About Tom Jones Sir Tom Jones OBE (born Thomas Jones Woodward on 7 June 1940) is a Welsh singer. Since 1965, Jones has sold over 100 million records.Thomas Jones Woodward was born at 57 Kingsland Terrace, Trefforest, Pontypridd (near Cardiff), Wales. His parents were Freda Jones (died 7 February 2003) and Thomas Woodward (died 5 October 1981), a coal miner. His maternal grandfather was born in Wales, while his three other grandparents were born in England. Jones began singing at an early age; he'd regularly sing at family gatherings, weddings, and in his school choir, and it was clear that he had singing talent. However, he was struck down by tuberculosis and bedridden for almost a year. It was a critical time for him, but he could do little else but listen to music and draw. Aged sixteen, Jones married Melinda Trenchard on 2 March 1957 (long before Jones became a pop idol); the couple had a son named Mark. Jones quit school with no qualifications and took a variety of jobs including a builder's labourer, door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman and a lorry driver.