Tom Jones: It Is Unusual
Nov. 21 2008, Published 6:47 a.m. ET
(Photo: Splash News Online) Tom Jones has proven once again that he's a star.
"We just happened to be walking past and I heard this singing, and I thought it sounded like Tom Jones," one woman told a reporter, recounting her midday stroll. She checked it out and was surprised to find out it was.
The 68-year-old singer surprised hundreds of pedestrians in central London when he suddenly made like the Beatles-on-a-rooftop and, hat in hand, started singing in front of the Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the River Thames.
The Welsh performer sang four songs with only an acoustic guitarist to accompany him. He did it to raise money for a cancer charity.
When he was finished and counted the donations, Jones explained to the crowd that they had given roughly 500 pounds, expressed his appreciation, and was then quickly moved away by security guards.
The performance was for the BBC's Culture Show as part of their British Busking Challenge. (Busking is the practice of performing in public places for tips.)