The Pride of Wales
- Published: 12/03/2010 at 10:45 AM
- Online news: Music
He's a Welsh superstar. His voice is recognised worldwide and his live performances are legendary. He's going to turn 70 in just a few months but his passion for singing has never waned. He last sang live to a Thai audience 27 years ago and he's coming back to strut his stuff once again.
Welsh pop singer Tom Jones will give a live concert at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani, on Sun, March 21 at 8pm.
Yes, we're talking about Tom Jones. The living legend is bringing his incomparable voice to the Kingdom for ``Tom Jones in Concert'', scheduled for March 21 at 8pm. The venue is Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani.
Dubbed ``Jones the Voice'' in his hometown of Pontypridd, Wales, Tom is one of the most enduring personalities in the music entertainment business. His unique vocal power, ability and charismatic persona make him one of the most respected, admired and loved performers in modern popular music.
His popularity has endured for more than four decades. His recordings have spanned the spectrum from pop, rock and country to classic standards, rhythm and blues to boogie woogie and rockabilly through to contemporary dance and urban soul.
Born Thomas Jones Woodward in 1940, Tom was singing at an early age. From a little church singer with a choir, he had gained notoriety with his own group by 1963, performing regularly in the demanding atmosphere of the working class clubs and dance halls of his home region.
After moving to London, Tom rose to fame with the huge international hit It's Not Unusual. Some of the huge hits that followed include What's New Pussycat, Help Yourself, I'll Never Fall In Love Again and Without Love.
The next few years of recording successes found Tom performing a remarkably varied repertoire, cultivating his natural abilities by listening to and learning from his favourite artists of the time.
His early performance inspiration came from Solomon Burke, Little Richard, Jackie Wilson, Brook Benton, Big Bill Broonsy and many other blues and R&B greats.
A succession of his gold and platinum singles and albums includes Delilah, Help Yourself and Love Me Tonight.
He re-entered the British charts in 1987 with the hit single A Boy From Nowhere, prompting persistent requests for It's Not Unusual in the London clubs and a very successful re-release of the song in the charts.
The 90s also saw Tom involved in a number of high-quality projects in the UK which saw him record in the company of Paul Simon, Whitney Houston, Sinead O'Connor, Gloria Estefan, Lisa Stansfield, Seal and many more.
Apart from his singing career, Tom also appeared in a six-part television series entitled Tom Jones: The Right Time in 1992, as well as several musicals and films, including Mars Attacks! in 1996 and Agnes Brown in 1999. He even voiced a character in an episode of the American animated series The Simpsons.
Moving on to the 21st century, his Reload album, released in 2000, returned him to the limelight.
An album of duets with contemporary artists, Reload became the biggest hit of his career. It reached number one in the UK and sold over four million copies worldwide.
Throughout 2000, Tom garnered several honours for his work, including Brit Award for Best Male (UK), Amigo Award for Best International Male (Spain), NRJ Award nomination for Best International Act (France) and Echo Award nomination for Best International Male (Germany).
Tom's 65th birthday and 40th year in showbiz was celebrated in 2005 with a 25,000-strong crowd at an emotional homecoming concert at Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd, Wales.
The new year of 2006 heralded the exciting announcement that Tom had been included in the Queen's New Year's honours list and was to be given the title Sir Thomas Wood ward. The knighthood ceremony was held on March 29 at Buckingham Palace.
Tom's latest release is the retro-tinged album 24 Hours for which he has had a major hand, for the first time in his career, in writing most of the songs.
It is also his first release in the US in 15 years.
Tickets for ``Tom Jones In Concert'' cost 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 and 4,500 baht and can be purchased from Thaiticketmajor booths. For more information, call 02-262-3456 or visit www.thaiticketmajor.com.
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