scott And The Senators”. The next year, Tom, with the help of producer Joe Meek, recorded several solo tracks and tried to get them into some record company. However, the labels were in no hurry to make offers, and Jones (then calling himself Scott) and his team continued to perform in clubs in South Wales. At one of those concerts, the singer was discovered by visiting metropolitan producer Gordon Mills. He renamed Tommy Scott back to Tom Jones (after a popular film at the time) and helped with a contract from Decca. Although the single “Chills And Fever”, released at the end of 1964, failed, on the second attempt Jones released the number one hit “It’s Not Unusual”, promoted by pirate radio stations.

The dense orchestral arrangements suited Tom's expressive vocals and his sexy image well, and photographs of the artist appeared on magazine covers. Other hits followed ("Once Upon A Time", "Little Lonely One", "With These Hands"), and the delighted Mills involved his charge in working on soundtracks (the films "What"s New Pussycat?" and "Thunderball" In 1965, the musician appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and received a Grammy in the Best New Artist category, but already in 1966 his popularity slowly began to decline.

To remedy the situation, Tom relied on an overseas audience, turning to the country style in the songs “Green, Green Grass Of Home” and “Detroit City”. The trick worked, and Jones, older and more respectable, returned to high positions in the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. In the late 60s, the singer performed many hits, the most famous of which were “Delilah” and “She’s A Lady.” In 1969, the artist moved to America, where for some time he hosted the successful TV show “This Is Tom Jones” and became friends with his idol Elvis Presley... When Tom finally settled in Las Vegas and, together with Gordon, founded the company "MAM Records", his studio activities began to decline and he preferred recording new songs to more profitable club performances. Since the mid-70s, Jones' popularity began to fall again, but sometimes he managed to please the audience with songs like "Till", "The Young New Mexican Puppeteer" or "Say You"ll Stay Until Tomorrow". After the death of Gordon Mills, Tom's son Mark Woodward became Tom's manager, pushing his father to become more active in the studio.

In the '80s, the artist released several country-pop albums that had a distinctive Nashville flavor. Although nine songs from these records appeared on the US Country Top 40, none of them made it onto the main charts. Only in 1988 did Jones regain the attention of the general public by performing a cover of Prince's "Kiss" in company with the electronic engineers "Art Of Noise". The song received the MTV Breakthrough Video Award, entered the British Hot Ten and the American Top 40, thanks to which Tom was able to conduct a successful concert tour. Following this, the full-length "Move Closer" (in a different version of "At This Moment") was released, which, although it continued the dance orientation of "Kiss", did not contain any other bright numbers.

In 1991, the singer returned to a more familiar style in the program Carrying A Torch, recorded with the help of Van Morrison, but soon again turned to a youth audience, appearing on The Simpsons and at the Glastonbury Festival. Next came the album “The Lead And How To Swing” (which spawned the hit “If I Only Knew”), made in the alternative dance genre and therefore also ingratiated with teenagers. Five years later, the artist recorded a record of cover duets, “Reload,” which featured, perhaps, his main blockbuster, “Sex Bomb.” This multi-platinum album topped the English charts and cracked the American top ten, ensuring the artist's return to the big stage and the Order of the British Empire. Other awards followed, and at the beginning of the third millennium he gave concerts at the White House and Buckingham Palace. Returning to studio work, 62-year-old Tom initially continued to work in the modern youth genre on the album "Mr. Jones", but a couple of years later he turned to roots rock and roll in the program "Tom Jones & Jools" recorded with Jools Holland Holland".

In 2008, after a 15-year absence, the artist returned to the American market with the album “24 Hours,” on which the public could again hear the classic Jones. However, the singer did not want to remain in familiar territory, and on the next two albums, removing orchestral arrangements, he began exploring styles such as blues, gospel and soul. The updated Tom went with a bang, and “Praise & Blame” and “Spirit In The Room” entered the British top ten. In 2015, Jones published his autobiography “Over The Top And Back”, adding to it the 41st studio album “Long Lost Suitcase”, which, like its two predecessors, had a “stripped” sound, but with an emphasis on rockabilly and roots country.

