WITH a career spanning more than 50 years, Sir Tom Jones has an awful lot to look back on.

Despite his success over the years and the public’s continued affection for him, he tells The Guide he is ever-thankful for how things have turned out.

Sir Tom says, “I knew from a very young age that I had a voice and I was musical.

“You have to have some natural gifts that you can develop, so I’m ever-thankful that I have a talent that also enables me to earn a living.”

Sir Tom’s distinctive voice and iconic records touched on pop, rock, soul, dance, country and gospel. To date he has achieved more than 100 million record sales, generated by hits such as It’s Not Unusual, Kiss, Delilah and What’s New Pussycat.

He says hearing what his music does to others means more to him than the knighthood he picked up 10 years ago.

Sir Tom says, “When someone comes up to me in the street, or writes a note and tells me how much my music means to them, or to someone they know, that’s the greatest achievement.

“The knighthood, I think, is a reflection of that; the honour is about what you actually do for people and it could be the simplest thing but, hopefully, it’s helpful and positive.”

He says he is unable to pick out an over-riding encounter with a star as being his most memorable, adding: “It’s been a long career and I’ve met so many different people; everyone is unique and they all have something really special ... that’s why they’re stars.”

It hasn’t all been easy going. As a younger, red-blooded singer, he is said to have slept with countless female fans.

His marriage to boyhood sweetheart Melinda Rose Woodward (better known as Linda) in 1957 went on to weather a storm of reported infidelity.

“She doesn’t get involved with the showbiz and tells me straight,” Sir Tom once said in an interview, “She says she married Tommy Woodward, not Tom Jones. She’s the only person who answers me back.”

Linda, Lady Woodward, died on April 10 this year in Los Angeles, with Sir Tom by her side after a “short but fierce” battle with cancer.

Show must go on

In the wake of Linda’s passing, after initially cancelling some shows, Sir Tom reassured fans that his Sussex gig will go on.

He confirmed in a statement less than a month after her passing: “I came to the conclusion that singing really is my best therapy, see you this summer.”

Sir Tom has played in Brighton several times over the years, recently at the Brighton Centre in October 2009 the same year he played Glastonbury.

He tells The Guide, “I’ve played Brighton many times over the years and it’s a lovely, lively area. I wouldn’t say I know it well but I do know it has a thriving music scene, which is fantastic.”

Though not a cricket player himself, merely watching on TV, Sir Tom says he is looking forward to his show at the County Ground in Hove.

Sir Tom recently announced his opening artists for the gig - keeping it local with Brit Award-nominees Toploader, from Eastbourne, and an opening set from up-and-coming musician AJ Brown.

Sir Tom reveals his preparations for before he goes onstage: “I keep things simple. I don’t like too much time for hanging around so I get to the gig with just enough time to do what I have to do.

“All singers have to first and foremost look after their health, as it’s difficult and dangerous to sing if you’re ill as you don’t want to cause serious damage to the vocal cords, which are very sensitive. So my tips are plenty of humidity and hydration, enough sleep and some exercise when you can.”

As well as his back catalogue, Sir Tom will air material from recent albums Spirit In The Room and Praise And Blame along with his latest, Long Lost Suitcase, a compilation of songs collected by him over years and stored in a suitcase only to be found years later and brought to life.

His aim with these albums was to move away from his entertainer tag and record songs in an organic, live way. To do so he employed the talents of record producer Ethan Johns (son of Glynn Johns), who has worked with Kings Of Leon and Ryan Adams among others.

Sir Tom says, “When we work in the studio, Ethan and the band and Mark, my manager, work over loads of songs.

“We usually end up with what sounds great on my voice at any given time, what I naturally love to sing and what lyrics move me.

“We record everything live, so what you hear are complete performances – nothing is dropped in.

“Sometimes it takes forever to crack it but when it happens, it’s hard to explain.”

Tough going

Sir Tom would not be drawn on whether he would return as a judge on The Voice, saying, “I did enjoy doing The Voice because I enjoy helping people who are trying to get a good start in the business.

“I don’t know what’s happening for the next series on ITV, let’s just hope it’s at least as good as the show that started at the BBC.”

