VERY INTERESTING: TOM JONES

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Fun Facts About the Singer Tom Jones

At age 80, Tom Jones has no intention of slowing down. The proof is in his first new studio album in more than five years, Surrounded by Time (April 23), which includes songs written by Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens. Here are 13 facts about the Grammy-winning singer born Thomas John Woodward in South Wales.

• Jones discovered his love of music at age 12 during two years he spent in quarantine recovering from tuberculosis.
• His first hit was “It’s Not Unusual” in 1965—a year in which he also performed the popular movie themes to What’s New Pussycat? and Thunderball.
• He wasn’t fond of women flinging their undergarments onstage at his shows, saying he thought the gesture took attention off of his singing.
• Jones has stated that he had sex with up to 250 groupies a year at the height of his fame.
• He met Elvis Presley on the Hollywood set of Presley’s movie Paradise, Hawaiian Style, and the two were close friends until Presley’s death in 1977. He performed with Elvis as well as with other legends in the music industry, including Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin and John Denver.
• His manager renamed him “Tom Jones” to cash in on the popularity of the Academy Award–winning 1963 film.
• Related: We Explore the Real Stories Behind Pop Music’s Biggest Hits
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• He’s been a coach on The Voice UK for nine seasons.
• Before he hit it big, Jones worked various jobs, including in a glove factory and in construction.
• Jones married his childhood sweetheart, Melinda Rose Trenchard, when they each were just 16 years old. They were married until her death in April 2016. The couple’s son, Mark, was born in the month following their wedding.
• Jones played Las Vegas at least one week each year until 2011.
• When Jones was younger, he had a band called Tommy Scott and the Senators.
• Jones was awarded an OBE in 1999 and received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for “services to music” in 2006.
• President Bill Clinton invited Jones to perform on New Year’s Eve at the 2000 millennium celebration in Washington, D.C.