What inspired you to write your memoir?
My recollections offer a candid view of the music industry and the ruthless people who inhabit it. The band struggled with Tom Jones for nine life-changing years in pursuit of recognition and stardom. We left the green Valleys for London. Success came slowly for Tom Jones and the Senators (we were originally called Tommy Scott and the Senators) until we were spotted by a ruthless manager, Gordon Mills, and catapulted into the London music scene of the sixties’. We starved together but survived together, and through sheer persistence and hard work we broke through with a clutch of hits. ‘It’s Not Unusual’ catapulted us into the international limelight.
About your Book:
When Vernon Hopkins persuaded a 21-year-old Tom Jones to join his band – with the promise of a crate of light ale – who would have known history was in the making.
Tom Jones Just Help Yourself is a candid view of the music industry and the ruthless people who inhabit it. Chart success changed our miserable existence, but sadly it revealed a darker side to Tom Jones. There have been many biographies written about his life and times, but no-one was closer to Tom during those formative years than me. Inseparable in many ways, for so long, in the end we couldn’t have been further apart. I got to stand behind the curtain with Tom, and this is my story’.
How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
I believe the real beauty of my book lies in the way it brings a specific era to life. I worked really hard to try an capture all my vivid memories of the sixties and get them onto the page. The sixties pre-dated the peace and love of the hippy era, certainly in the Valleys of South Wales, and in my book, I hope, you can smell the sweat and sense the fire in the blood. I was there so his is not a second hand account. It is rock n roll in tooth and claw the way it really was. I worked closely with my publisher and editor at Iponymous to get the manuscript ready for publication and I’m very excited by the finished book.
How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
When I was writing the book, it just jogged loose so many memories. I can vividly remember the whole roller coaster. When we arrived in London we were skint and starving and living in a basement together. The band has been pressing me for years to get our side of the story out, and here it is. There were good times and there were certainly bad times, working with Tom and Gordon was a real education. But I have no regrets. Tom drove the band and the band drove Tom, and the audiences responded and bless them all for their support. It all worked beautifully, it was a beautiful time and a beautiful bunch of boys from the Valleys in South Wales followed their dreams and against all the odds got noticed. Now who could argue with that?
Author Bio:
The Bass guitarist, Vernon Hopkins, the founder of the 60’s rock group the Senators, which later became the Squires, has written a memoir about his time spent with Tom Jones. It was Vernon who insisted on bringing in Tom as lead singer on the rocky road to fame and super stardom. Vernon became as close as a brother to Tom, until stardom tore them apart.
Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon
Link to Book on Barnes and Noble
Link to Book for sale via other sites
Your Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vernon-Mills-Hopkins/293654260191
