Bermondsey Boy
by Tommy Steele

Long build-up to brief flowering as 50s teen idol

Prior to entering showbusiness proper as the proverbial ‘all-round entertainer’, Steele began as the first English ‘answer’ to Elvis Presley. Here he tells, in chirpy, matter-of-fact manner, his story from the prelude to his birth in 1936, to ‘the biggest decision of my life’: no more rock records, just before his marriage in 1958. Knowingly or not, his style allowed a clearer run for newer sensations such as Cliff Richard to follow Steele’s path in more qualified fashion. If you’re looking for a hands-on history of the dawning of British pop, be warned: 70-year-old Steele doesn’t attack the subject in earnest until a good two-thirds in. That’s after him growing up in a gor-blimey environment of pubs, back streets and dialogue revolving round horse racing, dodges for making easy money and further small change of life in a South East London suburb that could have served as the location for Passport To Pimlico. There are also tales of voyages as a merchant seaman (none of them without incident) but you still might want to skip on to the music. Steele can happily slip comfortably into honourable old age with the knowledge that he’s penned an engaging memoir for his grandchildren and a snapshot of an era for everyone else.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

ISBN 0718149726

Reviewed by Alan Clayson
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