Last update 10/13/15

I don’t know anyone who hasn’t heard the song “And Idyshe Mama” at least once. I don’t know a single one famous singer, singers who would not perform this wonderful song. The song “Aidishe Mame” was born in the USA in 1925. It was written by popular American authors Jack Yellen (1892-1991) and Lew Pollack (1895-1946). The reason for writing the song was the death of Jack's mother Helen. The first performer of the song was the wonderful American singer Sophie Tucker. It was thanks to her that the song gained enormous popularity and became a worldwide hit. Sophie Tucker also published a record with the recording “A Yiddishe Mame”, and on one side of the record the song sounded in English language, and on the other - in Yiddish. The song was performed at one time (I name it without any time reference) - Efim Shifrin, Joseph Kobzon, Pyotr Leshchenko, Nina Brodskaya, the Turetsky Choir, Charles Aznavour, Efim Alexandrov and even Ivan Rebrov... This list can be continued endlessly and the song is one of those that you won’t listen to gets boring, and I listened to them dozens of times. And yet, there is one performer who, in my firm conviction, sings it better than all the others... He is an Englishman, his name is Tom Jones.

And Yiddish for mom
Main Yiddishe Mame
Ez gib nit beser in der welt
Main Yiddishe Mame
Oh, wey, wey, biter van zi feilt
Wie Shane un Lichtig from in Heuss
Ven di mame z’do;
Vi Troerik, Finzter Wert van Goth
Nemt ir of olem habo;
In wasser, un fire
Volt Zee Galofen Far Air Kind;
Nit haltn ir tayer
Dos volt gevain di greste zynd
Oh, vi gliklekh un raichn
From der manch vus hot
Aza sheine matune geshenkt fun Got
Aza Tayere Yiddishe Mame
Mame mein!
Like a Jewish mom
My mom!
Ver bashict un bashirmt dos kind
Vidos shvarcapl fun ojg?
Ver shloft nit durx di lange next,
Ven es filt ir kind zix shlext?
Af dem cu entfern iz nit shver,
Un jeder vejs gevis.
Der nomen iz undz zejer tajer:
A mamen dos iz.

A idish mame
Zi maxt dox zis di gance velt
A idish mame
Oj vej vi bitter, ven zi fellt.
Ir darf dox danken Got,
Vos ir hot ir nox ba zix…
Oj vej, vi trojrik es iz,
Ven zi gejt avek cu gix.
In vaser un fajer
Vilt zi gelofn far ir kind.
Nisht halten ir tajer,
Dos iz gevis di greste zind.
Oj vi gliklex un rajx
Iz der mensh vos hot
Aza shejne mantone geshenkt fun Got
Aza altlinke idishe mame,
Mame, mame, mame majn!

2.
Ver gillex iz nor vi a mame,
Ven dos kind af di fis zix shtelt?
Ver sholem vil nor, vi a mame,
Zol shajnen af ​​der velt?
Es zoln bombes mer nit shrekn,
Iz ir grester vuns.
A mame vil, dos kind zol vaksn
Un zol zajn gezunnt.

Translation:
1.
Who protects the child?
Like the apple of your eye?
Who doesn't sleep during the long nights?
When does a child feel unwell?
This is not difficult to answer,
And everyone knows for sure
This name is dear to us:
This is mommy.

Jewish mom
She makes the whole world sweet.
Jewish mom
Oh vey, how sad it is when she’s gone
You should thank God
What is she with you?
Oh wow, how sad
When she leaves too early.
Into water and fire.
She would go for her child.
Don't value it -
This is probably the biggest sin.
Oh, how happy and rich
The person who has
Such a wonderful gift from God -
Such an old Jewish mother,
Mom, mom, my mom!

Who else is as happy as mom?
When does a child get on his feet?
Who else wants, like a mother,
So that peace would shine throughout the world?
So that bombs no longer frighten -
This is her greatest wish.
Mom wants the child to grow
And he was healthy.

Yes, yes, the same Tom Jones, who, among a great many hits, performed the cult song “Jewish Mom” (on the vinyl record “Tom Jones Live!” it is called “My Yiddishe Momme”).

The editorial office of “Evening Novocherkassk” had a fairly spacious hall for all kinds of public affairs, and there was also a small ensemble led by the now famous musician Alexei Zanin. I asked him to learn the song and gave him a Tom Jones record. Lyosha performed it perfectly, and from that time on I became truly fascinated by Tom’s work.

Today, out of the 40 studio albums that Tom has recorded, I have 16 so far, but there’s still more to come, isn’t it? I first heard him live at the New York club Irving Plaza in 2004. It must be said that in the hall, where there was standing room only, one thousand and a half of Tom’s fans were tightly packed. He sang without a break for two hours, was literally wet, greedily drinking glass after glass of water.

