Jon Allen sings 'Mercy' take a listen it's worth your time ;-)
Music
JON ALLEN BIOGRAPHY
I was born in the rural serenity of Winchester and raised by wolves in a meadow among the blue bells. (Well the Winchester bit is true.) I must have been about six when I moved with my family from Winchester to Totnes, South Devon where I spent the rest of my childhood. I was pretty young when I started having piano lessons and singing in a choir. I even started to learn the violin. I had one lesson. It was disastrous. I am left-handed and they made me play right-handed (I could have been a contender!)
The secondary school I went to was very different from most. It was an alternative, progressive school called Sands. I started there when the school had just opened. I think there were about 25 pupils. In the beginning we had lessons at one of the children's parents houses and we used to go to another parents house for lunch where they had a drum kit that I would play with chopsticks at lunch times.
I started playing the drums in jam sessions at school. No one ever wanted to be the singer it was too embarrassing. Being a natural show off and a clown I grabbed the mike and started crooning an Elvis impersonation. From then on I took to the idea of singing in a band.
Another pivotal turning point on my road to rock n' roll was the decision I made to trade my Sinclair Spectrum48k+ computer (with games) for an electric guitar and a fifteen watt guitar amp. For about a year I played a right-handed model upside down. The first song I leant to play was 'I'm the king of the swinger'. It was when I tried to learn the Beatles song 'I've got a feeling' from the 'Let it Be' album and couldn't reach round the neck to play one particular chord that I decided to get a left handed model and learn the other way round.
I was sixteen when I wrote my first song. At about the same time I joined a local covers band, as a singer/guitarist.
The first music that really captured my imagination was The Beatles. At a friend's house I found a copy of Sgt. Peppers on cassette. After I'd stretched that tape playing it constantly I went in search of the rest of The Beatles back catalogue. From there my interest spun off onto Led Zeppelin, then onto singer songwriters like Dylan, Neil young and Tom Waits. My parents bought me a 4 track recorder for my birthday one year and that really turned my interest on to the way that songs and arrangements were constructed, and the way the different instruments interact with eachother. I started experimenting with recording myself, layering vocal harmonies and generally exploring the multi-track recording process.
When I finished college I thought it would be a good idea to get out of Devon. It had become a claustrophobically sleepy place and I wanted to be somewhere where there were other musicians and some kind of scene. I applied for and got a place on a degree course at The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. During my time there I became a stronger and more focused songwriter. In my third year at LIPA one of my demos received a five star review in a magazine called 'Making Music'. From that I got some offers of London Management so the decision to move there after graduation seemed natural.
Since I've been living in London I have played several support gigs for Damien Rice, KT Tunstall and Jose Gonzalez among others. Fans of my music within the industry include Coldplay producer Ken Nelson and Guy Chambers. Recently I have supported Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris at Wembley Arena, Manchester MEN and The Zenith in Paris. Also Mark Knapfler has very kindly offered to play guitar on one of my tracks called Sarah. If I were to try to describe my music or my sound I would say 'Green' (joke) Seriously, I guess I have a soulful, slightly gravely voice. A lot of my songs feature acoustic guitar and harmonica. My song writing is melodic and I think many of my songs could have been written at any time in the last thirty years although most likely 1970.
- Jon Allen
Jon Allen @ The Komedia, Brighton 6th October 2007
Television
May 2009
Jon Allen Fan Club's Details
Status:
Single
Zodiac Sign:
Sagittarius
Jon Allen Fan Club Jon Allen- NEW GIGS Amsterdam,Madrid & more! 15th Nov Kings Theatre,Portsmouth Sally Taylor 'Up close and personal' for Children in Need Posted 2 hours ago view more
About me:
My name is Dee and I have set up this fan site for fans of Jon Allen. Jon is not directly involved but he does provide some information for me to use on here. It will be run with the help of my friend Linda and has his aproval.
If you are a fan of Jon and his music please join us by sending in a friend request.
Hiya Girlz! Wishing u much laughter, happiness and luv for the coming week ~ keep rockin! (hoping to see Jon in Winchester at the end of the month ~ hope 2 c u there too) sincerely, luv n hugz Annie xx
Thank you for the request! Jon is a new discovery for me when I heard Dead Man's Suit and was blown away! At last a singer and band with honest integrity....and an organ solo! Of course I'll drop by....Best Wishes :)
Thanks for the nice comment. Didn't get to see Jon after all last night. We actually got to King Tut's but had to leave before the start of the gig due to an emergency at home. Was really disappointed. One of our friends was there and thoroughly enjoyed the acoustic set. Maybe there will be an opportunity for us in the future. Best wishes Barbara xx
Hiya Dee and Linda, hope you have a Glamtastic week and that you're not working to hard! Take care, stay safe and have loads of fun!!! MyNiceSpace.com Lots of luv n hugz Anne xx
Thanks for the reminder. I was hoping to get to the Union Chapel as it will be a great venue to see Jon but sadly work commitments mean I cannot make it.
Keep up the good work!
Hi, maybe you could ask Jon if he'd like a go at gettin' Dead Man's Suit in the chart, sweet track, with a little help from the fan club obviously, certainly talented enough to slot right in at the top. All the best, Keith.
Online Now!
.I like both Joe and Jon a lot 
.Wanted to be there..
