How To Sing Like Tom Jones (5 Brilliant Tips)

Tom Jones, full name Thomas John Woodward is a Welsh-born singer with a wide musical allure who rose to prominence as a stud with a beautiful voice and rambunctious showmanship. 

He is best known for his 1960s hits ‘What’s New, Pussycat?’, ‘It’s Not Unusual’,  ‘Green, Green Grass of Home’ and of course ‘Delilah’.

In his over 50 years musical career he has had a steady string of hit songs and he is still very much relevant today. 

Tom Jones is widely regarded as being one of the greatest British musicians of all time.

He has won several Grammy and Brit Awards and has record sales of 100 over million. It is no surprise that upcoming musicians look up to him and admire his style.

In this article, we will discuss how to sing like Tom Jones, how he started singing, his voice type and vocal range as well as what makes his voice so unique. 

What Are The Steps Needed To Sing Like Tom Jones?

1. Regularly Warm Up

Before attempting to sing, warm up your voice by making some vocal ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’.

This is particularly helpful for loosening up your vocal muscles and avoiding strain after you are done singing.

2. Inhale Some Steam 

This is a technique postulated by the great Tom Jones. Have a steam spray close to you and then spray into your throat. You can also have some menthol close by.

3. Practice Tom Jones Vocal Technique

Tom Jones has his own unique way of singing which you can learn and internalize by frequently listening to his songs and watching his performances.

Performances are a great way of imitating a singer as you get to see some details and gestures.

4. Spin your Vibrato While Singing

When you are singing in your upper register don’t keep a straight tone, spin your notes to release a curled and melodious sound.

This technique can be seen in Tom Jones’ performance of ‘Delilah’. It adds to the allure that is often heard in Tom Jones’s songs. 

What Voice Type Does Tom Jones Have?

The subject of Tom Jones’ voice had originally been controversial as there were arguments about which part he falls into.

Tom Jones however is a baritone and has been described as a ‘full-throated and robust baritone’.

His voice seemed to have undergone a subtle change as he himself described his younger voice as a tenor. 

What Makes Tom Jones’ Voice So Unique?

Tom Jones is renowned for his rich, reverberant, expansive voice and he has proven to be a dynamic singer giving us a variety of styles which includes soul music, traditional pop and R&B. 

A large part of Tom Jones’s appeal as a musician is also his subtle delivery, which demonstrates insightful use of a wide flexible range while ornamenting consistent notes with a broad, semi-operatic vibrato. 

In all, Sir Tom Jones is an expertly accomplished vocalist and entertainer with plenty of charm and a voice that continues to impress well into his fifth decade of career.

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Can Tom Jones Actually Sing?

Tom Jones has been on the stage for over 50 years and has given us some hit songs and albums which are still very much loved by his audience till today.

We cannot deny that Tom Jones is one of a kind and hasn’t diminished much since he first started singing.

His voice has gone through a subtle change over the years but the man is 80 years of age and can still come on stage to give impressive performances.

Like he said himself, he is not a songwriter but when it comes to singing, Tom Jones is an amazing vocalist who has handled is voice well over the years. 

How Did Tom Jones Start Singing?

When Tom Jones was a child, he began singing at family gatherings and community events. In 1963, Woodward debuted as Tommy Scott with the Senators, a local Welsh band.

The following year, Gordon Mills discovered him and signed him as his manager and as well gave him the nom de guerre Tom Jones. 

In 1964, he released his first single, ‘Chills and Fever’. 

Tom Jones got his big break with ‘It’s Not Unusual’ the following year and it became a massive success in both the United States as well as the UK. 

He released more  chart-topping singles, including ‘Once Upon a Time’ and ‘With These Hands’, as well as movie theme songs ‘What’s New Pussycat?’ and ‘Thunderball’ of the Woody Allen and James Bond movies of the same name. 

He won his first Grammy Award in 1966 for the best new artist, however he got some backlash for the raunchiness of his songs.

He attempted to modify that with his 1966 and 1968 songs; ‘Green Green Grass’ and ‘Delilah’.

Since then, Tom Jones has recorded massive success with his success especially his 1999 album Reloaded.

His last album ‘Spirit in The Room’ was released in 2012 and also recorded prominent success.

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What Is Tom Jones’ Vocal Range?

Tom Jones’ vocal range has been placed around F#1 – D6 spanning 4 octaves and a semitone. 

Tom Jones is frequently heard belting in a breathy snafu into his low 5th lower register, but also extending with firmness in melody down to the low-mid 2nd octave, with sufficient lower passageways down to F1. 

His innate fach shines through when he croons in his mid-range, which he often does comfortably and with wonderful, unaffected coziness.

What Is The Highest Note Tom Jones Can Sing?

As I said earlier, Tom Jones is more comfortable singing in his middle register.

In the early days of his career, he often went as high as B5 in his head voice and some of his notable high notes include ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’ and ‘If Only I Knew’.

Tom Jones’ voice has aged impressively and although he doesn’t hold his upper register as much as he did in his younger days, he is performing well for a man of his age. 

What Are Some Classic Tom Jones Songs To Practice?

• Sexbomb: Tom collaborated with dance act Mousse T on this party anthem for his hugely successful comeback album Reload. It was a number three hit in 1999 and featured a sample from Sister Sledge’s “All American Girls.”

• Thunderball: The song ‘Thunderball’ originally released in 1965 was the theme song for the 1965 James Bond movie also titled ‘Thunderball. The sound track was iconic and it was reported that Tom Jones fainted in the recording booth holding the song’s final note for a long time. 

• Burning Down The House: ‘Burning Down The House’ was a collaboration with the Swedish band and sensation the Cardigans. Released in 1999, as part of his Reload collabo album, Sir Tom Jones won a huge top 10 hit with this Talking Heads cover. 

The song gave both him and the Cardigans their biggest ever hits that year.

Conclusion

Sir Tom Jones (OBE), yes you heard that right —he was knighted by the queen, is a singer who has been on the music scene for a whooping five decades.

He has given us a number of hits ranging from ‘Delilah’, ‘Thunderball’ and ‘Green Green Grass’.

Tom Jones has an impressive voice which has not diminished with age. Although, his voice is subtly different from what we heard in the early years of his career, it has retained its’ strength over the years.

He has his own technique of singing as Tom Jones sings differently from other singers and once you learn that, you are on your way to singing like Tom Jones.