Jamie Laurie

Jonny 5
Jonny 5 performs at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC on November 4, 2008, as Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election is announced.
Background information
Birth name	James Laurie
Also known as	Jonny 5, Jamie Laurie
Born	(1977-10-06) October 6, 1977 (age 39) Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Genres	Alternative hip hop, alternative rock, indie rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, singer, rapper
Instruments	Vocals, drums,
Years active	2000 - present
Labels	Universal Republic
Associated acts	Flobots
Website	www.flobots.com

James Laurie (born in Denver, Colorado, on October 6, 1977) better known by his stage name Jonny 5, is the singer and founder of the American musical group, Flobots. He is the only member who has been with the band since its inception in 2000. His rap influences include Andre 3000, Black Thought, Common, MF Doom, Aceyalone, Boots, Pep Love, Breezely Brewin, De la Soull Mystik, Big Gipp, Jay‑Z, Cee‑Lo, Del the Funky Homosapien, Lateef, Lyrics Born, Gift of Gab, The Grouch, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Young MC.

He was a paraeducator at East High School in Denver, Colorado, tasked with the management of the school's tutoring center; he left East High School when the Flobots became signed. While still working at East High School, Jamie was involved in many clubs and activities including PeaceJam and a hip-hop club. He also graduated from East High. In late 2012, he released a mixtape entitled "I Hope You Like It", featuring 31 different rhymes that he had been creating and posting on his YouTube channel for the previous three years.

Jonny 5 formed the Flobots in 2000 while teaming up with producer Farhad Ebrahimi, a.k.a. Yahktoe. Together they released the independently released album Onomatopoeia in 2001, and the title track ended up in a compilation by the MIT Songwriting Club at Yahktoe's alma mater. The title track featured guitar player David Gralow, cello player Terrence Favors, and bass player Jaymz Haynes.