WELSH music legend Tom Jones has been revealed as the first headline act at Cartmel Racecourse's live music weekend this summer.

The singer of major hits It's Not Unusual and Delilah will be appearing on the huge outdoor stage during the late June race weekend, leading the line-up on Friday June 30.

Sir Tom will be performing hits from an incredible career spanning six decades.

Tickets for the show – which follows a day of racing – go on general sale at 9am on Monday.

Fans at the Cartmel show are assured of a night to remember as Jones and his band present a set-list built from a career that traverses all eras and genres of popular music.

Having sold more than 100 million records in more than 50 years as a recording artist, he is among the most successful British performers of all-time.

The show will see him joined by his live band for a run-through of his biggest and best-known chart anthems, which also includes What's New Pussycat?, Mama Told Me Not to Come, Sex Bomb, and Kiss, with some newer material also likely to feature.

Cartmel Racecourse managing director Jonathan Garratt said: "We are really excited, because he will be one of the most popular acts we could possibly have attracted.

"He is going to have very wide appeal and it will be great fun for all the family - which is what Cartmel is all about.

“This concert is being held on a popular race day and I am confident this will turn, what is already set to be a great day, into a truly memorable one.”

Sir Tom, who will turn 77 ahead of his appearance in Cartmel, is widely regarded as a major figure in the history of British pop music and has earned a new generation of fans during his stint as a judge on the BBC talent show The Voice.

From his Grammy Award win in 1966, through Brit Award success - including an award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2003 - and even a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an accolade for Best Actor at the Golden Globe Awards for his own long-running variety show, This Is Tom Jones, he has built a reputation across the globe.


In 2006, he was given a Knighthood for "services to music", having been made an OBE seven years earlier.

His collaborations with the likes of Robbie Williams, Jack White, Wyclef Jean, The Stereophonics, Cerys Matthews and Mousse T have brought his music to a younger generation, as he moved into the realms of pop, rock and even dance music.

His most recent album, Long Lost Suitcase, was released at the end of 2015, and landed in the UK Top 20 - garnering some of the strongest reviews of his career to date.

The record, which is a return to his soulful roots, features a collaboration with Imelda May and a re-working of Take My Love (I Want To Give It), originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1961.

As a result, his headline date in Cartmel is very likely to be a sell-out, and early booking is advised.

Mr Garratt confirmed talks were still ongoing about a concert for Saturday, July 1, which will fall in between the two racedays at the South Lakes track.

The concert is organised by promoters Cuffe and Taylor who have formed a partnership with Cartmel Racecourse to produce live music at the famous course.

Peter Taylor, of Cuffe and Taylor, said: “Tom is a true music legend and I’m delighted we are bringing him to Cartmel Racecourse.

“We have done many many gigs with Tom across the UK over the last few years. All have been amazing events and we feel sure his gig at Cartmel will live long in the memory.

“This is going to be something really special so I would advise fans to get in early to secure their tickets.”

Last year, Cartmel Racecourse held live music events for the first time, with an estimated audience of around 30,000 for appearances from Simply Red and Jools Holland.

Tickets for Tom Jones at Cartmel Racecourse are available from 9am on Monday March 6, via www.ticketmaster.co.uk

CN Group's Readers Travel is offering a coach and ticket packages to Tom Jones at Cartmel Races on Friday June 30, priced £67.50pp

Package includes: Return coach transport and ticket to racecourse with admission to paddock and course enclosure with concert to follow the days racing with pick up points: Whitehaven, Distington, Workington, Cockermouth, Maryport, Aspatria, Wigton, Carlisle, and Penrith

​Readers Travel deals can be booked on 01228 612211 or online here