Tom was accompanied by a ten-piece ensemble and three backing vocalists, and the sound of this musical “machine”, established over time and numerous concerts around the world, was so harmonious and rich, and even during the performance of the hit “Sex Bomb” and the like, that the female half of the audience began to throw their bras and panties onto the stage, covering it with a colored carpet.

11 years later, on November 23, 2015, a five-minute walk from Irving Plaza, in the famous Barnes & Noble store on Union Square, where the pre-holiday trade in souvenirs and farm agricultural products was in full swing (the bright holiday of Hanukkah is ahead), the presentation of the book “Tom Jones. Over The Top and Back. The Autobiography”, author - British singer Sir Tom Jones (English: Tom Jones; real name: Sir Thomas Jones Woodward; born June 7, 1940). In the early 2000s, he received the Order of the British Empire from the hands of the Queen of the United Kingdom for services to the state. Currently lives in Los Angeles. He has been married to Melinda Trenchard since the age of 17 (married since 1957), has a son, Mark, and an adopted daughter, Donna, as well as grandchildren from Mark, Alexander (1983) and Emma (1987).

On the book's dust jacket, Tom says, "I've answered a lot of questions over the years, but I've never told my story before. After six decades in the music business, I feel ready and able to look back at my life and tell how and why it all happened. This is my own personal story, from the very beginning until today, told in the only way I know how - simply and from the heart." In the book, Tom mentions a song about a Jewish mother in several places.

The event was so significant for Tom that the whole family arrived, and his son Mark even sang with him in a small concert. By the way, there were three musicians - two guitarists and a drummer, and they played only three accompaniments to Tom’s songs (whose singing cannot be spoiled even by mediocre accompaniment) and this and that... Maybe this was done on purpose so that the music this time would not distract public attention from the main topic - the presentation of the book? The store's conference room was, of course, filled with fans of Tom's work, and at the end of the presentation they, including me, received autographs from the author. This time there were a lot of women, more than half, but no one threw intimate toiletries on stage, after all, the person is already 75 years old and the family is sitting in the front row...

The leading newspapers and television channels of New York were represented by a good dozen writing and filming fraternities. Of the Russian speakers, sadly enough, I was the only one. The security of the public and the singer himself was in full accordance with the current criminal situation in the country and the world. But let's not talk about sad things. Let’s better answer the question that Tom Jones himself answers in his autobiographical book: “How did it happen that an unknown, unremarkable boy from a working-class family of coal miners became a world-famous singer?”

Thomas Jones Woodward was born on June 7, 1940 in the small provincial town of Pontypridd, located in South Wales. His father was a coal mine worker, and his mother was an ordinary housewife. The family of the future musician was quite devout. The boy's parents often took him to church, and therefore, no matter how trivial, he began his musical career in the church choir. As the singer himself recalls, his parents were always very proud of his musical abilities, and therefore supported the guy in every possible way in all his endeavors. A little later, Tom Jones began performing in his school's musical choir, and after that he joined a local rock band, where he began playing drums and performing backing vocals. It was during this period that the future idol of the British stage began to become interested in rock and roll, rhythm and blues, as well as American blues. Subsequently, all this left its mark on his professional work.

At the age of sixteen, Tom somehow graduated from school. At this moment, he began an affair with a girl named Melinda, who a year later became his wife. A few months later, the couple had a son, Mark. And from that moment on, Tom Jones' life changed dramatically.

Trying to provide his family with everything they needed, the guy left music and went to work as a construction worker. After that, he also worked for a short time in a glove factory and then in a store selling household appliances. Only in the evenings did Tom Jones get the opportunity to do what he loved again. He sang in bars and clubs. Here one fine day he was noticed by the famous London producer Gordon Mills. It was he who first recognized the talent in Tom and decided to start “promoting” him. Gordon was simply delighted with the voice of Thomas Jones, but for a long time other managers did not share his enthusiasm. The rough manner of singing, as well as the slightly hoarse voice of the young singer, made them doubt the need to collaborate with him.

That is why Tom Jones and his producer for a long time could not find a suitable record company that could further promote the musician. However, the persistence of Gordon Mills and Tom Jones did pay off. In 1964, Tom signed a contract with Decca Records and from that moment a completely new stage began in his work. The young singer’s first single did not become too popular, but the second, “It’s Not Unusual,” became a truly international hit. A year later, the British singer performed the title song for the film “Thunderball” - the next part of the legendary James Bond series. And he soon received a Grammy Award for this song. From that moment on, Tom Jones' popularity began to grow rapidly. He recorded several successful albums and also traveled halfway around the world with concert performances. Some time later, on the wave of success, Tom Jones began hosting his own TV show.

