Only Human: My Soulful Life
by Tommy Hunt With Jan Warburton

Soul journeyman’s incredible journey

Tommy Hunt has sung soul music in five continents and scored chart hits in three decades. From local group The Five Echoes, through doo-wop stars The Flamingos, to solo success in his own country and in Europe, he’s consistently projected a cool, controlled professional image.

As his autobiography shows, behind-the-scenes this was often far from the truth. He survived family schisms, reform school, armed-forces racism, slippery agents, woeful women and bankruptcy; he found that things did not go better with coke; he escaped from Germany with hotel managers and polizei in hot pursuit; and finally found lasting domesticity and peace of mind in Yorkshire.

In an easy and fluent text, Tommy stresses that all he ever wanted to do was sing for a living. That ambition took him to Chicago, Australia, Batley Variety Club and a thousand stages and studios in between. Eventually it saw him established as a hero of the Northern soul circuit – though even that wasn’t free of obstacles – and elected to the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame. While some episodes would have benefitted from a more detailed treatment, this tale of triumph over adversity is an absorbing read for anyone with an interest in soul.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

ISBN 9781904408420, 312 pages

Reviewed by Mike Atherton
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