At 80, Tom Jones Uses A Bizarre Technique to Remain In Shape

Jun 01, 2021 by apost team

Tom Jones is a singer and performer who first rose to fame in the mid-1960s. He is best known for such songs as “It’s Not Unusual,” “What’s New Pussycat” and “Green, Green Grass of Home.” He is a Grammy award-winner and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to music in 2005. 

Jones is a baritone and is known for his robust and husky voice. His performing range includes such genres as R&B, soul, gospel, pop, country and rock ‘n’ roll. His eclectic music style is part of the reason he has endured as a performer for almost 60 years. He has sold over 100 million records and has made it to the Top 40 list in the U.K. 36 times. He reached the same feat in the U.S. 19 times.  

Jones also has some experience as an actor. In 1979 he played the lead role in the film “Pleasure Cove.” He appeared as himself in the 1996 Tim Burton film “Mars Attacks!” He even won a Golden Globe award for best actor in a television series musical or comedy for hosting a variety series titled “This is Tom Jones.” 

Jones has been very open about his love for his late wife Linda Woodward. The couple was married in 1957 and were together until Linda’s passing in 2016 from cancer. The couple shares a son, Mark Woodward, who was born in 1957 as well. Now that Jones is 80 he has begun a new technique to stay in shape. Some may find the practice bizarre, but Jones says it has been very beneficial for his health. Read on to learn more about the eccentric exercise. 

Jones was born Thomas John Woodward on June 7, 1940 in Glamorgan, South Wales. He is the son of a coal miner and likely would have become a coal miner himself were it not for a case of tuberculosis when he was 12 that damaged his lungs. "The doctor said to my parents, 'Whatever you do, you can't put this boy in a coal mine because he has weak lungs.' And the weird thing is, with weak lungs I've become a singer," Jones told The Guardian. 

While Jones was sick, he had to remain in isolation for two years until he was finally able to safely be around others. As one can imagine, this was an incredibly difficult time in his life. "When I used to get up for an hour a day, I would stand at the front door and see my mates playing, going up the hills. They'd shout, 'All right, Tom' but I couldn't get out the door,” Jones said.

“There was a lamp-post at the end of our street, and I'd look at it and think, once I can walk from this door to that lamp-post, I will never complain about another thing in my life. And that was it. And if I do, if the thought ever enters my mind, I see that lamp-post," the singer added.

The illness had a profound effect on how Jones viewed the world. During that period of isolation, he said that he spent most of his waking hours singing, listening to music and drawing. Jones found solace in music and said his bluesy singing style developed from his love of American soul music.

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Jones attended Pontypridd Central Secondary Modern School in Glamorgan. He began singing at a young age and would perform for his family at gatherings and in his school choir. In regards to his young voice, Jones told The Guardian: "Some kids, they sing very high and then ... their voice drops. I can't remember that ever happening to me. It was higher, but it didn't change dramatically."

When Jones was 16 he married his high school girlfriend, Linda Trenchard, and the young couple had their son Mark that same year. Life with a baby was challenging at first, so in order to support his family, Jones began working in construction and at a glove factory. He put his dreams of becoming a singer on hold.

Rise to Stardom

In 1963, Jones became the frontman for a band called Tommy Scott and the Senators. They were a beat group and gained a following in South Wales. By 1964, the group had recorded several songs with producer Joe Meek. Meek tried to show the demos to various record labels without much success. At one point, the band was connected with manager Phillip Soloman, but the partnership was short-lived.   

The band played gigs in dance halls and at men’s clubs for a while, until one night, Jones was spotted by Gordon Mills, a London-based manager. Mills was impressed by Jones’ talent and decided to become his manager. Mills took him to London and changed his professional name to Tom Jones. Eventually, Mills was able to get Jones a deal with Decca Records. 

Jones’ first single came in late 1964 and was titled “Chills and Fever.” The song did not chart, but the follow-up single did. That song was “It’s Not Unusual,” and it became an international hit that is still famous to this day. The song is responsible for making Jones a household name.

The popular song’s rise to fame came about quickly, especially considering the slow start to Jones’ career. Jones told The Guardian, "I recorded ‘It's Not Unusual’ on Nov. 11, 1964, it came out on January 22 1965 and it was number one by March 1, which was St David's Day. Tremendous!" The success of “It’s Not Unusual” was life-changing for Jones and pushed his career into the mainstream.  

During 1965, Jones also sang the theme songs for such movies as “What’s New Pussycat” and the James Bond film “Thunderball.” These opportunities added to Jones’ fame and in 1966 he took home the Grammy award for the best new artist. He went on to have three more of his songs reach the top two on the U.K. charts. 

Las Vegas And Friendship With Elvis Presley

In 1967, Jones performed for the first time at the popular Las Vegas hotel, The Flamingo. This was a popular spot for famous musical guests during that time. Such talented artists as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley would perform there, so Jones was in good company. Still, because of his ability to perform so many different genres of music Jones began to struggle with his identity as a performer.  

