Tom Jones, who was knighted by the Queen in 2006, is a Welsh rock, pop and soul musician who also acts as a coach for Britain ‘s The Voice show. His career was largely successful for over 50 years, with multiple comebacks, touring and even acting in tow. Tom has released songs in the pop, country, gospel, dance, soul, and R&B genres. The legend has sold over 100 million records and boasts 36 UK Top 40 hits, which is no small feat. He also has 19 such hits in the US. Tom has worked with a variety of labels including; Decca, his first notes on Epic, Jive, Interscope and Mercury. Let’s take a look at his career, family, wife and sons.
Tom Jones’ bio
Tom Jones was born into the world on the 7th of June 1940 in Pontypridd, Wales . He was the son of Thomas Woodward, a miner, and Freda Jones, a homemaker. They come from a long line of Welsh miners. Jones loved singing at meetings and in the school choir from an early age. His vocals were heavily influenced by American blues, R&B and rock. At the age of 12, however, he contracted tuberculosis, which kept him indoors for two years and almost took his life.
Tom Jones was dyslexic and struggled with school. He was more interested in girls, music and alcohol, so he left school at 16 and developed his musical skills based on singers like Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Brooke Benton and Little Richard. He also married his girlfriend Melinda Trenchard around this time as they were expecting a child. Tom got a job as a glove maker in a factory and later as a construction worker. When his wife was born a month after their marriage, he had to work to support his growing family.
career
Tom Jones joined a Welsh beat group in 1963. They soon gained popularity in South Wales. They had a producer named Joe Meek who helped them record several solo tracks so he could get them out to the labels. However, this was unsuccessful and so the group continued to play in bars, dance halls and men’s clubs. At one such gig, a London-based manager spotted Tom and had him signed to Decca Records. From here, Tom Jones became a household name in the UK. From 1964 to 1966 Tom made songs for films like James Bond and even met Elvis Presley who happened to be singing his song when they first met.
Tom is also a successful actor. He has appeared in The Simpsons , Duck Dodgers and Ted King . His versatility is a true testament to his talent.
All about Tom Jones family (wife and sons)
Tom Jones married his high school sweetheart Melinda Trenchard in March 1957. They were both 16 years old and Linda, as her friends called her, was due in April. Like her husband, she also worked in a factory. Throughout his career and up until her death, Melinda rarely appeared publicly alongside him, preferring to be the quiet one.
Focused on her son, Mark Woodward, she kept their marriage together. There were many cases of infidelity and Tom even had a three-day-old son, Katherine Berkery.
Tom’s first son, Mark, now works as his manager. However, his second son, whom he denied fatherly love, turned to drugs and guns to cope with the rejection. Jonathan Berkery admitted in a TV interview to having smoked weed since he was 16 before switching to pills, ecstasy and eventually cocaine. He also confirmed that he named 2 sidearms that he bought “The Brothers” and carried around with him.