| Sir Tom Jones was born Thomas Jones Woodward,he was born in Trefforest, Pontypridd, near Cardiff in Wales.
on June 7Th 1940.
BY the mid 1960s, Tom had sung nearly every form of music rock, pop, R&B,
show tunes,techno, country,and dance.Tom first heard Elvis Presley on a transistor radio on the kitchen dresser.
it was Elvis's first hit heartbreak hotel.
it had an immediate
and profound effect on the way Toms life was to develop.
Tom managed to get enough money together to buy every new release so that he could play them in the privacy
of his bedroom, tom studied Elvis's unique singing style. When he saw Elvis on TV, but he never wanted to copy him because he knew it was
important to be himself.
he would watch the way Elvis swivelled his hips. it was more difficult than it seemed, his lower body movements
were deemed at the time to he so suggestive that the cameras weren't allowed to stray below his waist.
But the early Elvis showed him a lot about body movement.
By 1965. toms own singing career had taken off, he had three hit records and a big-selling album, and on his
first trip to America. he went to the Paramount Studios to talk about recording a song for a film, and someone told him that Elvis was filming on the neighbouring sound stage and wanted to say hello.
he couldn't believe Elvis knew who he was,tom went to the set where Elvis was,Elvis waved to him then went over to Tom,
Elvis said he knew every track on Toms album and sang one of his songs, With These Hands,
all the way through.Elvis said to tom 'How the hell do you sing like you do?' And he said, 'Well, you are to blame, because
I listened to all your records in the 1950's.
That was the start of there friendship,three years later in 1968, Elvis went to watch Tom at the flamingo because he wanted to make a live comeback,
because he hasn't sung live in years he wanted to sing live in las Vegas,Elvis felt that i was the closest thing to him i had a similar approach and Toms stage presence is very
similar to his.Elvis wanted to watch and see what he does,it gave Elvis confident to make a comeback.
Tom didn't see Elvis in the last two year of his live,and didn't realise how ill Elvis was.he wished he had made more of an effort to help Elvis
when Elvis died in 1977 The first thing that hit him was that he should have gone TO see him. |