Sir Tom Jones is 85. Just think about that for a second. Most people at 85 are worrying about their hip replacements or the crossword puzzle, but Tom? He’s basically outdoing people half his age on global stages. It's wild.
He isn't just a legacy act. Honestly, calling him a "nostalgia performer" feels like a massive insult to what the guy is actually doing with his voice right now. If you've caught a clip of him on The Voice UK or seen him live recently, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That "Voice from the Valleys" hasn't just survived; it has evolved into something deeper, grittier, and frankly, more interesting than the "Sexbomb" era ever was.
The Secret to the Voice (It’s Not Just Luck)
People always ask how he does it. How do you keep a "full-throated, robust baritone" for sixty years without it turning into a thin rasp?
He’s been open about the technical shifts. Back in the '60s, he was a tenor. He could hit a top C without breaking a sweat. Now? He’s settled into a B-flat. He’s admitted that while the top end might have tucked itself away, the bottom end of his range has filled out like a vintage wine.
It’s about maintenance, too. In a 2025 interview that went viral on TikTok, he credited something as simple as Vocalzones. Yeah, those throat pastilles that Jeremy Clarkson famously said taste "disgusting." Tom doesn't care. They keep the dryness at bay. He also uses a humidifier religiously. It’s the unglamorous reality of being a professional. You treat the vocal cords like a high-performance engine.
💡 You might also like: Denzel Washington Movies Flight: The Brutal Truth Behind Whip Whitaker
But there’s a psychological part to it as well. Tom Jones doesn't sing "at" the audience anymore. He sings "with" the weight of his life. When he performs "I’m Growing Old" (the Bobby Cole cover), it isn't a gimmick. It’s a 85-year-old man looking you in the eye and telling the truth. That kind of authenticity is why he’s still selling out places like Cardiff Castle and the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas in 2026.
Beyond the Panty-Throwing Cliché
We have to talk about the knickers. For decades, you couldn't mention Tom Jones the singer without some joke about women throwing underwear at his head. It was his brand. It was the Vegas "crooner" image Gordon Mills helped build.
But that image almost killed his artistic credibility. By the late '70s and early '80s, he was dangerously close to becoming a caricature of himself.
The pivot started with "Kiss." That Prince cover in 1988 was a middle finger to the "Green, Green Grass of Home" expectations. Then came Reload in 1999. Suddenly, he was the coolest guy in the room again, collaborating with the Cardigans and Stereophonics.
What's really fascinating is his work over the last fifteen years. Starting with Praise & Blame in 2010, produced by Ethan Johns, Tom stripped everything back. No glitter. No brass sections. Just blues, gospel, and a raw, unvarnished vocal. His latest stuff, like the 2021 album Surrounded by Time, is experimental. It's weird. It uses spoken word and electronic loops. He’s taking more risks in his eighties than most pop stars take in their twenties.
The 2025-2026 Tour Schedule
If you’re looking to see him, he hasn't slowed down. His 2025 North American tour hit the Ryman in Nashville and the Hard Rock Live in Florida. Into 2026, he’s still headlining major festivals.
- The Vibe: It's less about the hip-thrusting now and more about the storytelling.
- The Setlist: You’ll still get "It’s Not Unusual" (usually a reimagined, brassy version) and "Delilah," but the highlights are the Dylan and Leonard Cohen covers.
- The Crowd: It’s a mix of grandmothers who have loved him since 1965 and Gen Z fans who discovered him through The Voice or his covers of "Talking Reality Television Blues."
What Most People Get Wrong
There’s this misconception that he’s just a "performer" who sings what he’s told. That’s nonsense. Tom Jones has always had a deep, encyclopedic knowledge of American R&B and Soul. He was friends with Elvis—real friends. Elvis used to ask him for advice on how to handle certain songs.
He’s also a survivor of a very specific era of the music industry. He left school at 15, worked in paper mills, and sang in Welsh working men's clubs where the crowds were tough. You don't lose that grit. It’s what keeps him from becoming "too" polished.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Singers
If you're a fan or even a vocalist looking at his career as a blueprint, here is how you "do" a Tom Jones:
- Adapt your material to your age. Don't try to sound 25 when you're 60. Tom embraced the baritone and the "elder statesman" role, which gave him a second (and third) life.
- Health is a hobby. Use the humidifier. Get the Vocalzones. Stop the late-night shouting.
- Collaborate outside your genre. His longevity is 100% tied to his willingness to work with younger producers and different styles.
- Listen to his "Acoustic" versions. If you want to hear the technical skill, listen to the 2024-2025 live recordings of "What's New Pussycat?" It’s a masterclass in breath control.
To truly appreciate Tom Jones the singer today, you have to stop looking at the 1960s black-and-white clips. Look at the man on stage right now. He’s a bridge between the birth of rock and roll and the modern era. He’s still here because he never stopped being curious about what a song could do.
Check his official site for the remaining 2026 dates in Europe and the UK. If you've never heard that voice in person, do it while you can. It’s a literal piece of music history that refuses to stay in the past.