Kelly Jones’ Neighbor Complained Of Loud Music Not Knowing It Was Tom Jones Singing Under His Apartment

Aug 03, 2023

Renting an apartment usually has its pros and cons; for some, it's the convenience of not owning your own property while still not financially stable. On the downside, you’ll be confronted with the many problems of having next-door neighbors blasting their stereo too loud or just too many visitors at the wee hours of the night. 

In the case of Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones, his neighbor tried to ask him to stop playing Tom Jones records at night. 

Tom is a singer and performer who first rose to fame in the mid-1960s. He is best known for such songs as “It’s Not Unusual,” “What’s New Pussycat” and “Green, Green Grass of Home.” 

Tom is a baritone and is known for his robust and husky voice. His performing range includes such genres as R&B, soul, gospel, pop, country and Rock ‘n’ Roll. His eclectic music style is part of the reason he has endured as a performer for almost 60 years. He has sold over 100 million records and has made it to the Top 40 list in the United Kingdom 36 times. He reached the same feat in the United States 19 times.  

Along with his illustrious career in the music industry, Tom has also shown off his talents as an actor and was the host of his own television series called “This Is Tom Jones.” His outstanding contributions to the arts even led to him being knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2005. 

Read on to learn more about Kelly’s interesting encounter with his neighbor and what Tom had to do with it. 

In 1963, Tom became the frontman for a band called Tommy Scott and the Senators. They were a beat group and gained a following in South Wales. By 1964, the group had recorded several songs with producer Joe Meek. At one point, the band was connected with manager Phillip Soloman, but the partnership was short-lived.   

The band played gigs in dance halls, and at men’s clubs for a while, until one night, Tom was spotted by Gordon Mills, a London-based manager. Mills was impressed by Tom’s talent and decided to become his manager. Mills took him to London and changed his professional name to “Tom Jones” from Thomas John Woodward. Eventually, Mills was able to get Tom a deal with Decca Records. 

Tom’s first single came in late 1964 and was titled “Chills and Fever.” The song did not chart, but the follow-up single did. That song was “It’s Not Unusual,” and it became an international hit that is still famous to this day. The song is responsible for making Tom a household name.

The popular song’s rise to fame came about quickly, especially considering the slow start to Tom’s career. 

"I recorded 'It's Not Unusual' on November 11 1964, it came out on January 22 1965 and it was number one by March 1, which was St David's Day. Tremendous!" Tom told The Guardian. The success of “It’s Not Unusual” was life-changing for Tom and pushed his career into the mainstream.  

Since then, he has received a plethora of awards, including a Golden Globe nomination for his series, “This Is Tom Jones,” a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1966, an MTV Video Music Award in 1989, and two Brit Awards – Best British Male in 2000 and Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2003. 

At 83, Tom still tries to maintain a healthy lifestyle. He credits his great health to a practice called inversion therapy. 

“In 2030 I am going to be 90 years old. I hang upside down. You know on one of those frames. It’s great. You put your feet in the thing and you flip and you hang,” Tom told The Sun. 

Whatever Tom is doing must be working because his voice remains timeless, as attested by one of Stereophonics’ lead singers Kelly when the music icon visited his apartment one time. 

Recalling the funny tale at “The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show” on July 31, 2023, Kelly remembered the time when Tom visited him in his flat after watching a ​​Jools Holland show with Stuart Cable, one of Stereophonic’s members. 

As they were having fun and drinking, Kelly’s neighbor above his unit went down and complained about the noise. 

“Look, I’ve got a really early appointment in the morning. Can you turn the Tom Jones records down a bit?” the neighbor asked Kelly. Cable then rushed to the door to see what the problem was, but the neighbor was adamant to get some sleep and appealed to have the “Tom Jones records” turned down. 

"We're not playing Tom Jones records, I said, Tom Jones is in my kitchen singing," Kelly said. “And he goes, he goes, ‘yeah right.’ I go, ‘look, come and have a look.’ And he sees Tom in the kitchen and he goes, ‘Ah right, fair enough.’”

However, afterward, Tom had something to say to Kelly after the neighbor exited: “And then I closed the door and Tom goes, ‘That’s the problem see when you have a flat, there’s always somebody above you who’s got something to say.”  

Are you a fan of Tom Jones? What can you say about Kelly Jones’ story? What would you do if you saw Tom Jones singing in the kitchen of your neighbor? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other Tom Jones fans!