Tom Jones Duets

From 1969-71 Tom Jones had his own TV show broadcast here and in the United States called: This is Tom Jones. Shot in Los Angeles and London it was a big success. Naturally the Welsh Elvis did a bit of singing, other musical artists were featured, and there were even a few comedy sketches. Each show concluded with a duet between Tom and one of his star guests.

Looking through the programme's schedule archive I was impressed by the stellar quality of those twosomes. During the series Jones sang with Sergio Mendes, Mama Cass, Jerry Lee Lewis, Stevie Wonder, Cher, Sammy Davies Jr, Tony Bennett, Nancy Sinatra (see pic), Wilson Pickett, Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Janis Joplin, Glen Campbell, Joel Grey, Liza Minelli, Bob Hope, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Liberace amongst others. Inevitably there were some duff ones too notably Racquel Welch, Harry Secombe and the Muppets but nobody's perfect.

Last year a DVD was released containing highlights of the show, including many of those fascinating duets. You can check it out here. And if you want a sneak preview take a look at this YouTube featuring Jones and Janis Joplin singing Raise Your Hand in 1969.