Fan Fare, What's New, Pussycat?
Here’s where you’ll find TJ photos and stories that don’t fit into any other categories. It is, as its name says, just for fans — and, hopefully, for fun.
The Tom Jones Canadian Fan Club: A Look Back At 1978
Saturday, July 26th, 2008The internet has rendered fan clubs quaint at best; obsolete, in fact. The old mimeographed newsletters could not keep pace with the speed of news today. While we’ve gained in speed and, in many cases, accuracy, we’ve lost in the personal area. We can talk all the time online, everyone seems to have free long distance phone service, so there’s no real need for meetings. Photos are all over cyberspace, so no one much sells and buys them any more. But, there was a time that the fan club was the only way to keep up with your favorite and the fan club president was a very special person who, in the case of Tom Jones, controlled meetings with The Man and was the conduit through which all news flowed.
We, personally, do not mourn those days. But we love to look back at the Tom Jones fan clubs when they were active and vital and, so, we do that here.
The late Ruth Brooks was president and founder of the Tom Jones Canadian Fan Club, of which many of our friends were members.
Like so many of the club presidents back in the day, Ruth got to go backstage whenever and wherever she saw Tom. As a result of this favored treatment, club presidents often traveled far and wide to see him. After each encounter, they’d write about it in their newsletter so everyone in the club could hear about it. The Canadian club was a very active one, having actual meetings at homes, hotels and restaurants. They’d run auctions to raise money for a favorite cause of Tom’s (or theirs). Tom’s causes usually involved children in the UK, like the home for “spastic children.” (Yes, we know that’s politically incorrect, but it wasn’t 30 years ago.)
Members generally got to “live” through their club presidents and, occasionally, were favored by being taken backstage with their leader. Presidents and a group of members would decorate the dressing room when Tom came to their town. Clubs sold photos of Tom, held contests for merchandise and recordings donated by Tom’s management, and did all they could in their localities to keep Tom’s name out in the public consciousness.
Below is a letter to her members from her March/April 1978 newsletter. She saw Tom on Mark’s 21st birthday, April 11, 1978, in Flint, MI. When you continue the story on the next page, you’ll see the photo of the best tour book cover ever — the 1978 edition. The caricature (which was used in lots of tour books) is by Jerry Breen. Again, we thank AF for the article, the caricature link and the photo.
TOM arrived in Flint in his own plane, which he uses for any series of one-nighters. This way, when they are playing a different city perhaps say six nights in a row, there isn’t the necessity to keep to scheduled flights. The plane is a fair size turbo-prop (I think) that has been all refurbished inside and so only seats TOM, his entourage and his own musicians. It is painted blue and white and has a big cartoon (the Caveman) drawing of TOM on the nose and TOM JONES painted underneath. It was really exciting to see it sitting out on the airfield when you know to whom it belongs.
I hadn’t seen TOM in 5 months, the last time being at Cleveland Airport in November, and all I can say is “the thrill is still there.” My heart was pounding like a trip hammer when he came through the door and I saw that lovely gentle smile of his as he quietly said “hello Ruth.” TOM has that quality, charisma, magnetism, call it what you will that makes me feel each time I see him again it’s like it was for the first time. On stage, or all stage, it’s the same. We chatted for a few minutes an dhe told us about his cold, but everything was going great he said. He had on a soft, pearl grey sweater with a scarf tied in the neck and a black leather windbreaker with a fur collar. The jacket would bring back memories of the London Palladium to some of the British girls – remember the night he drove up to the stage door in the little orange mini car and we laughed so hard as he was grimacing and muttering away to himself because he couldn’t get the car into gear? – Same black leather jacket! It brought back some lovely memories, I’ll tell you.
The morning of the show, I was kindly included in Betty and Bobbie’s cleaning, scrubbing (I’m not joking) and decorating bee at the I.M.A. Auditorium. When we had finished our work in the dressing-room, it did look quite nice. It is always a great feeling to think you have helped make any place TOM will be, even for a very short time, a little homey-er for him and we felt quite satisfied with ourselves as we left and went down into the auditorium to check it out too! What a hive of activity, and as I sat and watched all the preparations by sound men, lighting men, musicians, piano tuners, electricians, stage hands, etc. I thought, all of this for one man, and one show, — but what a MAN and what a SHOW!
In spite of less than ideal acoustics and sound (I don’t think I have ever heard the sound up so loud), I just sat and drank it all in, and even though I had heard a tape of the new show and had seen TOM sing many of the songs on the recent Midnight Special, I felt I was seeing and hearing it all for the very first time. It is a really beautiful show, believe me, from start to finish. I slipped into my seat about 30 seconds after the Sylvers hit the stage and to my surprise there was a familiar face right beside me – Marcia Ryder – one of our Michigan members. The Sylvers are a really exciting group of youngsters. I enjoyed their performance very much and also meeting and chatting with them on their house-trailer type bus earlier in the day. A group of nice kids and very talented performers they are, indeed.
