Tom Jones. 1964 and 2014<\/span><\/span>Pontypridd is not a place that springs to mind for music.\u00a0 However, one of the world\u2019s most famous singers came from there. In 1963, he joined the band Tommy Scott and the Senators. He is nearly 74 years of age and has an OBE and a Knighthood.\u00a0 When he was 12, he got TB, which kept him in bed for two years. It was during this time that he began to develop his love of music.\u00a0 His marriage of 57 years is still as strong today as it was in 1957 and it produced a son, Mark, who is his manager today.\u00a0 He sang the theme song from Thunderball.\u00a0 In 1974 he moved to America to escape Britain\u2019s 83% marginal tax rate and bought Dean Martins mansion in Bel Air.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m talking about Tom Jones.<\/span><\/p>\n He was born Thomas Jones Woodward on 7th<\/span>\u00a0June 1940 to Thomas Woodward and Freda Jones.\u00a0 His father died on 5th<\/span>\u00a0October 1981 and his mother died on 7th<\/span>\u00a0February 2003.\u00a0 His Welsh home was 57 Kingsland Terrace, Treforest, Pontypridd, South Wales.\u00a0 Both his parents and grandparents were from Wales, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.<\/p>\n Other stars also born in 1940 include John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Raquel Welch, Chuck Norris, Pele, Al Pacino and Bruce Lee.<\/p>\n Tom did not like school or sports and spent his time singing in the school choir when he could.\u00a0 It is said he was once told off for drowning out the rest of the choir as they sang Men Of Harlech in school assembly.\u00a0 He said that it gave him confidence and he also sang at family gatherings and weddings.\u00a0 As mentioned above, when he was 12, he contracted tuberculosis and during his two year recovery in bed, he listened to music and drew.<\/p>\n His time listening to music brought him to American soul, blues, R&B. gospel and rock to mention a few.\u00a0 Tom\u2019s influences at that time included Little Richard, Solomon Burke, Jackie Wilson, Brook Benton and Elvis.<\/p>\n In his teens, he was becoming something of a tearaway – missing school, drinking and chasing girls. He began dating Melinda Trenchard, a local Catholic girl known as Linda. When he was 16, Tom and Linda got married.\u00a0 A month later, they had a son, Mark.<\/p>\n Tom had to provide for his family, so he began working in a glove factory, door to door selling and in construction.\u00a0 He also worked at nights in a paper mill as well as singing.\u00a0 He was running out of hours in the day, so he gave up the paper mill to concentrate on singing at night.<\/p>\n