Why Tom Jones always refused to say he came from nothing

24 June 2026, 12:11

Tom Jones came from a mining family but rejects the idea he came from "nothing".

Tom Jones had working class roots, being born in Treforist in Wales to a coal miner dad.

He went to a secondary modern in Pontypridd and worked at a glove factory and in construction to support his young family after he got married and became a dad aged just 16.

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Despite that background, Tom Jones has totally rejected the idea that he "came from nothing".

Speaking to The Big Issue in 2015, Sir Tom explained why he wasn't a fan of that idea.

"I've never said I came from nothing," he said.

"To be honest with you, I saw a special Rod Stewart gig in LA and he said, 'I came from nothing'. And I thought, you didn’t come from nothing. I saw your mother and father in the documentary and they were hardworking people.

"To say you come from nothing… I don’t agree with that. We all come from something."

He added: "I'd love to go back and spend a day with my mum and dad. I’d just tell them how much I love them.

The Things That Matter Most To Me

"Maybe I’d go back to 44 Laura Street and be a little boy again. There’s a song Jerry Lee Lewis recorded, and I sang it onstage, called 'The Things That Matter Most to Me'.

"It goes, ‘I wish I could go back and relive yesterday, and for a while be my mammy’s little boy again'. And that’s true. Just to relive that for a day would be lovely."

As well as covering the song live, Jones also recorded the track on his 1981 studio album Darlin'.