The music industry has never been the easiest of places to make a living, as Vernon Hopkins tells Szofi Zekov ahead of the publication of Just Help Yourself, detailing his time in a band with one Tom Jones in the 60s.

How would you describe the book?

The book is a recording of history: the story of what happened in the 60s, the rise to stardom and what happened to the band. And what happened is that we got betrayed, so to speak. It’s a 400-page moralistic story of how the music industry worked in the 60s, when it was a cut-throat business. It still is, but even more so back then.

The book is about the lack of loyalty as far as Tom Jones and his manager were concerned. When It’s Not Unusual came out, things changed. It’s about Tom Jones but not who he is, what he is. It’s different, what the fans see and what person he is behind the curtain. I got behind the curtain and I know exactly what happened. What celebrities put forward is an image so of course the fans like them. But behind that they’re people and we’re all characters. Some are nice characters and some are nasty characters.
And then there’s the title, which has a double meaning. One is the title of the 1968 song, called Help Yourself. But also, all he ever did after It’s Not Unusual was just help himself. Not only when it came to the band, with other people as well. The reader can decide what title they prefer – Just Help Yourself as the title of the song or as a description of what happened.

If you could, would you change anything about things went down with the band and Tom?

The way we finished. I read it in a newspaper! I was going down for breakfast one day and there it was on the front pages of a national newspaper: “Tom Jones and The Squires in amicable split”. I had to read that in the newspaper. They didn’t even tell us, Tom didn’t say anything to us. Finished without anything, just out like that, written in the newspaper, which is a terrible way to end it all. It was mean, unnecessary, and brutal. That feeling stuck with us for a long time after that.

How is it looking back on your more positive experiences, like meeting Elvis and other stars?

We went everywhere, all around the world and we met everyone, all the stars, and we took it – not for granted, but like it was normal. Meeting Elvis Presley was a big thing even then, of course, but looking back at it now, my God, it takes your breath away. Back then, people heard it and it was: “Oh, how lucky, you met Elvis?” But now it seems like a chance in millions. I was really lucky, it was good, and I met other people as well.

Looking back, I’m glad I stayed with the band instead of going because, as I said, I saw the world – but there was a shadow over it, because we were skint. We saw the world but we were living in motels. It was an awful time but a great time as well.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the music industry?

Look at the small print on the contracts, definitely. The first thing to do, whether you’re in a band or solo, is go on the road a little bit, discover it for yourself. Get a great demo for yourself, which is easy these days: go to a small studio and get some really good songs recorded. Try and be seen and get as much stage experience as you can. The advice I would give is what we weren’t told with the band: you’ve got to find your own way. There’s also the opportunity to learn based on our mistakes, it’s all there in the book. It’s a manual of sorts, with all the advice in the all world.

Just Help Yourself by Vernon Hopkins, published by Seren Books. Price: £9.99. Info: 01656 663018 / www.serenbooks.com