Tom Jones - the Life Read online

  Sully Hospital, nr Penarth 18

  Sun 210

  Sun Studio 50

  Sunday Herald 240

  Sunday Mirror 172, 239

  Sunday Times 260

  Sunday Times Rich List 244, 275

  Sunny Side Up 261

  ‘Superstition’ 215

  Supremes, The 99, 131, 135. 136

  Sweet Inspirations 180

  Taff Street, Pontypridd 49, 54, 66

  Take That 101

  Talk of the Town, London 146–7

  Talking Heads 236

  Tarbuck, Jimmy 154

  Taylor, Evie 97, 98

  TB see tuberculosis

  ‘Tears’ 103

  Ted Heath Orchestra 99, 147, 150

  Teddy Boys 30–1, 40–1, 69, 163

  ‘Teen Beat’ (pop column) 70

  ‘Telstar’ 75

  Temptations, The 131

  Tennessee Ernie Ford 42

  ‘Tennessee Waltz’ 218

  Thank Your Lucky Stars 108

  ‘That Lucky Old Sun’ 64

  ‘That Old Black Magic’ 22, 136

  Them 107, 211

  Theophilus P. Wildebeeste 213

  ‘(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me’ 96

  13 Smash Hits 135

  This Is Tom Jones (TV Series) 147–8, 149, 153–4, 163, 214

  ‘Thora’ 57

  Thorne, Tony 68, 208

  Three Dog Night 239

  ‘Thunderball’ 122

  ‘Ticket to Ride’ 107

  Tilton, Charlene 186

  ‘To Wait for Love’ 112

  Toksvig, Sandy 270–1

  Tom Jones (film) 90

  Tom Jones Enterprises 204

  Tom Jones’ Greatest Hits 234

  Tom Jones on Happiness Island 167–8

  Tom Jones International (fan site) 191

  ‘Tom Jones International’ 248

  Tom Jones & Jools Holland 251

  Tom Jones: The Right Time (TV series) 214–15

  Tom Jones and The Squires

  naming of 98

  NME concert 107

  Tom’s split from 117, 150–1

  on tour 104–6, 129–30

  ‘Tomorrow Night’ 284

  Tommy Scott and The Senators 62–4, 69–71

  concert party 65–6

  contract with Gordon Mills 87

  demo tape 73, 74, 77, 78

  first TV appearance 64–5

  Grand Pavilion gig 73

  London debut 89–90

  move to London 88–9

  naming of 58–9

  recording session with Joe Meek 75–7

  renaming of 90

  Top Hat club gig 82, 85–6

  see also Senators, The

  Tonypandy 82

  Toomaru, Annie 199, 203

  Top Hat Club, Cwmtillery 82, 85

  Top of the Pops

  1965 (‘It’s Not Unusual’) 102, 103

  1987 (‘A Boy from Nowhere’) 205–6

  Top of the Pops Awards 247

  Top Rank Cinema, Slough 94

  Tor Point (St George’s Hill), Weybridge 139–43, 166, 167, 184

  Tornados, The 75

  ‘Tower of Strength’ 272

  Townsley, Bill 98

  Trallwn 46, 51

  Tranter, Kay 165–6

  Treforest

  Cecil Cinema 8, 13, 279

  Industrial Estate 37

  schools 15, 189, 252, 279, 280

  in Second World War 5–6

