Has Sir Tom Jones Lost His Chill Over Race And Sexuality?


Veteran crooner Sir Tom Jones has stepped into controversy for the third time in just a few days. The 75-year-old Welsh singer was slammed just a few days ago when he seemed to imply that gay people were “not normal.” Now it seems that the “Delilah” singer wants to take a DNA test to find out whether or not he is black. Jones also recently launched a foul mouthed tirade against rival singer Engelbert Humperdinck

Jones is one of the longest established artists in the music business and is still performing after over 50 years. As reported in Inquisitr recently, Sir Tom acted as mentor and judge on the U.K. version of The Voice until he was “unceremoniously dumped” amid claims of BBC ageism.

tom jones
(Photo By Alan Ewart)

Noise 11 questions whether Sir Tom has “lost the plot” after his recent outbursts. According to NME Jones was recently interviewed by Metro as he launched a new album and a book. When Jones was asked if he would ever patch up his relationship with Humperdinck, he said “No. It’s as I say – once a c*** always a c***.”

Jones followed up those comments with even more controversial comments about gay people. According to the Telegraph, Jones told the Big Issue that he was “paranoid” about whether or not people were gay when he first got involved in the music business.

Jones said “I was ready for most aspects of the music industry but, when him [Joe Meek], that threw me off a bit, because he was a homosexual.”

“I thought ‘wait a minute’, is the London scene, are there a lot of homosexuals involved here? Because, if so, I’m going back to Cardiff.

“Once I got over the shock of that, and realised it wasn’t true, most people were normal.”

Many people were upset by Jones’ comments but he later defended himself stating that his comments reflected life in the early 1960’s when attitudes, including Sir Tom’s own, were very different.

Now it seems that Jones wants to take a DNA test to determine whether or not he is black. Jones says that, because he has curly hair and a swarthy complexion, a lot of people have asked him if he is black. According to NME, Jones claims that a lot of people who heard him sing couldn’t believe he was white. Jones says, “A lot of people still think I’m black.”

“When I first came to America, people who had heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me. Because of my hair, a lot of black people still tell me that I’m just passing as white.”

Jones says that when he was born his mother came out in dark blotches on her skin and doctors asked if she had any black blood. According to Jones, she told the doctors that she didn’t know. As a result, Jones states that he will now take a DNA test to find out if he has any black blood in his ancestry.

tom jones
(photo by Alan Ewart)

Sir Tom’s latest comments are sure to have his management shaking their heads in despair. Jones’ image is carefully protected by his management. Jones team are so paranoid about bad publicity that they vet every photograph taken of Jones during live performances to try to ensure that “nothing unflattering” reaches the press.

Jones’ management’s efforts are not likely to be successful if Sir Tom drops himself in hot water every time he speaks to the media.

What do you make of Jones’ recent comments? Is Jones simply an old man who reflects the attitudes of his age? Alternatively, is Jones homophobic and racist? Do you think Sir Tom Jones has “lost the plot”?

[All Photos By Alan Ewart]

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