TOM looked fantastic in a bright scarlet ruffled shirt and black trousers. He is not carrying his wardrobe of full suits on the one-nighters but wears black trousers with all different coloured shirts. There are pastels – blue, yellow, pink, etc. and I have also hear tell of a bright purple one – wouldn’t that be a knockout with his dark hair – (I’d love that picture!)
I like all the songs – but some appeal to me more than others, of course. Once again TOM has made another artists’ hit his own. You Light Up My Life is simply beautiful and I know I won’t be alone in saying this, but as I sat and listened to TOM sing the lovely touching words, I realized all over again what this man, and his music, has does to Light up MY life. I defy anyone with any rhythm in their blood to sit still when he sings I Can See Clearly Now- - what an arrangement, and WOW, what he does to it!
Back in Love Again – a great disco sound, and TOM does that sound so well. TOM introduces his new single No One Gave Me Love – as “a beautiful song, and you must listen to the words, very carefully” – I did and love it. It’s good to hear Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow added to the Hits Medely, and to hear the round of applause it receives.
What else can be said about the finale that hasn’t already been said. I am so glad it was left in from last year. I think it is a fitting, and smashing climax to a great show, and TOM dances up a storm in it – more than even, if that’s possible.
I felt limp when the show was over but recovered fast enough to get myself up the 2 or 3 flights of stairs to have a visit with TOM after the show! When we walked in, there was TOM with a T-shirt on, which said, in big letters, “Where the Hell is Flint?” Well, this cracked us right up and it set the mood for the visit. We had a lovely, leisurely, light-hearted, fun visit. Even though they were flying out right after the show to the next city “on the list,” no one seemed hurried, least of all TOM, and we talked away, and took pictures, to our hearts content. I gave TOM one of the new British pound notes and all the British Exiles in the room (Gordon Mills, etc.) passed their comments on it – most of which were rather unfavourable – Tom seemed to think they were “trying to save money on paper.” (It is much smaller in size than the old one.) I told him to hold onto it and have his first pint on me when he gets home to one of his beloved British pubs.
As TOM put on his jacket, I slipped out the door and stood at the top of the stairs, all by myself, a good vantage point I thought to see him leave. It turned out to be a good vantage point to receive another goodbye kiss too! I walked down the stairs behind TOM and Mark and watched them go through a crowded backstage area and out into a mob scene around the limo. I told TOM he was going to have to “run the gamut” as we could hear the crowd roaring for him as we visited in the D.R. he loves that, of course. As I watched the guards maneuver him through he crowd, and looked around at the large group inside who probably thought themselves fortunate being allowed to stand there and watch him go through to his car, it hit me, once again, at just how privileged I am, and so many of us are, to be able to visit and talk with TOM, and to share in even a little part of his life from time to time. I thought to myself about how many of these people here would have loved to have been in my shoes, even for one minute (I recalled a comment made to me by a girl onlooker in Toronto as I came outdoors from visiting with TOM and she said to me, very wistfully – “I hope you know how lucky you are.”) Believe me, I KNOW, I KNOW! As I stood there watching the limo drive away, I told myself - - “you know how very much you cherish this privilege, never take it for granted.”
We drove out to the airport and arrived just in time to see TOM’S car drive up to the plane. Shortly after it taxied down the runway and was soon airborne. I said a little prayer – “Safe journey and Godspeed TOM, see you in June.” I was in a very sentimental mood that night and can still see his plane, lights blinking, circling in amongst the stars – our Superstar – amongst the other stars - -
No matter how brief the meeting,
Or how warm the greeting,
How well you are known,
How much your love has grown,
The lives you touch, however slight,*
Are forever more beautiful and bright.
(*We’re sure she meant the touch was slight, not the lives.)
July 26th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Wow! This certainly brings back memories - mostly good as well as exciting ones, especially of the late 70’s. I will say that there is one part of this whole fan club thing that I personally “mourn.” I “mourn” the special connection that Tom’s management allowed in those days. We were lucky to have had it, as we know that era is gone.
I know Ruth worked hard running her club and it was one of the best in its day. I believe she put forth a newsletter every couple of months and, yes, she did travel quite a bit to Tom’s shows. She had members in a lot of different countries and they must have adored hearing all of her juicy tidbits. If I remember correctly, Tom didn’t get back to Europe very often in the 70’s, so it was a way for those fans to “go to his show” through her newsletters.
Moderators, thanks for this blast from the past. You’re the best!
