Buzz Magazine Buzz Magazine - July Issue | Page 20
RACE AGAINST TOM
upfront
SIR Tom Jones is a man who lives and breathes Wales and one of the most
popular vocalists to emerge from our beloved country. He’ll be performing in
Chepstow Race Course in a race night concert this month – apparently it’s not
unusual to combine horse racing and the sound of Tom Jones’ voice. Fortunately
Sir Tom won’t be mounting a steed to take part in the race but will instead be
sticking to what he’s knows best by providing the post-race entertainment.
If you haven’t heard about this sexbomb, then you must have been actively
blinding yourself to popular culture for five decades.
Often referred to as the Valley Boy, Tom’s claim to fame was hardly what you
would call smooth. This young boy from South Wales was spotted by manager
Gordon Mills, who plucked him from his small Welsh town of Pontypridd taking
him to the bright lights big city of London. From that moment there was no going
back. Jones’ popularity kicked off in 1965 with his single It’s Not Unusual, since
then his popularity has continued to grow and it has led to him being one of the
most renowned vocalists of in the world.
The much-admired singer received an OBE in 1999 and won Best British Male
in 2000’s Brit Awards, but that did not stop him there, oh no – he received a
knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his services to music in 2006. All along his
road to fame and success, however, Tom never left behind his Welsh routes, even
when he hit 100 million in record sales.
Though now he’s best known for sitting in big chairs on the set of The Voice
he isn’t afraid to get his lungs ready for a big belter of a show, and Chepstow
Racecourse is offering the opportunity to witness Sir Tom in all his glory in this
open air concert. COURTNEY BRIDGE
pic: WAYNE DILGER
A NEW DAWN
HAVING been a well-known and widely-loved figure on British television for over
30 years, Dawn French is finally embarking on her first ever solo tour. Taking on a
mammoth tour of over 62 dates, 3 Z[[ۈZ[