  Teds 30–1, 163

  Women’s Guild 8

  see also Cliff Street; Laura Street

  Trenchard, Bill 24, 36, 38

  Trenchard, Melinda see Woodward, Linda

  Trenchard, Roslyn 36, 68, 210

  Trenchard, Vi 24, 34, 142

  tuberculosis (TB) 18–20, 24, 36, 38

  Tucker, Sophie 65

  Tumble, The see White Hart

  Turner, Alva 56, 64, 71

  Turner, Horace 62

  Turtles, The 113

  24 Hours 255, 256–7, 259, 260

  ‘The Twist’ 62

  Twitter 236, 275

  Tyson, Mike 209

  Uggams, Lesley 155

  ‘Unbelievable’ 215, 259

  Union Chapel, Islington 263

  United Artists 186

  Universal Music Group 266, 269, 276

  University of South Wales 280

  Upper Boat Inn, Pontypridd 58–9

  Vaughan, Frankie 21

  Verve, The 217

  VH1 channel 212, 215

  Viscounts, The 83, 95

  Viva Las Vegas 189

  Voice, The (TV series) 156, 172, 227, 265–8, 269, 272, 273–5, 276, 285

  Voice Made Flesh, The 37

  V2 Records 247

  Waits, Tom 272

  Wales vs England rugby match (1999) 144

  ‘Walking in Memphis’ 227, 275

  Wallace, Marjorie (Marji) 166–8, 169–72

  Walton, Kent 54

  Wang Chung 207

  Waring, Jo 81, 84, 85

  see also Mills, Jo

  Warren, Diane 217

  Warwick, Dionne 116, 149

  Washington Post 218

  Wayne, John 16

  Weiss, Norman 135

  Wells, Mary 99

  Welsh St Donats 210, 219, 253

  Wembley Arena 238

  Wessex Sound Studios 144

  West, Dodi 95

  West, Red, 125

  West, Sonny 124

  West Side Story 155

  Westbury Hotel, London 167

  ‘What Do You Want?’ 95

  ‘Whatcha’ Gonna Do When Your Baby Leaves You’ 111

  ‘What’d I Say’ 50

  ‘What’s New Pussycat?’ 112, 114, 116, 123, 130, 215, 222, 235, 245, 247, 249

  Wheatsheaf (pub), Pontypridd 43, 44, 63, 163, 204, 279

  White Hart (pub), Pontypridd 38, 55, 57, 88, 251, 279

  White Palace Cinema, Pontypridd 279

  White Tips (recreational area) 6, 13, 21, 28

  Whitehouse, Mary 105

  ‘Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)’ 83

  ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On’ 41–2

  will.i.am 266, 269, 274, 275

  Williams, Andy 166

  Williams, Robbie 222–3, 234, 235, 236, 246, 249

  Willis, Chuck 111

  Wilson, Harold 173, 200

  Wilson, Mary 135–6, 137–9, 143, 281

  Wilson, Nancy 156

  Wilson, Ricky 274

  Winehouse, Amy 256

  Winter Gardens, Bournemouth 137

  ‘With These Hands’ 114, 115

  ‘Without Love’ 159

  Wonder, Stevie 157, 215, 220

  Wood, Ronnie 20

  Wood Road Non-Political Club, Treforest 6, 12–13, 15, 36, 42–3, 53–4, 65, 126–7, 233, 279

