Arise Sir Tom Jones: The Biography

by Gwen Russell

From beginnings in the Welsh town of Pontypridd selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door, to sell-out Las Vegas shows and the ultimate accolade—a knighthood from the Queen—this celebration of the remarkable career of Tom Jones reveals the man behind the icon. His phenomenal journey is traced from his first South Wales gigs as an unsigned front man to his breakthrough hit It's Not Unusual, and eventual superstardom as the voice behind What's New Pussycat, Delilah, and She's a Lady. While his collaborations read like a who's who of pop and rock history, including works with Johnny Cash, Wyclef Jean, Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, Pavarotti, The Pretenders, Sting, and Robbie Williams, it has not all been a trouble-free career for the legendary Grammy award–winning entertainer whose shows are renowned for panty-hurling frenzies. Hard times discussed include Tom's bed-ridden year, his affairs, losing his long-time manager to cancer, and the quiet times in his career that he rode to eventually come out on top.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2007

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focuses on his famous years - in particular, his reputation as a ladies man (very warranted) and the interesting dynamic of his marriage. A bit of this book is repetitive, but I learned a few things I didn't know before - such as he won a Grammy in 1965 for Best New Artist! (Well earned, as his debut album is truly a masterpiece).

[Jackie Northall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and honest

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life of a famous singer is reviewed in this book.

Quite interesting and I was surprised how successful he was, but the sections on his affairs / money were a bit repetitive (it felt like they made up 80% of the book).