He says the toughest part of being on The Voice was disappointing hopeful singers: “The most difficult thing by far was having to let a talented and hopeful person go, as I felt for them and what they were going through. They were brave and had a lot of nerve.”

But he defends talent shows and how they have shaped the industry. Sir Tom says, “There have always been talent shows, ever since the beginning of pop music.

“There are also competitions in other forms of music and the arts as well, so it’s nothing really new, it’s just bigger and shinier and there are more people watching who have an opinion.

“Regardless, it does take determination and some mastery of fear and nerves to be able to get up and do what contestants do and I admire that.

“Whether or not someone who appears, or even wins, a TV talent show ends up having a successful career, that’s a different matter and that depends on many other factors.

“The industry itself has never, ever been easy. And it still isn’t.

“Even if you manage initial success, you have the challenge of having to maintain it, which is harder still.

“And because the industry is what it is today, having a career in music that you can sustain is very difficult.”

But sustain it he has, with a tour of the Americas planned after this. “It will be fun as I’ve haven’t been there for a while,” he says on the upcoming stint.

Fans can rest safe knowing he’ll perform his hits: “Every song that becomes successful is different from another. I don’t get tired of performing them because we constantly flip the arrangements to give them some fresh life.”

On his County Ground gig, he adds: “It’ll be a range of stuff from all over the eras and genres, played by a great band who are really talented and entertaining.

“We take the audience to all kinds of places emotionally and physically, so it’s a really satisfying experience.

“I respect how much time and money it takes for folks to come to a show, so every effort goes into making it a great time for all.”

Sir Tom Jones performs at the County Ground, home of Sussex County Cricket Club, in Eaton Road, Hove, on Sunday, July 17. Gates open from 4pm. Tickets £39.50-£69, call 0844 264 0206. Visit ticketmaster.co.uk, tomjones.com and sussexcricket.co.uk.

WIN tickets to see Tom Jones and MEET HIM, thanks to The Argus 

SIR TOM IN THE HERE AND NOW

THOMAS JONES WOODWARD was born in Pontypridd, South Wales on June 7, 1940, to a father who worked the coal mines of the Rhondda Valley.

After quitting school at 15, working a variety of manual jobs, singing in the clubs at night and marrying at 17, Jones went on to sign with Decca Records in London.

His first single, Chills And Fever, was released in late 1964. It didn’t chart but the follow-up, It’s Not Unusual, became an international hit after being played on pirate radio.

Although well-known for other hits including Kiss, Delilah and What’s New Pussycat, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again and If I Only Knew, he is also an artist with a rhythm ‘n’ blues soul – and still successful. His 1999 album Reload was the biggest selling of his then 35-year career.

Sir Tom was a key player in Martin Scorsese’s Red White And Blues series and in 2004 released an album of roots rock ‘n’ roll with former Squeeze musician Jools Holland.

Sir Tom was knighted by Her Majesty the Queen in 2006, an honour he deeply cherishes. It was an honour he was able to celebrate once again in 2012 when he performed at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace.

2010 saw a change of direction with Tom releasing his 39th studio album, Praise And Blame. The mantra was “get back to basics”, and the album was recorded as wholly live performances at Peter Gabriel’s studio in Bath, produced by Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon, Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne, Laura Marling, Paolo Nutini).

In May 2012 Sir Tom released Spirit In The Room. Paired once again with producer/guitarist Ethan Johns at Bath’s Real World Studios, Spirit In The Room, like its predecessor, allowed an unvarnished Tom to bring his voice to songs by Richard Thompson, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon and Paul McCartney.

In 2015, Sir Tom continued his role as coach on the fourth series of The Voice UK, working alongside Will.i.am, Rita Ora and Ricky Wilson, before leaving the show.

Other highlights of his long career include receiving a Brit Award for Best Male and Outstanding Contribution to Music, a Silver Clef Award and a Silver Clef Award for Lifetime Achievement, GQ Man Of The Year, and the Music Industry Trust Award. He has also been involved in fundraising for Children In Need, headlining a special two-hour television event with his friends in both music and comedy.