At various times, such stars as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley and many other celebrities of those years were guests on his program. As a result, the seventies became a truly stellar time in the young man’s career. However, with the death of his permanent producer and friend Gordon Mills, which happened in 1986, everything suddenly went downhill. The musician’s albums lay idle on the shelves, and he himself performed at small concert venues in small provincial towns. Perhaps, soon the name of Tom Jones would have been completely erased from the memory of listeners, but at some point his son Mark took over the promotion of the aging musician. Surprisingly, it was he who managed to return the idol of the seventies to his former popularity.

As a result, in the nineties, Tom Jones literally experienced a rebirth. His compositions began to once again reach the top lines of the international charts, and the album “A Boy From Nowhere” became one of the most successful in his career. On the wave of new success in 1999, Tom Jones recorded a record with the symbolic name “Reload”, which very soon became a real hit in the UK, USA and some other countries of the planet. Moreover, the composition “Sex Bomb” presented on it was subsequently recognized as one of the most popular and famous songs in the entire history of the music industry. Currently, Tom Jones continues to perform and record new albums.

In 2012, the singer presented the audience with his new album “Spirit in the Room”, and a little later his latest to date, “Long Lost Suitcase”, which he released on October 9, 2015, almost a month before his current arrival in New York. I can’t get over the impression Tom Jones made at the presentation of “Autobiography”. One thing that surprised me after a detailed examination was that he, who grew up in a religious family, released 40 studio albums, but none of them were dedicated to Christmas. I looked on Google, and it turns out there are a lot of them, only in concert recordings. Oddly enough, I am fascinated by different interpretations of the songs of this holiday, they are very melodic and majestic.

The best performer is, of course, Frank Sinatra, then everywhere, up to Barbra Streisand, a meeting with whom should still take place. I would like there to be more such meetings with readers; there are a great many eminent people known throughout the world in New York and in America in general, and it is simply necessary, before it is too late, to meet with them. In 11 years of living in New York, I have never met a person who saw the great Frank Sinatra alive, but he was born here, on the other side of the Hudson, lived in the city, sang many times in its concert halls, and recorded in its studios. All that remains is to celebrate his birthdays. December 12, 2015 and His centenary are approaching...

And one last detail about Tom Jones's discography: on most of the sleeves of vinyl records recorded in New York, the following is indicated - The Tom Jones National Fan Club
G.P.O. Box 2671
New York, New York 10001
1 Year Membership- $3.00

1940

1963

1964

1965

↓

There is no doubt that Tom Jones is one of the most popular music artists today. From the beginning creative activity in the 60s he tried himself in almost all styles - pop, rock, country, techno. On stage, Tom Jones always attracted attention with his sexuality: it didn’t matter whether he was in an unbuttoned shirt or in a tails. The consequence was a huge number of fans who often threw their underwear on stage. The number of his followers has not decreased over the decades. He was always able to synthesize new musical trends, constantly making new friends without losing old ones.

Tom Jones has been on the world stage for four decades, and is still one of the most respected and beloved performers in the world of contemporary music. This explains why Tom Jones' latest album, Reload, features so many stars: Stereophonics, The Cardigans, Van Morrison, Robbie , Simply Red, Space, Barenaked Ladies, Portishead, Heather Small, Moose T, The Pretenders and others. There seems to be more than just respect behind this.

Tom Jones' unique voice can energize an audience with energy and enthusiasm. He always greets his viewers with emotion. His style and energetic delivery are associated with the birth of rock and roll. Based on this style, Tom constantly uses his natural intuitive ability to understand and absorb new trends in popular music. It was not for nothing that he spent a lot of time listening to American and British radio, and often appeared in bars, where he sang and drank a lot. It was then that he realized that he could perform anything and knew how to entertain the audience.

Tom Jones's full name is Thomas Jones Woodward. He was born on June 7 1940 year in Pontypridd, South Wales. His father worked in a coal mine, and his mother took care of the house and raising two children. The good old Welsh tradition of poetry and song left its mark on the work of Tom, who grew up among the working class, on their land, and knew the hardships of their life...

Tom began playing music from early childhood. He sang in church and in the school choir. At home, he used to ask his mother to open the curtain and announce him, after which he would start singing on the “stage” in the living room. More or less successful schooling ended at the age of 16. And the next year Tom got married and began raising his son. During this period, the life of the future star was not easy - Tom worked as a builder, a glove cutter, a vacuum cleaner salesman... In the evenings, he sang in bars, working with local musicians. TO 1963 he achieved local success with his band Tommy Scott and the Senators, and regularly played in the friendly atmosphere of working-class clubs and discos.

