Sir Tom Jones is one of the most iconic voices in music as he is the voice behind the song “It’s Not Unusual” that Alfonso Ribeiro did his famous Carlton dance to! Don’t tell me you didn’t just sing it, ha! Jones’ music has always been so soulful, but in addition to his pipes, his black, curly hair only added to the pool of speculations that the singer might be a brotha on the low.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Jones explained, “When I first came to America (from the UK), people who had heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me. Because of my hair, a lot of black people still tell me I’m just passing as white.” Many British people have African ancestry since Africa is right there, so the idea that Jones may be black isn’t too far fetched.
He also told The Telegraph, “My mother came out in big dark patches all over her body. They asked if she had any black blood and she said she didn’t know.” Since his mother didn’t know much about her heritage, Jones is making it his business to find out through DNA testing. This practice is becoming increasingly popular with sites like Ancestry.com popping up. Actually, a friend of mine just traced his DNA back to New Orleans (and eventually France), but found out that he’s related to Beyonce’!
It will be very interesting to learn if Jones really does have black ancestry, but it will be even more interesting to see what ethnicity he decides to claim. Tamar is good at asking these types of questions! Maybe she can do his follow-up interview.
TSR Intern: Talia O. @theclosetratchet on Instagram & @tallyohhh on Twitter!
