Tom Jones To Be Knighted

Legendary crooner Tom Jones and jazz composer John Dankworth are to receive knighthoods in the Queen's New Year Honors List.

Tom Jones's family have said they are delighted that the star is to get a "well deserved" knighthood.

Jones, 65, began singing professionally in 1963 and had his first hit, "It's Not Unusual," a year later.

From humble beginnings with Tommy Scott and The Senators in his home town Pontypridd, South Wales, he went on to become one of the world's biggest-selling singers. He returned to the green grass of home in May this year to sing in front of 25,000 people at the town's Ynysangharad Park.

His first cousin Dorothy Woodward, of Caerphilly, South Wales, said: "He will be absolutely over the moon."

Musician John Dankworth welcomed his knighthood in the New Year Honors List as a boost for jazz.

The 78-year-old, who has been a mainstay of the British jazz scene for more than 50 years, said: "I didn't really believe it. At first I thought it was just a dream. Now we're going to crack open a bottle of champagne."

The composer, conductor and performer joked: "Sometimes they've been said to get it wrong in the past, and maybe they've got it wrong with me. But it's so nice for jazz to get something like this. As far as I know I'm the first from the jazz world to get a knighthood."

Dankworth, who is married to Cleo Laine, nicknamed the First Lady of Jazz, was one of the biggest homegrown music stars in the big bands era. A clarinetist and alto saxophonist, he composed dozens of movie scores for the likes of "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning," "The Servant," and "Accident."

He composed the theme and incidental music scores for the first three series of "The Avengers" and has written for the theater, ballet and musicals. Dankworth, who was crowned musician of the year for six years running by Melody Maker, also served as musical director for Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald.