Sir Thomas John Woodward—Sir Tom Jones—was born in 1940, in Treforest, Wales, son of a coal miner. At the age of 12, Tom was diagnosed with tuberculosis. During this time, he could do little else but listen to music and draw. Many years later, he said, “I spent two years in bed recovering. It was the worst time of my life.”
Sir Tom’s career began with a string of top 10 hits in the 1960s. He met his idol, Elvis Presley, for the first time in 1965, during a filming break at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Jones recalls Presley singing With These Hands as he walked towards Tom from the film set. The two men became good friends.
Tom Jones was awarded the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1966 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1989, located at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, fittingly in front of Frederick’s of Hollywood;)
In March 2009, Jones went to the top of the UK Charts for the third time in his career with a cover of Islands in the Stream for Comic Relief and reached No. 1. This was his first UK chart topper since Green, Green Grass of Home in 1967, setting a new record of 42 years between two UK number ones.
He experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 2010s due to his role as a coach on The Voice, where he shows a still-powerful voice. I was scrolling through Reels on FB when I saw Tom Jones performing on The Voice.
That was what made me curious about him. (His still being ‘hot’ didn’t hurt:)
Jones was married to his school girlfriend, Melinda Rose Trenchard, from 1957 until her death from cancer in 2016. They were married at the age of 16 when she became pregnant; their son, Mark, was born shortly after the wedding. He is now Sir Tom’s manager. To support his young family, Jones worked in construction and at a glove factory before finding success as a singer. He stayed married to despite his many well-publicized infidelities.*
After his wife’s death, Jones sold the family’s LA mansion and its contents, apart from treasured photos, and moved into an apartment in London, which was his wife’s dying wish to ensure he was close to family and friends.
Jones said in 2021, “The fire is still in me. Not to be an oldie, but a goodie. I want to be a contender.”
Jones revealed that he uses inversion therapy** to stay in good health. He swears by boxing with his trainer for a ‘good cardiovascular workout’ and he tries not to drink a lot of alcohol and watch his diet.
Jones, who had been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1999, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 at Buckingham Palace for his services to music. After receiving the knighthood, Jones stated: “When you first come into show business and get a hit record, it is the start of something. As time goes by it just gets better. This is the best thing I have had. It’s a wonderful feeling, a heady feeling.”
“If I could have one wish granted, it would be for immortality. God has given me the most wonderful life and the only thing I don’t like about the ageing process is that one day I’m not going to be able to live it anymore.”
* Actress Cassandra Peterson, better known as her character Elvira, Mistress
of the Dark, revealed in 2008 that she lost her virginity to Jones, calling
the experience “painful and horrible” and stating that she required stitches
afterwards.
** Inversion therapy, or simply inversion, is the process of seeking
therapeutic benefits from hanging by the legs, ankles, or feet in an
inverted angle or entirely upside down. It is a form of spinal traction.
