About the song
Elvis Presley Sang Tom Jones’ Song To Him The First Time They Met
LAS VEGAS, NV — It was a night that would become one of the most unforgettable encounters in music history — the night Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, met Tom Jones, the Welsh Tiger of Soul. And in a twist no one could have imagined, it was Elvis who broke the ice — by singing Tom Jones’ own song back to him.
The year was 1965, and Jones had just exploded onto the scene with his breakout hit “It’s Not Unusual.” The song had catapulted him from small clubs in Wales to international stardom — and apparently, straight into Elvis Presley’s playlist. When the two men finally met at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood, Tom was nervous, expecting to meet a legend towering over him. But what happened next left him speechless.
“Elvis walked in, looking like he’d stepped out of a movie — tan, perfect hair, that unbelievable aura,” Tom recalled years later. “And then, before I could say a word, he started singing ‘It’s Not Unusual’ — to me! I just froze. I couldn’t believe Elvis Presley knew my song, let alone was singing it.”
The two instantly clicked. Elvis, who had long admired powerful male vocalists, was genuinely impressed by Jones’s commanding stage presence and booming voice. “Man, that’s some voice you’ve got,” Elvis reportedly told him. “You sing like you mean it.”
Tom, flattered and a little overwhelmed, replied with equal admiration: “Well, coming from you, that means everything.”
Their meeting marked the beginning of a deep friendship and mutual respect that would last for over a decade. The two often met in Las Vegas, where Elvis began his legendary concert run at the International Hotel in 1969 — and Tom, already an established Vegas performer, would sometimes join him backstage after shows.
“Elvis and I used to hang out after our gigs,” Jones recalled in a later interview. “We’d sing gospel songs together until the sun came up. He loved gospel more than anything — that was when he was happiest.”
In fact, Jones once revealed that he and Elvis even shared impromptu jam sessions in their hotel suites, surrounded by friends and fellow musicians. “He’d grab a guitar, I’d start singing harmony, and before you knew it, we had a full choir going,” Tom said. “Those were magic nights.”
Their bond wasn’t just musical — it was personal. When Elvis was struggling in the mid-1970s, Tom often reached out to check on him. “He was under a lot of pressure,” Jones said. “People forget he was human — he needed friends, not just fans.”
When Elvis passed away in 1977, Tom was among the many artists who were devastated. “I cried like a baby,” he admitted. “He was more than the King — he was a brother. I still feel him around sometimes when I’m on stage.”
Today, decades later, the story of that first meeting — when Elvis Presley sang Tom Jones’s song to him — remains a touching reminder of mutual admiration between two of music’s most powerful voices. It wasn’t just a meeting of legends — it was a moment of pure respect, where one king saluted another.