During one of his performances, he was noticed by Gordon Mills, who later became his manager. As Mills recalls, “All I needed to hear was the first few bars. They immediately convinced me that Tom had a voice that could make him greatest singer in the world". After they met, Mills took Tom to London in search of a contract. It was not easy, as record companies were embarrassed by Tom's rough and overly strong voice, and by Tom's cheeky and sexual behavior on stage. But these two people turned out to be persistent, and, despite everything, 1964 signed a contract with Decca Records.

Tom Jones's first single was not a success, but his next choice, the song “It"s Not Unusual,” written by Mills himself, became an international hit. 1965 Tom already opened a performance for the Rolling Stones. And thus, in a fairly short period of time, he became a star.

His intuitive feel for the diversity of popular music led to the hits “What's New Pussycat”, “Help Yourself”, “Never Fall In Love Again” and “Without love”. An avalanche of gold singles and albums soon followed: “Delilah”, “Help Yourself”, “Love me tonight” and “Never Fall In Love Again” in 1968 year, the records “Tom Jones Live”, “Tom Jones in Las Vegas” and “This is Tom Jones” in 1969 year. Many of them were included in the European and American “tens”.

In summer 1969 Tom was offered to host his own television show. A contract was signed with the ABC channel. The list of invited guests proposed by Tom was extremely unusual: Aretha Franklin, Elvis and Priscilla Presley, , Ella Fitzgerald, Joplin, Charles, Bee Gees, and about two dozen more musicians. Tom has always been a champion of collaborative projects, always interested in combining talents and styles. And he did it very well!

His successful career flowed smoothly into the next decade. Tom attracted huge audiences at all his concerts - in clubs and large venues around the world. His vocal skills developed greatly, his energy, openness and spontaneity were obvious to everyone.

IN 1987 Tom was offered to play in the musical play “Matador”. The single “A Boy From Nowhere” from this performance reached number two in the UK charts. After this, requests for the song “It"s Not Unusual” constantly began to arrive in London clubs. A new interest in the work of Tom Jones arose among a new generation of artists.

IN 1988 avant-garde techno-pop group The Art Of Noise invited Tom to collaborate in writing a cover version of the song "Kiss" The result was sensational. This song catapulted Tom to the top of the charts around the world. The video for this song was in heavy rotation on both MTV and VH-1, and the video became the breakthrough video of the year at the MTV Awards. Once again, Tom Jones found himself in a format that was listened to by all countries and peoples around the world.

IN 1991 Tom was involved in a large number of highly professional projects in the UK, where he collaborated with a company of world famous musicians: Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Whitney , Sinead O'Connor, Gloria Estafan, Lisa Stansfield, Seal and many others.

Two years later, Tom returned to the studio to record the album “The Lead And How To Swing It”. The album was released on the Interscope label and was produced by famous musicians. The result is a versatile work recognized by critics as one of the best of the year. Once again Tom showed and proved that he is a unique artist who can absorb new musical directions, one of the few who can connect decades and styles.

Among the events 1996 of the year - role in Tim's horror film “Attack on Mars.” At the end of the year, Tom recorded the album "Tom Jones & Friends Live" in New York with famous soul musicians.

IN 1997 Tom Jones won an Oscar for the song “You can leave your hat on” (a cover of Randy Newman's classic hit) for Best Original Score. Now Tom Jones has a busy touring program throughout the United States and around the world. He has lived with his wife Melinda for 38 years at their homes in Bel Air, California and South Wales. His son Mark gave him a grandson Alexander in 1983 year and granddaughter Emma in 1987 year. His mother and sister also live in California. Since September 1986 Gordon Mills passed away, Tom's manager was his son Mark Woodward, who had been traveling with him since he was 17 years old.

Tom Jones still never ceases to amaze us. His voice has reached perfection, his performances are seasoned with his wit and charm. He is completely dedicated to his craft and talent, and only hopes that the rapid change in trends in popular music will allow him to grow and find new opportunities to express his creative ideas. His voice and unique talent will touch the hearts of music lovers for many years to come.

Tom Jones is a British singer who, over many years, has become a true legend in his genre of music. His compositions “She’s a Lady” and “Sex Bomb” became immortal hits and brought international success to the musician. Many of his other songs also became no less popular. That is why his work evokes constant admiration.

