A REALITY CHECK WEEK # 2 (MONDAY)!
The New CD
Tom Jones is "still in the game" of Life..better believe it! He started out at age 17. He's on the road roughly 300 days a year and his son manages him. The man is a Legend, a Survivor. I saw him perform this song in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.
Jones first exploded onto the music scene in 1965 with his No. 1 hit “It’s Not Unusual.” From there he went on to release a string of hits before starring in his variety show, “This is Tom Jones” in 1969. The show ran for three years and featured the top musical artists of the time. Throughout his career Jones has released new chart-topping albums while also managing to re-invent his music. He won the MTV Breakthrough Video Award in 1988 with his re-make of the Prince song “Kiss.” The song not only put Jones on top again, but gained him a whole new demographic of fans. Jones' talent and contributions as an artist and performer have been recognized with various awards. One of the most notable occurred in 2006 when he was knighted by the Queen of England. Over four-decades of hits..too long to name here. Among them: "Delilah", "Daughter of Darkness", and Randy Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On". In the 1970's, Elvis Presley would slip into a show with his bodyguards in tow and sit in the rafters to watch Tom's show when he had a night off. They remained good friends for life. No, it's not 1969 anymore. But Tom Jones is still a reminder that sticking with it when you've still got it is timeless. Ill say it: He still kicks major ass in his performances. A table full of guys in their 20's and 30's from Wales were seated next to me. They told me they had grown up hearing their parents play his music and knew what an icon he was. "He's one of our countrymen, and we just had to see him here," said one of the guys. They went nuts after this song. When I listen to the screams in this audience, it reminds me of the night I saw Tom. Same thing. I had a BLAST! Therefore...This is our Monday Reality! Crank it up!
For Tom Jones' 2009 Worldwide Concert Dates Go To:
posted by Michael Manning @ 12:00 AM
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11 Comments:
thanks for sharing that video michael! one can hear the passion in his voice. i think that's why he is still such a great performer.
and frankly, from my limited experience, it's very hard to be consistently passionate about anything for an extended period. fads weave in and out, focus changes, we change.
can you imagine singing the same song for 300 times?
the man is incredible.
I like that duets album he did a few years back.
I remember my mother watching his show and us (her children) making fun of him! I never knew the Elvis connection.
I'm not a big fan...but I STILL wish that I would have went to see him in Vegas...just so I could SAY I went.LOL
Oops...I think I already mentioned that...but anyways,maybe I'll catch him the next time I'm there.
Morning, Seraphine: It's so much about reinventing himself. When you look at al who have come and gone out of sheer exhaustion, drug use, or frustration when the trends waned. Tom refused to cave-in to any of this and just kept making records. He is truly a Legend. His guitarist is his musical director and they are always coming up with new material. He still does the old hits and infuses current material as he did here with Hoobastank's hit song, "The Reason". I recommend you see him. He has passion and the energy to keep the show in high gear and the audience is 25-65 in age. He hit the wider demagraphic he was looking for. And there's nothing sweeter than continued success. I hope to go back and see the show again myself!
Sage: Yes, very good friends with Elvis from what I understand. BTW: "This is Tom Jones" has been released on DVD!
D-Man: Yeah, with Joss Stone. He also appeared with Luciano Pavarotti in a charity event for Afghan refugees, Wycliff Jean and Jools Holland.
Tammi: A fun thought "Tammi In Vegas". Take photos...and enjoy the show when you do go. His tour schedule is on his website and he is doing USA, Canada and Europe. He loves touring! :)
Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Tom Jones: they all had great voices. Elvis started as a tenor and developed into a baritone. The great crooners seem to be baritones whatever the genre. Too much of Rock and Country has the music overshadowing a mediocre voice. A great voice doesn't need that. Great tenors don't seem to reach the same superstardom as baritones and basses are always backup. Just my thoughts.
I have been listening to him most of my life and he is still up there not forcing the music out but performing it like hee used to.
I think he has the largest panty collection in the world to from all the female fans throwing them to him
Walker: True! Remember when women would throw their hotel door keys on stage too! Today, they'd have to throw plastic cards you swipe with an electronic strip. Also, how do you know which card belongs to which woman? Such a challenge! With Elvis, at least he used to spot someone he wanted to "meet" and sent out a body guard to escort her to his hotel suite. :D) How times have changed!
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