Allan Francis Smethurst (19 November 1927 – 22 December 2000),
aka The Singing Postman was an English
folk singer
and
postman. He is best known for his self-penned
novelty song "Hev Yew Gotta Loight, Boy?", which earned him an
Ivor Novello Award
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
in 1966, “Come Along A Me” and "A Miss from Diss".
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' dubbed him a "bookishly melancholy folk-satirist".
Life and career
Born in
Walshaw, near
Bury,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
,
[Eric Wainwright (1965) '']Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' 28 May p. 13 "The Postman who Swings into a £50-a-week Summer" the son of Allan and Gladys Mabel (''née'' Curson), Smethurst was raised in
Sheringham,
Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
, from the age of 11.
His mother came from the village of
Stiffkey, 15 miles to the west. It is often thought that he became a postman in
Lavenham,
Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
, but photos of him in the area are just promotional material.
Smethurst joined the Post Office in 1953,
and later worked in
Grimsby.
[ He never worked for the GPO in Norfolk or Suffolk.
Smethurst hummed tunes on his daily post round for 12 years, writing and singing songs in his characteristic Norfolk dialect.][ An audition tape sent to the BBC earned him a spot on Ralph Tuck's BBC East regional radio programme ''Wednesday Morning''. His popularity led to Tuck recording Smethurst on his own ]record label
"Big Three" music labels
A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
, ‘The Smallest Recording Organisation in the World’, based in Lowestoft. A four-track EP containing his signature tune “Hev Yew Gotta Loight Boy”, made the EP charts in 1965. This was followed by another EP release by Ralph Tuck, and an album ''The Singing Postman's Year''. He was then signed to EMI who re-released earlier songs and recorded new items. A colour promotional film was made of “Hev Yew Gotta Loight Boy” which has survived to this day. He made numerous live and promotional performances, including on ''Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
'', but was afflicted by nerves and stage fright. His live performances included a summer season in 1965 at the Windmill Theatre in Great Yarmouth.
In 1966, the Singing Postman's best known hit "Hev Yew Gotta Loight, Boy?" won Smethurst the Ivor Novello Award
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
for best novelty song of the year. Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the inventi ...
recorded a cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
without success. The song had a small comeback in 1994, when it was featured on a television commercial for Ovaltine. It was also covered by punk band Splodgenessabounds in 1981.
Smethurst left the music industry
The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...
in 1970 citing stage fright and arthritic hands. He later admitted to an alcohol problem and revealed all his earnings were gone and he was penniless. He spent his last 20 years living quietly in a Salvation Army hostel in Grimsby, where he died from a heart attack in December 2000.
In September 2010, a BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
programme, ''In Search of the Singing Postman'' was broadcast; it was written and presented by D. J. Taylor.
Discography
Albums
* ''The Singing Postman's Year'' (RTP, 1966)
* ''Recorded Delivery'' ( Parlophone, 1966)
* ''The Sound Barrier'' (Parlophone, 1967)
* ''The Best of the Singing Postman'' (Starline, 1967)
* ''First Class Male'' (1971, Gemini)
* ''Hev Yew Gotta Loight, Boy?'' ( Parlophone, 2005)
Singles and EPs
* "First Delivery EP" (EMI, 1966)
* "Second Delivery EP" (Parlophone, 1966)
* "Third Delivery EP" (Parlophone, 1966)
* "Fourth Delivery EP" (Parlophone, 1966)
* "Ladies Darts Team" / "Roundabout" (Parlophone, 1966)
* "Mind How You Go" (Parlophone, 1967)
* "Please Mr. Postman" (Parlophone, 1967)
* "Fertilising Lisa" / "Ballad of A Ten Bob Note" (President PVK.005, 1977)
* "Hey the Bottom Dropped Owt" (Ralph Tuck, 1997)
References
External links
"Hev Yew Gotta Loight, Boy?" lyrics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smethurst, Allan
1927 births
2000 deaths
Ivor Novello Award winners
English male singers
English folk singers
British postmen
20th-century English singers
People from Sheringham
People from Tottington, Greater Manchester
20th-century British male singers