But what do we know about Tom Jones himself? Today we will try to put together the scattered pieces of the puzzle and present to your attention a complete story about his life and fate.

Tom Jones's childhood and family, first songs

Thomas Jones Woodward was born on June 7, 1940 in the small provincial town of Pontypridd, located in South Wales. His father was a coal mine worker, and his mother was an ordinary housewife. The family of the future musician was quite devout. His parents often took the boy to church, and therefore, no matter how trivial, our today's hero began his musical career here - in the church choir. As the singer himself recalls, his parents were always very proud of his musical abilities, and therefore supported the guy in every possible way in all his endeavors.

A little later, Tom Jones began performing in his school's musical choir, and after that he joined a local rock band, where he began playing drums and performing backing vocals. It was during this period that the future hero of the British stage began to become interested in rock and roll, rhythm and blues, as well as American blues. Subsequently, all this left its mark on his professional work.

At the age of sixteen, our today's hero somehow graduated from school. At this moment, he began an affair with a girl named Melinda, who a year later became his wife. A few months later, the couple had a son, Mark. And from that moment on, Tom Jones' life changed dramatically. Trying to provide his family with everything they needed, the young guy left music and went to work at a construction site as a laborer. After that, he also worked for a short time in a glove factory and then in a store selling household appliances.

Only in the evenings did Tom Jones get the opportunity to do what he loved again. He sang in bars and clubs. Here one fine day he was noticed by the famous London producer Gordon Mills. It was he who first recognized the enormous talent in the guy and decided to start “promoting” him.

A sharp turn in the biography of Tom Jones

Gordon was simply delighted with the voice of Thomas Jones, but for a long time other managers did not share his enthusiasm. The rough manner of singing, as well as the slightly hoarse voice of the young singer, made them doubt the need to collaborate with him. That is why Tom Jones and his producer for a long time could not find a suitable record company that could further promote the musician.

Tom Jones - Delilah - 1967-68

However, the tenacity of Gordon Mills and Tom Jones still proved stronger than all the obstacles. In 1964, our today's hero signed a contract with Decca Records and from that moment a completely new stage began in his work.

How did singer Tom Jones become popular?

The young singer's first single did not become too popular, but the second - "It"s Not Unusual" - became a truly international hit. A year later, the British singer performed the title song for the film - "Thunderball" - the next part of the legendary James Bond franchise. And soon received a Grammy Award for this song.

Tom Jones. "Kiss"

From that moment on, Tom Jones' popularity began to grow rapidly. He recorded several successful albums and also traveled halfway around the world with concert performances. Some time later, on the wave of success, our today's hero even got his own TV show. At various times, such stars as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley and many other celebrities of those years were guests on his program.

As a result, the seventies became a truly stellar time in the young guy’s career. However, with the death of his permanent producer and friend Gordon Mills, which happened in 1986, everything suddenly went downhill. The musician’s albums lay idle on the shelves, and he himself performed at small concert venues in small provincial towns.

Perhaps, soon the name of Tom Jones would have been completely erased from the memory of listeners, but at some point his son Mark took over the promotion of the aging musician. Surprisingly, it was he who managed to return the idol of the seventies to his former popularity. As a result, in the nineties, our today's hero literally experienced a rebirth. His compositions began to once again reach the top lines of the international charts, and the album “A Boy From Nowhere” became one of the most successful in his career.

In addition, in the early nineties, Tom Jones also returned to television screens, presenting viewers with the author’s documentary “Tom Jones: The Right Times.” Somewhat later, our today's hero also starred in Tim Burton's comedy Mars Attacks, and two years later appeared in the film Agnes Brown directed by Anjelica Huston.

Tom Jones currently

On the wave of new success in 1999, Tom Jones recorded a record with the symbolic name “Reload”, which very soon became a real hit in the UK, USA and some other countries of the planet. Moreover, the composition “Sex Bomb” presented on it was subsequently recognized as one of the most popular and famous songs in the entire history of the music industry.

Currently, Tom Jones continues to perform and record new albums. In 2012, the legendary singer presented his new album “Spirit in the Room” to the audience, and a little later he also went on another international tour. At the moment, the British singer permanently resides in the United States, but often visits his homeland. In particular, since the spring of 2012, Thomas has been one of the permanent mentors of the British version of the Voice project.

Personal life of Tom Jones

Surprisingly, Tom Jones lived his entire life with that same girl named Melinda. The couple currently lives permanently in California. The only son of the musician Mark gave his father two grandchildren.