  Woodstock Festival 158

  Woodward, Alexander 196

  Woodward, Donna 196, 203, 204, 205, 209, 219, 241, 244, 261

  Woodward, Freda (mother) 3, 5, 7, 8–10, 11–13, 21, 35, 41, 65, 93, 104, 252, 255

  death 249

  reaction to Linda’s pregnancy 34

  and Tom’s TB 17–20

  in United States 184, 195–6, 230

  Woodward, Linda (wife) 63, 87–8, 91, 134, 139, 168, 171, 271, 276

  appearance 31

  in Atlantic City 219

  birth of Mark 37

  early relationship with Tom 24–5, 26–8, 32

  encourages Tom 41, 42, 88

  at gigs/on tour 67, 86, 219

  in Las Vegas 175, 178, 194

  in London 89, 117, 125

  in Los Angeles 183–4, 228–9, 230, 246, 252, 281

  jobs 29–30, 92–3

  marriage 34–6, 255

  marriage, golden anniversary 254

  marriage, longevity 281

  pregnancy 27, 33–4

  reaction to Tom’s fame 164–5

  reactions to
Tom’s infidelity 68, 137–9, 154–5, 167, 172, 209, 210, 281

  in Shepperton 118, 125

  on Tom 52, 139

  at Tor Point 141–3, 166

  Woodward, Mark (son) 38, 60, 93, 101, 102, 119, 212

  birth 37

  goes on road with Tom 168

  marriage to Donna 196, 209

  moves to UK 219

  as Tom’s manager 182, 203, 204, 205–6, 213, 235, 245, 256, 267, 268, 283

  Woodward, Sheila (sister) 5, 12, 26, 35–6, 127, 142, 184, 195, 230, 249

  Woodward, Thomas John (father) 5, 8, 9, 12, 126

  courtship with Freda 5

  death 195, 249

  occupation 11–12

  reaction to Linda’s pregnancy 33–5

  in United States 184, 195

  urged to retire 121–2

  Woodward, Tommy see Jones, Tom

  Word Gets Around 238

  Wyman, Bill 89

  Wynette, Tammy 220

  YMCA, Pontypridd 54–6, 63, 73, 283

  Ynysangharad Park (Ponty Park), Pontypridd 13–14, 251, 253, 280

  Ynysybwl 51

  ‘You Can Leave Your Hat On’ 221, 222–3, 249

  ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ 135

  ‘The Young New Mexican Puppeteer’ 189, 190–1

  Young Ones, The 60, 251

  ‘Younger Days’ 247

  Ystrad Mynach 67

  Zec, Donald 39

  Picture Section

  Tom came from a close and loving family. Smartly turned out, aged nine, at a family wedding. L to R (adults): his dapper father Thomas senior, cousin Emrys, his wife Betty, sister Sheila, cousin Dorothy, proud mother Freda. L to R (children): cousin Jean, the twins Ada and Margaret, and Tommy Woodward himself. (Courtesy of Margaret Sugar)

  His mother and father pose outside 44 Laura Street with a new luxury car, one of the early trappings of their son’s success. (Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Images)

  Even as a boy, Tom had a natural charm in front of the camera. (Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Images)

  Tom has kept in touch with his boyhood pals. Brian Blackler, who lived a hundred yards away, remains a loyal friend and has visited him in the US. (Courtesy of Brian Blackler)

  As a teenager, Gill Beazer was Tom’s companion when he played local gigs and he would sing to her in the audience. (Courtesy of Gill Beazer)

  The girls loved Tom’s energy right from the start with The Senators. The group’s founder, Vernon Hopkins, an important figure in the singer’s early career, plays bass behind him. (Mirrorpix)

  Tom and his wife Linda went home to Wales for an old-fashioned Christmas in 1967. He called it one of his happiest-ever times. (Mirrorpix)

  Tom and Linda pictured in their fashionable kitchen. She wasn’t mentioned in his early publicity, but it soon became widely known that he was married. He was always happy to pose with the love of his life, although she later became camera-shy. (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

  Tom and Linda had come a long way from the basement flat in Cliff Terrace when they moved into their new grand mansion in July 1967. (Express/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

  Tom discovered the finer things in life under the guidance of his legendary manager Gordon Mills, swapping his favourite Woodbines for the best cigars. (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

  Tom, Gordon and Engelbert Humperdinck knew they had made it when they had Rolls-Royces parked in the driveway. Tom’s immodest number plate presumably referred to his voice. (Jim Gray/Stringer/Getty Images)

  Tom with two of the key figures in his career.

  Composer Les Reed was responsible for many of the great songs of the sixties, including the music for ‘It’s Not Unusual’ and ‘Delilah.’ (Courtesy of Les Reed)

  Tom with two of the key figures in his career.

  Lloyd Greenfield, a New York lawyer, was Gordon’s right-hand man in the US and a popular figure at Tom’s side for more than thirty years. (Courtesy of Glenna Stone)

  Tom wasn’t always successful where beautiful women were concerned.

  Sandie Shaw shared a laugh with Tom, but turned down an invitation to his famous caravan when she appeared on This Is Tom Jones. (Pictorial Press/Alamy Images)

  Tom wasn’t always successful where beautiful women were concerned.

