Jon the Postman (real name Jonathan Ormrod) was an English punk rock singer from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Among his various jobs, the best known was that of a

postman A mail carrier, mailman, mailwoman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman, or letter carrier (in American English), sometimes colloquially known as a postie (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), is an employee of a post ...

, hence the nickname.

Early life

Jon was a postman in

in the 1970s and later spent years travelling and in various other jobs. He attended the first

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

gig at the

Lesser Free Trade Hall The Free Trade Hall on Peter Street, Manchester, England, was constructed in 1853–56 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre. It is now a Radisson hotel. The hall was built to commemorate the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. Th ...

. He was described as "a committed and omnipresent figure on the punk and post-punk scene in Manchester."Inglis, Ian (2006) ''Performance of Popular Music: History, Place and Time'', Ashgate, , p. 93 He became known for his eccentric behaviour at local rock gigs during the late 1970s, including those of acts such as

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...

and The Fall. He first became known for waiting until headline bands had finished their set (sometimes before they had finished) before mounting the stage in a drunken state, grabbing the microphone, and performing his own versions of rock 'n' roll classics such as "

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and r ...

".Ogg, Alex (2006) ''No More Heroes: a Complete History of UK Punk from 1976 to 1980'', Cherry Red Books, , pp. 310–311 The first time he did this was at a

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...

concert at the

Band on the Wall Band on the Wall is a live music venue in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, England. History Early history The building dates back to around 1862 when a local brewery, the McKenna Brothers, built it as the flagship pub of their operation. I ...

venue on May 2, 1977,Quantick, David "''John the Postman's Puerile'' (review)", '' Q'', September 1998 which he described:

"I think the Buzzcocks left the stage and the microphone was there and a little voice must have been calling, 'This is your moment, Jon.' I've no idea to this day why I sang 'Louie Louie,' the ultimate garage anthem from the 60s. And why I did it ''
a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
'' and changed all the lyrics apart from the actual chorus, I have no idea. I suppose it was my bid for immortality, one of those great bolts of inspiration."Haslam, Dave (2000) ''Manchester, England'', Fourth Estate Ltd, "For some reason it appeared to go down rather well. I suppose it was taking the punk ethos to the extreme – anyone can have a go. Before punk it was like you had to have a double degree in music. It was a liberation for someone like me who was totally unmusical but wanted to have a go." Lee, CP (1998) "Liner notes: Jon the Postman's Puerile CD", Overground Records

He attracted a cult following and became a Manchester celebrity. He played his first gig on May 29, 1977, in support of Warsaw (later

). After a handful of solo performances, he was joined by local musicians, forming a band and becoming a regular supporting act. When a special concert was held to mark the last night of Manchester's Electric Circus venue (captured on the

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

album '' Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus''), with a bill that included Joy Division, The Fall,

Steel Pulse Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ron ...

, and

John Cooper Clarke John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. Around this time, he performed on stage with sev ...

, he closed the proceedings by performing "Louie Louie" backed by Buzzcocks. He was introduced by

Pete Shelley Pete Shelley (born Peter Campbell McNeish; 17 April 1955 – 6 December 2018) was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He formed early punk band Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, and became the lead singer and guitarist in 1977 whe ...

: "That's it from us, but the favourite of all Manchester, the one guy who never appears on the bill but is always there – Jon the Postman". He released two albums, ''Jon the Postman's Puerile'' (which was the first record to feature

Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer, who was the lead singer, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the ...

, who introduced "Louie Louie." A version of the song by The Fall with Jon on vocals appears on The Fall's ''Live 1977'' album) and ''Jon the Postman's Psychedelic Rock 'N' Roll 5 Skinners Steppin' Out of Holts' Brewery'', both released on Dave Bentley's Bent Records. The first featured an extended version of "Louie Louie," which was described by

Stewart Home Kevin Llewellyn Callan (born 24 March 1962), better known as Stewart Home, is an English artist, filmmaker, writer, pamphleteer, art historian, and activist. His novels include the non-narrative ''69 Things to Do with a Dead Princess'' (2002), an ...