Jones shared in an interview with BBC News, "Because It's Not Unusual had brass on it, and I did What's New Pussycat after that ... the public thinks, 'Well that's what Tom Jones is.’ And then I went to Las Vegas for a month straight, two shows a night. Elvis was there, Frank Sinatra was there, so it was a great place to be. But then you get labeled as a Vegas act. I'm not a Vegas act.” That being said, Jones would go on to perform for a week in Las Vegas every year until 2011.

Jones had met Presley for the first time in 1965, at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles while Presley was filming the movie “Paradise, Hawaiian Style.” They became fast friends, and their friendship only grew while they were both performing in Las Vegas. Jones described how Presley inspired him as a performer that he wasn’t afraid to show his masculine side.

“I knew him very well, and he said I see in you what I feel myself. You see, Elvis was a macho man, he was a good-looking fella, but he was still strong. So, not to pick on Mick Jagger, but (Elvis) said, ‘what do people see in the Beatles and the Stones and these British bands?’ He said, ‘Thank heaven for you coming out of Britain, that you feel the same thing.’ I said, 'Well, you are partly to blame, it was watching you … you rubbed off on me so much that you gave me the confidence to do it,'" Jones said to The Guardian.

Later, Jones would regret not being there for Presley while he was struggling prior to his death. Jones said, "I didn't know Elvis was sick. I thought he was just getting lazy — he was getting heavy and pushed people away from him. The first thing that hit me after he died was I should have gone and seen him. Priscilla called me, and said, 'When you show up, you give him a spark. He's got this competitive spark in him again.' So I thought maybe I could have given him that shot again. Maybe."

Personal Life And Late Career

Despite public infidelity and other issues, Jones maintained that his wife Linda was the love of his life. He credits her for being the one to keep him grounded during his early career. He told BBC, "Your head gets a bit large when you start to get hit records. You think, 'Oh yeah, I'm on my way now.' But she would pull me up. She'd say, 'You don't really think you're Tom Jones, do you?'"

After Linda passed in 2016, Jones thought he would never be able to sing again. “When you’re emotional, you can’t sing, your voice closes up. There are certain songs I wouldn’t do. But you have to try and get things in the right perspective. Feeling emotional; use it to your advantage and put it into the song. It took me a while. Took me a few months to try and see if I could sing. I got some of my musicians around and tried a few songs. But it was very emotional,” he said in an interview with This Morning. 

During the year his wife passed, Jones stopped performing live and took a break from appearing as a judge on the U.K. version of “The Voice.” He first started on the singing competition series in 2012 and contributed every year until 2016. The show has done a great job of introducing Jones and his music to a younger audience.

“A little kid came up to me before lockdown when I was walking through the park and she said, ‘I love you on The Voice.’ I said, ‘Oh, thanks.’ I said, ‘Is it the show you like?’ She said, ‘No, you.’ I said, well and this kid was 10, 10 years old. She said, ‘My favorite song is the ‘Green Green Grass of Home.’ 10 years old, I mean Christ, that’s tremendous,” Jones shared with Spin Magazine. 

Weight Loss Journey

Now at age 80, Jones has had to find ways to stay in shape. He credits his great health to a practice called inversion therapy. “In 2030 I am going to be 90 years old. I hang upside down. You know on one of those frames. It’s great. You put your feet in the thing and you flip and you hang,” Jones told The Sun. 

It may seem bizarre but Jones claims that the exercise is relaxing. “I’ve got an inversion table. I hang upside down every day. The blood rushes to your head. You have to breathe upside down, which is … at the beginning, people panic when they go upside down. They think they can’t breathe, but you can as long as you just relax. That’s a relaxing thing to start the day off,“ he said to Spin.

Jones then explained what else he does to stay healthy. “I always drink plenty of water. You can’t get dehydrated, and you need sleep. You do need sleep, especially when you’re doing shows. If you’re out on the road, you’ve got to make sure that you rest and drink plenty of water. That’s basically it.”

Whatever Jones is doing must be working because it sounds like the man has a lot of energy for his age. “I’ve got a trainer who comes to see me. A lot of stretching and boxing thrown in. It’s a good cardiovascular workout. I’ve got a 12-pack. But health is very important and that’s a lot of luck. You’ve got to take care of yourself,” he said to The Sun. 

Along with his excellent physical health, Jones’ voice hasn’t aged a day. “I pray every day. I get on my knees and pray and thank God for giving me this voice. Because I listen to older singers, and their vibrato slows down. Well, mine hasn’t done that yet, and the flexibility of singers, because your vocal cords, they get old and tired, and you can’t use them as well as when you were young. Thank God it hasn’t happened to me, not yet, anyway,” he mentioned to Spin.

Jones' voice is timeless, just like his music and his positive attitude. The artist is still going strong as he just released a brand new album in April of 2021 titled “Surrounded by Time.” He also said that he hopes to tour again once the pandemic is over.

Are you a fan of Jones’ music? What do you think about inversion therapy? Let us know your thoughts and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.