From Tom Jones to the Rolling Stones, Who Are the Oldest Swingers in Town?
Tom Jones, 80
Our Oldest Swinger in Town is Tom Jones. “I might be old, but my voice is still young,” said Tom Jones in a recent BBC interview. Now way past the ostentatious showtunes of the 1960, Sir tom’s last three albums have embraced gospel, country and folk standards, and on his latest, Surrounded By Time, he re-interprets old favourites from ballad The Windmills Of Your Mind, to more obscure choices, like Terry Callier’s nine-minute tale of rebirth and redemption, Lazarus Man.
He regards it as a particularly personal album, the first he’s recorded in his home country of Wales, and the first since the death of his beloved wife Linda. Producer Ethan Johns layers the singing icon’s vocals over brooding electronics, and swirling psychedelic rock.
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His first single, Chills And Fever, failed to chart when it was released in late 1964, but a few months later, he struck gold with It’s Not Unusual, a swinging, big-band number for which he’s still mainly remembered.
He’s never been cool, and is now often thought of as a Vegas act in the vein of Elvis or Sinatra – but there’s worse company to be in., and he’s in demand as a mentor on TV talent show The Voice, rightly revered as the elder statesman of pop.
What did you think of our round-up of the oldest swingers in town? Is there anyone else you would add to the list? And do you think their songs will still be listened to in 100 years time? Click on our Facebook page and let us know.
