Singer Tom Jones has a very unusual request. He wants to do a DNA test to see if he has any black ancestry.
In an interview with The Times of London, the singer of such classics as “It’s Not Unusual” and “What’s New Pussycat?” said that he is seriously interested in finding out about his race. Although he has Welsh and English parents, he says that for years, people have seen him as black due to his baritone voice and hair.
“A lot of people still think I’m black,” Jones told the Times, reports The New York Daily News. “When I first came to America, people who had heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me. Because of my hair a lot of black people still tell me I’m just passing as white.”
Jones said that his mother was even asked if she had any “black blood” in her when he was born and she said she didn’t know.
“I’m going to get my DNA tested. I want to find out,” the “She’s A Lady” singer said.
Jones, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2006, was recently a coach on the U.K. version of The Voice.