Born in Wales on This Day in 1940, the Genre-Hopping, Husky-Voiced Hitmaker Who Turned a Country Ballad Into a Global Sensation

In 1965, Tom Jones’ massive number-one hit “It’s Not Unusual” kick-started an immensely successful six-decade career. In fact, the Welsh legend is still going strong as he celebrates his 86th birthday today (June 7).

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How Tom Jones Got His Name

Born Thomas John Woodward on June 7, 1940, in Treforest, Wales, he got his start performing at family gatherings, weddings, and in his school choir. Never much for sports or schoolwork, singing boosted his confidence.

In 1963, he began performing as Tommy Scott with Welsh band the Senators. The “beat group” gained a following around South Wales, but had little success with record labels.

At some point, Woodward met music industry titan Gordon Mills, who became his manager and directed him to assume the stage name Tom Jones in order to bank off the popularity of the 1963 Academy Award-winning film of the same name.

Mills helped Jones land a contract with Decca Records. While his first single did not chart, the follow-up, “It’s Not Unusual”, became an international success.

A string of hits followed, including “Once Upon a Time” and “With These Hands,” as well as the theme songs “What’s New Pussycat?” for the Woody Allen movie (1965) of the same name and “Thunderball” for the James Bond movie (1965) of the same name. In 1966, Jones won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

By the mid-1960s, Jones’ popularity was waning, prompting Mills to rebrand him as a more stately, tuxedoed crooner. The career pivot brought a broader appeal with songs like “Green, Green Grass of Home”, made popular by country icon Porter Wagoner.

Mills’ strategy worked, as Jones returned to the top of the charts in the United Kingdom and began cracking the U.S. Top 40. At the end of the decade, he moved to the U.S., hosting the popular TV variety show This Is Tom Jones. A few years later, his 1977 hit “Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow” topped the country music charts and became a global sensation.

Still Going Strong

Tom Jones’ popularity has risen and fallen across six decades, but he’s still here. And he doesn’t plan on going anywhere for another decade at least.

[RELATED: What Was the Last U.S. Top-40 Hit by Tom Jones?]

“People used to ask me when I was young, how long would I like to sing to? And I said, ‘Until I’m 97’,” Jones said in a 2021 interview. “I want to sing as long as I possibly can because I don’t have that much fun doing anything else. When I’m on stage and I’ve had a wonderful night, I come off and I feel sorry for people who can’t experience what I’ve just experienced. You’re on stage, putting your life on the line and then people say, ‘Yes! We get it!’, and you think, what can be better than this? And I still feel the same way now as I did then.”

Featured image by STARLITE/Redferns