Long show business career with many stage and TV appearances. He also appears in the hit movie 'Mars Attacks' with Jack Nicholson, Danny Devito, Michael J Fox and lots more. With 36 hits in the UK and 19 in the USA he's a world class act!

Now a knight, Sir Thomas John Woodward OBE was born on June the 7th 1940. Tom's father is actually English, like many in South Wales his family is mixed between English and Welsh. They lived in Kingsland Terrace, Treforest, Pontypridd where he was born. Interestingly this area has seen some other great vocalists, Sir Geraint Evans and Stuart Burrows. Tom is in good company so it's fair to say he considers himself Welsh.

Typical of families in the area Thomas Woodward, his father was a miner. When Tom contracted tuberculosis at twelve years of age one can only imagine the worry at home. Tom is quoted as saying he spent two years in recovery, mostly in bed. Listening to music was something he could cheer himself with. Put into perspective, recovering from a lung disease at this age means when other fourteen year olds could find work in the local mines it was probably out of the question, not that he'd particularly want to go 'down the pit' anyway. There used to be a saying in South Wales "Don't send your boy down the pit until they put windows in".

There are songs dating to the 1960's which are still so common that across the age-groups they're are recognised, this is the mark of classic performances. Songs such as "It's Not Unusual", "What's New Pussycat", "Delilah", "Green, Green Grass of Home" are the best known. In an interview Tom revealed his secret was imagination. He will try to imagine what and who a song is about, then 'act out' that persona, clearly a technique that delivers an emotive and enduring performance.

His musical career began as singer for 'Tommy Scott and the Senators', a Welsh beat group from 1963. They quickly gained a local following playing pubs and clubs in South Wales. By 1964 the group recorded several solo tracks with producer Joe Meek, who took them to various record labels, unfortunately no contract was signed. Later that year Decca producer Peter Sullivan saw them performing which generated interest but still nothing to establish themselves on the music scene nationally.

A gig at the Top Hat club in Cwmtillery, Wales, Tom was spotted by a London-based manager originally from South Wales, Gordon Mills. Gordon became Tom's manager and moved him to London. Gordon also instigated the stage name 'Tom Jones'. With the previous introductions at the Decca label it's not surprising he found his first full recording contract with them.

The first single, "Chills and Fever," was released in late 1964. It didn't chart, but they followed it with "It's Not Unusual" which became an international hit after Radio Caroline (an offshore pirate radio station) promoted it. Early 1965 "It's Not Unusual" reached number one in the United Kingdom and the top ten in the United States. In 1965 Gordon secured some movie themes for Tom to record including the themes for the film 'What's New Pussycat?', Tom thought this was a joke song when he first heard it! He also sang the theme for the James Bond film "Thunderball". Topping off this 'golden age' he was awarded the Grammy Award for 'Best New Artist for 1965'.