Allan Smethurst

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Allan Smethurst (November 19, 1927 - December 23, 2000), aka The Singing Postman was an English postman and singer.

Smethurst was from Sheringham, Norfolk, but there is a little confusion from sources as to where his birthplace was. Whilst some sources such as this Times Article say that he was indeed born in Sheringham, other sources such as this article from Anglian Music state that he was actually born in Lancashire but brought up in Sheringham. This online article from The Independent also states that he was born in Lancashire. His mother came from the village of Stiffkey.

Smethurst hummed tunes on his daily post round for many years, before starting to write and sing songs in his native Norfolk dialect in the 1950s. An audition tape sent to the BBC earned him a spot on Ralph Tuck's local radio show. Tuck promoted Smethurst under his own record label, "The Smallest Recording Organisation in the World".

In 1966, the Singing Postman's best known hit "Hev Yew Gotta Loight, Boi?" won Smethurst the Ivor Novello Award for best novelty song of the year. The hit knocked the Beatles from the top of the East Anglian hit parade and remained in the charts for nine weeks. The song had a small comeback in 1994 when it was featured on a television commercial for Ovaltine.

After appearing on The Des O'Connor Show, he signed with EMI and went on to record over 80 songs. He quit the music business in 1970.

Smethurst died in December 2000 after living the last twenty years of his life in a Salvation Army hostel in Grimsby.

[edit] Discography

Bin Born A Long Time
45 Stringed Guitar
When The Moon Peeps O'er The Hill
Hev Yew Gotta Loight Bor?
Followin' Th' Binder Round
The Devil's Hoofprints
Roundabout

[edit] Tribute acts

Winston Harrold, a working farmer from East Dereham in Norfolk, regularly performs as "The Singing Farmer". He has recorded a number of tribute albums, including Are Yew Orlight Boy? and The Singing Postman Tribute.