Will Smith looks to finally do a tour with long time hip hop partner DJ Jazzy Jeff while singing legend Tom Jones says he wants a DNA test to finally determine if he is of African ancestry.
Hollywood heavyweight Will Smith, 47, got his start in show biz as a singer and television actor. Back in the outrageous 1980’s, Smith and fellow singer, DJ Jazzy Jeff, were mainstays and stars of the pop music charts. The one thing Smith regrets from those wild and heady days was that the popular hip-hop dynamic duo never had an opportunity to do a real tour.
Smith announced his intentions to tour with Jeff on Thursday’s airing of the Ellen DeGeneres television show, according to USA Today. The musical pair were hopping right along when the opportunity to star in a television show appeared for Smith. He went on to star for many seasons in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
He explained to DeGeneres’ national audience that would be a real and exciting first for him. Because the television show, and the resulting fame, came so quickly, he and Jeff really never saw a chance to tour and play before their fans. Now, he hopes to rekindle those days when they topped the pop charts all across the world.
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He was once a legend and an icon. Women threw underwear and room keys at him while he performed on stage in Las Vegas. For years he was voted as the sexiest man alive. Oh, and yes, he really could sing. With smash hit songs like Delilah and It’s Not Unusual, Welsh sensation Tom Jones ruled the pop charts for most of the 1960s and 1970s.
Jones, now 75, is releasing his new autobiography and he mentioned in a book tour in London recently that he plans on taking a DNA test because he believes he may actually be Black. Or half Black. Or, maybe, just a little Black.
Jones told the London Times that many people still think he’s Black, reports USA Today. He said that when he first came to America, people who heard him sing on the radio were surprised to see that he was a White guy from Wales. One reason Jones gives is the story of, right after he was born, his mother began to break out into large dark patches all over her body. He says that doctors asked his mom if she was Black. She said she didn’t know.
He never asked his mother about his possible African ancestry and she died in 2003. DNA technology has become so advanced that some DNA testing companies can compare a person’s DNA to the multitude of people and races from around the world. It seems they can be fairly accurate with regard to tracing ethnicity.
“I’m going to get my DNA tested,” Jones said. “I just want to find out.”
