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Jon Allen (musician)

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Jon Allen
Jon Allen
Jon Allen
Background information
Born (1977-05-12) 12 May 1977 (age 47)
OriginWinchester, England
GenresFolk rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, harmonica
LabelsMonologue Records/Ok!Good Records
Websitejonallensongs.co.uk

Jon Allen (born Jonathon Allen, 12 May 1977) is an English folk rock singer-songwriter born in Winchester, currently living in London. His debut album Dead Man's Suit was released on 1 June 2009 on Monologue Records. He is best known for the songs "In Your Light" and "Going Home", the later of which featured in a worldwide advert for the Land Rover Freelander 2. His music is evocative of the folk-rock scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Early life

Allen attended an alternative progressive school called Sands in Devon and would be the first to admit that he spent most of his time jamming on his drumkit and teaching himself guitar, rather than attending lessons. This led to him featuring in a number of school bands, playing drums. After unveiling his singing ability in public, Allen traded in his computer, bought an electric guitar and amplifier, and so his musical path began. When he was 16, his parents got him a four-track recorder. He began laying down tracks and experimenting with the interaction of different instruments, exploring the multi-track recording process. Allen attended college completing a BTEC in performing arts and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).[1]

Early career

After graduating from LIPA, Allen moved to London, after one of his demos received a five-star review in the magazine Making Music. Management offers in London soon followed. It was on the London gig circuit that Allen met members of his future band including Hammond organ player Rich Milner, who Allen spotted at a gig at South London pub. Milner introduced Allen to Tristan Longworth who went on to produce and record his debut album, Dead Man's Suit in his house in Balham.

Since moving to London, Allen has shared the stage with artists such as Emmylou Harris, Mark Knopfler, KT Tunstall, Seal and José González.

Debut album

"Going Home", taken from his debut album, was championed by BBC Radio 1’s Jo Whiley, featured on the worldwide Land Rover TV commercial in 2008 achieving a 20,000 downloads from Allen's. The proceeds gave Allen the freedom to self-fund the recording of his album. It was initially only available as a download, but was picked up by Absolute Distribution and given a physical release in UK stores on 1 June 2009. Shortly after this Allen signed a publishing deal with Wardlawbanks.[2]

TV and radio appearances

Jon Allen in Barcelona in 2010.
  • Debut single "Going Home" championed by Jo Whiley at BBC Radio 1 (2008)
  • "Going Home" was the Geoff Lloyd Record of the Week at Absolute Radio (2008)
  • "In Your Light" was a A-list song at BBC Radio 2, Absolute Radio, Heart and Magic (2009)
  • Janice Long session and interview, BBC Radio 2 on 26 March 2009[2]
  • Appearance on Later... with Jools Holland on BBC Two on 15 May 2009.[3]
  • Appearance on BBC London TV on 26 May 2009
  • Bob Harris session on BBC Radio 2 on 30 May 2009, Arts and Culture show session on same channel on 5 June 2009
  • "Down By The River" added to Magic playlist week commencing 3 July 2009[2]
  • "Last Orders" performed in BBC lounge at Glastonbury Festival on 26 June 2011

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

  • "Going Home" (2008)
  • "In Your Light" (2009)
  • "Young Man Blues/ Dead Man’s Suit" (2009)
  • "Down by the River" (2009)
  • "Joanna" (2011)
  • "Night & Day" (2014)

Chart

Year Album UK Albums Chart UK Alternative Chart UK Breakers Chart
2009 Dead Man's Suit 139[4] - -
2011 Sweet Defeat 196[5] 27 8
2014 Deep River 126[6] 16 2

References

  1. ^ "Business Consultancy". Jon Allen. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "??". Entertainment.timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2014. (subscription required)
  3. ^ "BBC Two - Later... with Jools Holland". Bbc.co.uk. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  4. ^ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK - Update 2009". Zobbel. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  5. ^ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – Update 4.06.2011". Zobbel. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  6. ^ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK - Update 19.07.2014". Zobbel. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
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