July 27th, 2008 at 8:54 am
This has to be one of the best articles I have read as it relates to the TJ magic. Ruth’s story was so well written that it actually felt I was there. I remember that particular concert set at that time. I just don’t remember if it was at the old Chatea Deville or South Shore Music Circus in Massachusetts but certainly those set of songs were memorable. The song “No One Gave Me Love” I remember was quite lovely and wish it did something on the charts back then. Thanks for posting this great article to read as I can feel Ruth’s vibe as she described this encounter. Great Story!
July 27th, 2008 at 10:15 am
What a wonderful, heartfelt story! It must have been a lovely, magical time for all TJ fans.
July 27th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I was a member of Ruth’s fanclub and I always looked forward to reading her newsletters. It always amazed me how she got all the information she did about Tom. This was a great article and brought a smile to my face because I can remember alot of the things she talked about and I remember THAT SHIRT!!Moderators,thanks for all your hard work in making TJI a great website.
July 27th, 2008 at 11:25 am
I, too, was a member of Ruth’s club and through her got to go backstage a few times. She was always very fair about it, too — tried to give all members a turn at going. I kept in touch with her and have very fond memories of our times together.
July 27th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
This is indeed a Blast from the Past - I would like a book with all these wonderful stories and pictures - what a trip down memory lane for all who were there including TOM!!! and for us “new kids in town” who wonder what is was like - Thank you Ruth and thank you moderatores for posting this :)))
July 27th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
How I wish I could have contributed to the memories of those times. But while reading Ruth’s story, I so fondly rememeber the times when I went with my parents to see Tom Jones perform at the Westbury Music Fair. I’d always manage the chance to go up on stage with him, hold his microphone and have a simple, short chat with him. Those special moments surely made up for all of the lost opportunities to go backstage. Every song Tom sang, whether it be his own hits or from other artist’s songs, would be phenomenally hypnotic. To me, no DVDs, CDs, film reels…nothing, could ever compare or capture the breathtaking ballads he sang or the hip rolling, dance-out-of-your seat, rock-n-roll songs he belted out with his thunderous voice. For all those who have seen him already, nothing else needs to be said, and for those who missed his performance, no words could describe his shows. You would just need to go and see for yourself. Having heard Tom Jones sing a song, you knew it became his that night. I can’t speak for other admirers, but what a difficult time I would have trying to listen to a particular song being sung by the original artist after having heard Tom sing that same song in concert that evening…no comparison. I’m sure many would agree. Thanks for sharing Ruth’s story, it certainly rekindled my most treasured memories of Tom Jones.
July 27th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
TJfriend - I agree nothing, nothing can be compared to the TOM Jones experience LIVE - breathtaking and better than sex..OMG can I write this here, hahahaha - ok you know what I mean all of you who have seen TOM LIVE back in the days or now
July 27th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Thanks for the story. How easy the net is compared to the 70’s just a tap away we have info. Still it always takes alot of effort and alot of work putting these sites together and keeping them updated. Just a thanks for that. BTW I have that carature saved on my phone as wallpaper.
July 27th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Thank you for the article it was wonderful and it brought back some great memories.
My twin sister, Jane and myself truly enjoyed going backstage following a performance by Tom and his band members. We met some of the band members and my husband took pictures of us. (This was a long time ago. They are no longer with Tom.) This was before the show. We decorated the area backstage and had cookies galore for them, made by our club president, I guess. Following Tom’s performance we went backstage again to greet Tom. What an exciting time that was. My husband took pictures of us as Tom greeted us. Tom’s son Mark at that time was beside him watching us gals as we went through the line. Pictures were taken by my husband of us going through the line to greet Tom. It was an unforgettable time.
July 28th, 2008 at 6:27 am
This was a great walk back into time for me,I had the great fortune of knowing Ruth Brooks, she was truly a great fan of Tom’s but she was a special lady first.I was a member of her group as well as the group Betty as she refered to in her newsletter had. Ruth is sorely missed but I feel honored to have known her.
July 29th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
May Ruth Brooks rest in peace. I, too, belonged to her fan club and have fun memories and pictures of her and Marcia Ryder from Michigan. I need to say that Tom truly loved and respected Ruth. One day Tom asked her about her health (she was having health problems) and told her, “I was talking about your health to my mom and sister.” Can you imagine Tom talking to his immediate family about his concern for Ruth’s health? I am glad I got to know Ruth. She had quite a sense of humor once you got to know her.
July 31st, 2008 at 6:16 am
d.r. nasca - yes I can imagine that because TOM treats his fans like friends/family
He has a wonderful relationship with his fans. I have met TOM togehter with longtime fans and this encounter was like a family reunion - Many fans showed me their private photos - there were wedding pics, kids, grandkids and -TOM from the early years until now - family 
July 31st, 2008 at 8:38 am
Just to clarify: The photos to which BeBe refers do not include Tom at all these events. She meant that fans carry the photos of him as they do important family photos.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Moderator - thanks that’s exactly what I meant
but TOM in the wedding pic would not be so bad either, hahahaha