Tom Jones International

As international superstar Tom Jones is set to open tonight at the MGM, we are taking another look back to the beginning.

What makes this 1965 shot from Record Week so interesting to us (aside from the fact it’s a good one?)?

Well, we agree with Paula, who sent it to us: Tom was so young (an “uncut gem,” in her words) and was probably yearning for the breakthrough recording that would make him a star. It’s Not Unusual had just charted. Could he possibly have known, despite his utter confidence in his talent, that he’d be a worldwide superstar for decades to come? At that time, the week ending February 20, 1965, the song stood at #19 on the UK charts.

This photo was used to accompany an article written by Peter Jones, who went on to write an early bio of Tom. Written at the very start of the fan frenzy, it takes away two years from Tom’s age and adds two inches to his height. It also says he uses his “real name” (guess he does, sort of). No mention at that time of a wife and child, but that would soon be revealed. And note, too, that the article tells us that Tom plays drums and guitar and, along liking with Brook Benton and Jerry Lee, he admires Jack Jones (!).

To read the article (and we apologize for the copy not being too clear but, remember, it’s newsprint that’s more than 40 years old and the scan was kind of crooked) click on this link: