Sir Tom Jones was just a young lad from Pontypridd in South Wales when he became famous. He made it big with It’s Not Unusual, after which he sang a James Bond theme song and had some mega hits. He then started doing a regular show in Las Vegas, similarly to his mate Elvis – but what was the singer like?
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Tom Jones biographer Colin Macfarlane revealed how Sir Tom’s cousin, Alan Woodward, found life in Las Vegas when he went to visit Sir Tom.
He said: “Alan had quite a few stories, his cousin, about going over and meeting Tom; Alan would stay with Tom in Las Vegas.
“It sounded like wall to wall women, it was crazy. And he was aware of it in Pontyridd, but he couldn’t believe it when he went to Vegas… he thought it was just incredible thing to happen to a Pontypridd Teddy Boy, if nothing else.”
Asked whether Alan perceived much change in his cousin, he was glad to say he was with the same old Tom – with some mega perks.
He continued: “To Alan he [Sir Tom] was just the same.
“Alan… phoned Tom up and said, ‘I’ve just had redundancy money…’ and Tom said, ‘Well come over!’
“The funny story was Alan was on the plane going over and he was getting p****d on the plane and a woman said, ‘Oh where are you going?
“She said, ‘Are going to see anyone?’ and he said, Yeah, my cousin, Tom Jones.’
“She looked at him and couldn’t believe it.
“They get to the airport and this limousine arrives with TJ 1 on it, and Alan got in and gave them a wave goodbye! They couldn’t believe it.”
While Sir Tom’s dalliances have been well documented – with the singer once confessing to bedding 250 women a year in his heyday – he remained married to his wife, Linda Trenchard, until her death in 2016.
Linda remained out of the spotlight for much of Sir Tom’s career, rarely giving interviews or being seen out in public.
The pair had a child, Mark, born when they were just 16-years-old, who was a young boy when Sir Tom made it big.
Eventually, Mark became Sir Tom’s manager, and the pair are close to this day, looking so similar some have even suggested they are brothers rather than father and son.
Linda died after a “short but fierce” battle with cancer in 2016, after which Sir Tom is reported to have moved back to the UK and sold many of their possessions, except precious photographs and important items to them.
Colin Macfarlane’s new book, Sir Tom Jones: 80, is out now