in his book ''Cranked Up Really High: Genre Theory and Punk Rock'' as taking, "the amateurism of the Kingsmen to its logical conclusion with grossly incompetent musicianship and a drummer who seems to be experiencing extreme difficulty simply keeping time," Home, Stewart (1996) ''Cranked up Really High: Genre Theory and Punk Rock, 2nd edn.'', Codex, while the second included a similar treatment of

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

's "

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

". Both albums were reissued on a single CD by Overground Records in 1998. A further recording session known as ''Jon the Postman's Legendary Lost Session'' appeared only on a

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

, although two songs turned up on a long-unavailable compilation LP entitled ''The Disparate Cognoscenti''. They released on The Fall's now-defunct Cog Sinister label, which Jon helped to run (along with The Fall's fan club) while studying for a degree in Politics & History at

Salford University , caption = Coat of ArmsUniversity of Salford , mottoeng = "Let us seek higher things" , established = 1850 - Pendleton Mechanics Institute 1896 – Royal Technical Institute, Salford 1967 – gained ...

.Smith, Mark E. & Middles, Mick (2003) ''The Fall'', Omnibus Press, , pp. 119–120 After he lost his job with the GPO, Jon travelled around Europe and spent five years living in San Francisco, before returning to Manchester. Jon died in 2015.

Legacy

Jon the Postman was portrayed by

Dave Gorman David James Gorman (born 2 March 1971) is an English comedian, presenter, and writer. Gorman began his career writing for comedy series such as ''The Mrs Merton Show'' (1993–1998) and ''The Fast Show'' (1994–1997), and later garnered ac ...

in the motion picture ''

24 Hour Party People ''24 Hour Party People'' is a 2002 British biographical comedy-drama film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Win ...

''.Gorman, Dave
Acting
, davegorman.com, retrieved 20 August 2009 Jon's antics in taking the stage and his incompetent performances were taken as a reference point for both other musicians and a politician. Mick Middles described how

Chris Helme Christopher Alan Helme (born 22 July 1971 in Howden, Yorkshire) is an English singer-songwriter, formerly the frontman of John Squire's post-Stone Roses band The Seahorses. History Early days (1990–1996) Helme began singing and performing a ...

became a member of

The Seahorses The Seahorses were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1996 by guitarist John Squire, following his departure from The Stone Roses. The band released their debut album ''Do It Yourself (The Seahorses album), Do It Yourself'' in 1997, a ...

after regularly mounting the stage in a similar fashion to Jon at performances by a band which included future Seahorses drummer Andy Watts and bass guitarist Stuart Fletcher, where he would, "lurch from the crowd, clutching a bottle in the manner of Manchester punk legend, Jon the Postman, and launch into impromptu vocals."Middles, Mick (1999) ''Breaking into Heaven: The Rise and Fall of the Stone Roses'', Omnibus Press, , p. 218 Music writer

Steven Wells Steven Wells (10 May 1960 – 24 June 2009) was a British journalist, author, comedian and punk poet born in Swindon, Wiltshire. He was best known for ranting poetry and his provocative, unapologetic music journalism. In June 2006, he wrote in t ...

compared

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

to Jon the Postman in 2008, comparing Palin's public speaking to Jon's onstage performances.Wells, Steven (2008)
Why Sarah Palin is totally rock'n'roll
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 2 October 2008 Also in the band were, David Buckley, Tony Turner, Tim Lyons and Mark Harris. Mark Harris died on October 19th, 2016, Tony Turner was found dead in Manchester 29 September 2022.

Discography

Albums

*''John the Postman's Puerile'' (1978), Bent *''Steppin' Out (of Holt's Brewery)'' (1978), Bent (as John the Postman's Psychedelic Rock 'n' Roll Five Skinners) *''Jon the Postman's Legendary Lost Session'' (unreleased)

Compilation appearances

*''The Disparate Cogscienti'' (1988), Cog Sinister – 2 tracks credited to Jon the Postman's Legendary Lost

References

External links

Jon the Postman
at the Manchester District Music Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Postman, Jon The 1950s births 2015 deaths English punk rock singers Musicians from Manchester Alumni of the University of Salford British postmen