SIR Tom Jones' new record ‘Surrounded By Time’ struck number one upon release, making him the oldest man to top the UK album charts.
According to the BBC, the 80-year-old Welshman has overtaken Bob Dylan, who topped the chart last June aged 79 with ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’.
The late Dame Vera Lynn holds the overall record after her 2009 greatest hits collection went to number one when the Forces' Sweetheart was 92.
"I am thrilled beyond words," Sir Tom told the Official Charts Company.
The singer told the BBC's Mark Savage how he takes care of his vocals last month.
"It's luck. It's a God-given gift," he said, before conceding that cutting back his alcohol intake and working out every day may have been a factor.
"I've got an exercise bike in my bedroom. And I've got this inversion table, where I hang upside down for about five minutes every day. It gets the blood rushing to your head, which is great, and it elongates your spine as well – so if you've got any problems with your back, I highly recommend it.
"So I might be old myself, but my voice is still young."
Setting a new chart record, he said, was "tremendous, just unbelievable".
"It's wonderful that the public has allowed me to be musically expressive at my time of life and have shown their support," he added. "I am forever grateful."
His fourth number one album – and his first since 1999's ‘Reload’ – knocked last week's chart-topper, ‘Californian Soil’ by London Grammar, off the top spot.
His latest record finds him once again re-interpreting some old favourites – from weather-worn ballads like ‘The Windmills of Your Mind’, which won the Oscar for Best Song in 1969; to more obscure choices, like Terry Callier's nine-minute tale of rebirth and redemption, ‘Lazarus Man’. – The Vibes, May 1, 2021