  The Scottish singer Lulu managed to avoid falling for his ‘animal magnetism’ and confessed he frightened the life out of her. (ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)

  Tom’s television show (1969–71) gave him the chance to appear with the greats of popular music. He sang ‘Sunny’ with the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, who ignored his hairy chest. (ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)

  Tom said Aretha Franklin was the only singer he ever felt could match his vocal power. (ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)

  Stevie Wonder was a favourite guest on several of Tom’s shows over the years. In this medley, they performed a fantastic duet of ‘It’s Not Unusual’. (ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)

  When the veteran entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr appeared on the show, Tom was proud to introduce him as ‘my pal’. (ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)

  Tom formed a great friendship with Elvis Presley when they were both appearing in Las Vegas. They would often get together after their shows. Sometimes, as here,The King did not want to have his picture taken. (Rex/Camera S)

  Jerry Lee Lewis was the single biggest musical influence in Tom’s life, so it was a huge thrill to sing with him. (ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)

  Frank Sinatra was another Las Vegas regular who got on well with Tom. Sinatra’s singing career lasted sixty years and he advised Tom to treat his voice more kindly. (MPTV/CameraPress)

  One of the two most significant liaisons Tom has had outside his marriage was with Mary Wilson of The Supremes, pictured with him at a backstage party after he opened at Caesars Palace in April 1971. (Ron Galella/Getty Images)

  The other was with Miss World, Marjorie Wallace, with whom he enjoyed a famous kiss in Barbados in February 1974. (Terry O’Neill/Getty Images)

  The whole world knew that Tom and Marji were more than chest good friends. (Mirrorpix)

  Tom was worried about the well-being of Marjorie Wallace when he celebrated his thirty-fourth birthday in 1974. Celebrity friends Joan Rivers, Sonny Bono, Dionne Warwick, Debbie Reynolds and Liberace helped to cheer him up. (Mirrorpix)

  When a fan kissed Tom Jones, she got her money’s worth. This woman received a smacker at a Paris concert in 1979 that she would remember for the rest of her life. (Rex/SIPA Press)

  Not every couple gets to have Tom Jones sing at their wedding. His son Mark and Mark’s new wife Donna were the lucky bride and groom when they married in March 1982. (Rex/Globe Photos Inc)

  Tom is hugely proud of his family and showed off his new grandson Alexander, with Donna and Mark, when he visited Britain in September 1983. He was a granddad at forty-three. (Mirrorpix)

  Tom with Freda Woodward, the mother he adored. (Rex/Huw Evans)

  Tom and his best friend Dai Perry were like brothers, growing up together in the same street in Treforest. Tom was thrilled when his pal became his bodyguard in the 1970s. (Courtesy of Glynis McKenna)

  Dai was someone to share those champagne moments with, as well as keep a watchful eye on things. (Courtesy of Glynis McKenna)

  They were still best buddies twenty years later, when Dai visited from his home in South Wales.The boys pose in front of the beautiful Utah landscape on a visit to the Snowbird resort near Salt Lake City in 1993. (Courtesy of Glynis McKenna)

  Tom made sure he had time for his genuine fans, especially those, like Glenna Stone, who would plan their whole year around his tours. She saw him in concert hundreds of times and would always give him a box of his favourite After Eight mints. (Courtesy of Glenna Stone)

  The distinguished-looking Don Archell, a former singer, has been Tom’s loyal and well-liked personal assistant for more than twenty years. (Courtesy of Glynis McKenna)

  After Dai Perry died in 1999, Tom was a great sup
port to his friend’s partner, Glynis McKenna, and was pleased to see her when she visited Las Vegas later that year. (Courtesy of Glynis McKenna)

  Robbie Williams described performing alongside Tom at the 1998 Brits as the best five minutes eleven seconds of his life. (Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

  Tom and Cerys Matthews may have been singing ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’, but the chemistry between the pair at a concert at the London Docklands Arena in December 1999 was sizzling hot. (Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

  The four faces of Tom …

  The rugged look of the sixties. Everything is a little bit wonky. (Montadori/Getty Images)

  The four faces of Tom …

  New nose and teeth for the Vegas years … a perfect eighties look. (Harry Langdon/Getty Images)

  The four faces of Tom …

  Dye me a river – collecting a Brit Award in 2003. (Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

  The four faces of Tom …

  A silver fox, aged seventy-three, in November 2013. (Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

  Cool Alliances: The fashionable artists of the day love being seen with Tom. After singing together at London’s 100 Club in May 2012, he left happily hand in hand with fellow judge on The Voice, Jessie J. (Rex/Beretta/Sims)

  Going in for the kiss … New judge on The Voice, Rita Ora, met with Tom’s approval at the show’s London launch in January 2015.That old Welsh magic is still there. (David M Benett/Getty Images)