Stevie Wonder and Tom Jones Sing Medley in 1969

Share This:

From ‘This Is Tom Jones,’ original U.S. airdate April 25, 1969

From 1969 to 1971, the U.K.-produced This is Tom Jones variety series aired in the U.S. Every week featured at least one A-List guest, sometimes two. In many cases, they were still on the way up to entertainment or classic rock stardom. We’re talking Tony Bennett, the Fifth Dimension, Janis Joplin, George Carlin, The Who, Jerry Lee Lewis, Joe Cocker and more.

On the episode that originally aired on the ABC Television Network on April 25, 1969, both the Hollies and Stevie Wonder were Jones‘ guests. (In a previous Classic Video, we’ve shown you Jones singing lead with CSNY on “Long Time Gone.”)

Wonder, born on May 13, 1950, was – get this – still just 18 years-old but had already earned eight Top 10 hits including “My Cherie Amour,” “For Once in My Life” and “I Was Made to Love Her.” Jones was ten years his senior. At 28, the Welsh singer had enjoyed his share of chart success with such hits as “It’s Not Unusual,” “What’s New, Pussycat” and “Green, Green Grass of Home.”

This evening, U.S. TV audiences were treated to the two hitmakers singing a medley of Wonder’s “A Place in the Sun” and “Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” and Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual,” closing with Wonder’s “Nothing’s Too Good For My Baby.”

Our Classic Video really doesn’t get much better than this. Jones: “Stevie, how do you feel?” Stevie: “Uptight and most definitely outta sight…”

If you’re a new Best Classic Bands reader, we’d be grateful if you would Like our Facebook page and/or bookmark our Home page.

Watching this, one wonders why a duet album of these two giants singing together never happened.

More than 50 years later, while serving as a coach on the talent show The Voice UK, Jones was surprised by a taped appearance by Wonder, who wished him a belated happy 80th birthday.

The singing legend was born on June 7, 1940. His latest album, Surrounded By Time, was released in 2021. Tickets to see him on tour are available here and here.