Tom Jones is getting a DNA test to find out if he's black

Sir Tom Jones
(Image credit: Getty Images)

It's not unusual for the man behind the buttery baritone to be mistaken for being black.

"When I first came to America, people who heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me," singer Tom Jones told The Telegraph. "Because of my hair, a lot of black people still tell me I'm just passing as white."

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Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.