Allan Francis Smethurst (19 November, 1927[1] - 23 December, 2000), aka The Singing Postman was an English postman and singer.
Born in Walshaw, Lancashire,[2] the son of Allan and Gladys Mabel (née Curson),[3] Smethurst was raised in Sheringham, Norfolk. His mother came from the nearby village of Stiffkey. He later became a postman in Grimsby.[2]
Smethurst hummed tunes on his daily post round for twelve years, writing and singing songs in his native Norfolk dialect.[2] An audition tape sent to a BBC regional radio programme earned him a spot on Ralph Tuck's local radio show, and Tuck recorded Smethurst on his own record label, "The Smallest Recording Organisation in the World" based in Lowestoft. A four track EP made the EP charts in 1965 and after another EP release by Ralph Tuck and an album The Singing Postman's Year he was signed to EMI who re-released earlier songs and recorded new items. He made numerous live and promotional performances, including Top of the Pops but was afflicted by nerves and stage fright.
In 1966, the Singing Postman's best known hit "Hev Yew Gotta Loight, Boy?" won Smethurst the Ivor Novello Award for best novelty song of the year. The hit knocked The Beatles from the top of the East Anglia hit parade and remained in the charts for nine weeks. Rolf Harris recorded a cover version without success. The song had a small comeback in 1994 when it was featured on a television commercial for Ovaltine.
He quit the music business in 1970, later admitting he had an alcohol problem and that he'd spent all his money and was penniless. He spent his last few years living quietly in a Salvation Army hostel in Grimsby where he died in December 2000.
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other songs included: