The studio audience at a recent filming of The Voice UK got an unexpected bonus — an up-close and personal gig from Sir Tom Jones!
The veteran entertainer had the crowd on its feet after he spontaneously broke into a rendition of the Ray Charles classic ‘I Got a Woman’ after joking around with his fellow judges about the fact that all his mentees in this series so far are men.
With cheers from the audience, the ‘Sex Bomb’ singer belted out the classic song from his chair.
Even his fellow stars on the panel looked thrilled to see Tom’s performance, with US singer and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson, Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am and UK talent show star Olly Murs pulling out their own mobile phones to film him singing.
Shortly after the episode went to air, Tom tweeted the special moment to his 577,000 Twitter followers.
Fans were quick to comment, with one writing: “Your singing is so effortless, it’s mesmerising to watch.”
Another added: “Sensational. It’s a privilege to hear you sing.”
While a third wrote: “Amazing voice Sir Tom Jones, you’re a legend.”
It’s the second time in a month that Tom has belted out a song on the hit show after singing a beautiful duet with a contestant.
Contestant Peter Donegan first took to the stage with a haunting performance of ‘Bless The Broken Road’ in the first week of auditions for the popular reality program. Like the local version of The Voice, judges on the UK version have their backs turned to the stage and hit their buzzer only if they like what they hear and if they want the musical act to progress on to the next round of the competition.
The ‘What’s New Pussycat’ singer could be seen fighting back tears as Peter beautifully sang his way through the song. Towards the end of the performance, the Welsh crooner hit his buzzer.
What Tom quickly discovered after chatting with the 35-year-old was that he was the son of one of his good friends, Lonnie Donegan. Lonnie was a singer, songwriter and musician who had a huge influence on British pop in the ‘60s.
In fact, he was dubbed the “King of Skiffle” and had a string of hits throughout his career. Sadly, he passed away in 2002. One of his biggest songs was the 1967 hit, ‘Never Gonna Fall in Love Again’. Fans of Tom will know this was also one of his biggest songs.
“Do you know the song that your father wrote for me?” Tom asked Peter. “Can we do it together?”
The singer belted out the classic song from his chair, while Peter sat behind the piano and played on stage. Halfway through the performance, an excited Tom stood up, much to the delight of the studio audience.