10 things we learned from Tom Jones’s Mastertapes
The voice. The hair. The trousers. How can you even begin to do justice to the legend that is Sir Tom Jones? He’s our own Elvis, Sinatra and Ray Charles rolled into one. During his Mastertapes session, one star struck fan referred to him as transforming from a “hip-thrusting sixties pop hunk to ultra-cool mature music royalty, via a Phoenix-like naughties revival”. We couldn’t describe him any better. Here are 10 things we learned about the great man.
1. Tom had showbiz in his blood from an early age. He told John Wilson that while other kids would hide away in the corner when they were asked to sing: “Apparently I used to jump up on the table.”
2. He’s still got that incredible voice. As his producer Ethan Johns describes it: “When he lets rip it’s like a lightning bolt going up your back.”
3. Tom revealed that Little Richard likes to sing down the phone to him. He suggested that Tom and his family form a gospel quartet and perform Strange Things (which Tom usually sings at the end of his gigs).
4. He’s even more authentic these days. In 2009 he stopped dyeing his hair. “I saw myself on television and thought ‘wait a minute, that doesn’t look real’.” It was a move that convinced Ethan Johns to record with him: “It indicated that, perhaps, some emotional depths were ready to be mined.”
"I thought... that doesn't look real."
Legendary singer Sir Tom Jones talks to John Wilson about not dyeing his hair.
5. He’s duetted with nearly all of his idols. Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young have all shared a stage. Who does he wish he could have performed with? “Amy Winehouse, I would have loved to have sung with her.”
6. He’s fiercely held onto his Welsh accent. Early in his career, his manager told him not to speak too quickly on stage: “English people won’t understand you!” He may have smoothed a few of the rougher Pontypridd edges from his voice, but there’s no mistaking he’s a boy from the valleys. Though according to Rob Brydon, “When Tom speaks it sounds like he’s not quite sure if English is your first language…”
7. He really lives his songs. Tom claims he almost feels like an actor taking on a role when he performs. “When I did Delilah I felt the knife in my hand.”
8. He has friends in high places. When he met Elvis for the first time in 1965, The King walked towards him singing Tom’s hit With These Hands. Tom’s thoughts? “My God, if the boys back home in Wales could see me now…” They remained lifelong buddies.
9. After all the success, recognition and accolades, Tom considers being knighted as the greatest achievement in his life. “I never expected that. That was beyond my wildest dreams.”
10. He’s not afraid to change. He was 70 when he recorded his groundbreaking Praise and Blame album. Though his record company was expecting a Christmas album and considered not releasing it, Tom was unperturbed: “It was a turning point. It was like starting over again.”
Listen to Sir Tom performing live at Maida Vale
"There are strange things happening everyday"
Tom Jones - Strange Things
Sir Tom Jones performing live at Maida Vale for Mastertapes
"What good am I, if I'm like all the rest?"
Tom Jones - What Good Am I?
Sir Tom Jones performing live at Maida Vale for Mastertapes
"Maybe there ain't no heaven"
Tom Jones - Burning Hell
Sir Tom Jones performing live at Maida Vale for Mastertapes
