Just Help Yourself

Tom Jones, The Squires and the Road to Stardom

By: Vernon Hopkins

Narrated by: Vernon Hopkins

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Just Help Yourself, narrated by the author Vernon Hopkins, tells the true story of rock group, The Senators from South Wales, who discovered Tom Jones "The Voice", in the '60s when they invited him to be part of the band. From there, after a name change to The Squires, they were catapulted to fame within a few short years, but not before hardship, heartaches, blood, sweat, and tears split the band.

Vernon, the founder of the group, and Tom became as close as brothers, and this is Vernon’s recollections from their gigs in the South Wales Valleys, right up to their painful falling out in 1969 when Vernon was sacked by their unscrupulous manager, Gordon Mills. This is a no-holds-barred account of the first seven years of Tom and the band's rise to stardom and the autobiography of a jobbing musician whose career spans six decades in the cutthroat world of the music business.

Just Help Yourself gives new insight into Tom Jones himself, and into the world of pop music in the late '60s and early '70s in a grittily authentic narrative. Hopkins experienced both the pop star high life, touring America, Australia and Europe, and the low points of being a jobbing musician. The music business really was and is as cut throat as reported. What you will hear in this audiobook is Vernon reliving those days in a totally authentic firsthand version. It’s gritty, very funny, and a delight to listen to, as Vernon’s voice is powerful, heartfelt and passionate. This is his story, and we are transported to those heady days, where we get to know Vernon and to meet the real Tom Jones, Tommy Woodward.

©2013, 2019 Vernon Hopkins (P)2022 Karen Struel-White and P. T. Rose