Summary

Surrounded by docks and sitting on the Thames in south-east London, 1930s Bermondsey was a thriving place.

Surrounded by docks and sitting on the Thames in south-east London, 1930s Bermondsey was a thriving place. And it was here that Thomas Hicks was born. It wasn't until much later that this Bermondsey boy would become known as Tommy Steele. Saturdays as a young boy were spent gazing at the colourful posters for the Palladium, or wandering up Tower Bridge Road to Joyce's Pie Shop for pie and mash. Tommy brings to life with extraordinary vividness what it was like to live through the devastation of the Blitz - having to run to the shelter naked in the middle of the night wondering as each bomb crashed down which street had taken a hit. His beloved father, Darbo, was a tipster who worked the crowds at the races by day, and by night was a doorman at the Nest, an infamous watering hole for entertainers, and his mother, Betty, was a part-time tin-basher at Feavers box factory. The Hicks household was full of love and laughter but was also struck by tragedy with the loss of three of their seven children. Aged fifteen, Tommy joined the merchant navy and it was here he began signing and performing for his fellow seamen. His natural ability as an entertainer soon made him a favourite. Whenever he was ashore in the States, Tommy would listen to the latest music and soon became hooked on the rock 'n' roll movement that was taking America by storm.