The Wurzels
Encyclopedia
The Wurzels are a British Scrumpy and Western
band. The Somerset
-based band is best known by many people for their 1976 number one hit "Combine Harvester", and number three hit "I Am A Cider Drinker" based on the song Una Paloma Blanca, but have a history stretching over 40 years, and still perform to this day.
, a crop grown to feed livestock, and 'wurzel' is also sometimes used in the UK (perhaps only as a result of the band's name) as a synonym for 'yokel
'.
The Wurzels' particular "genre" of music was named Scrumpy and Western
after the group's first EP of the same name, issued early in 1967. Scrumpy
is a name given to traditional Somerset cider, popular amongst The Wurzels and their fans, and frequently referred to in their songs.
. With a thick Somerset accent
, Adge played on his West Country
roots, singing many folk songs with local themes such as cider
making (and drinking), farming, dung-spreading, local villages and industrial work song
s, often with a comic
slant.
During the latter half of the 1960s, the band became immensely popular regionally, and the release of the single Drink Up Thy Zider in 1966 led to national fame and it reaching number 45 in the UK charts, despite the B-side Twice Daily being banned by the BBC for being too raunchy. This was because it told the story of a farm labourer who begins a physical relationship with a female co-worker called 'Lucy Bailey'.
A number of live albums were recorded at local pubs and clubs, filled with Adge Cutler penned favourites such as Easton in Gordano
, The Champion Dung Spreader, and Thee's Got'n Where Thee Cassn't Back'n, Hassn't? together with songs written by others and some re-workings of popular folk songs of the time.
Adge Cutler died after falling asleep at the wheel of his MGB
sports car which then overturned on a roundabout
approaching the Severn Bridge
. He was returning alone from a Wurzels show in Hereford
in May 1974. He is buried in Nailsea
.
, etc.)
In 1976, the Wurzels released "The Combine Harvester", a re-work of the song "Brand New Key
", by Melanie
, which became a UK hit, topping the charts for 2 weeks. The band quickly followed its success with the release of a number of similarly themed songs such as I Am A Cider Drinker (a rework of an existing melody "Una Paloma Blanca", which was written by and had been a hit for the George Baker Selection and also covered by Jonathan King
the year before) which got to number three in the charts, and Farmer Bill's Cowman (a reworking of the Whistling Jack Smith instrumental I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman
).
The Wurzels have never stopped performing, but record releases during the 1980s and 1990s were few — and included singles like I Hate JR and Sunny Weston-super-Mare. To help celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Eddie Stobart Ltd in 1995, the group signed to Cumbria record label Loose Records & Music
, and recorded four new new songs including the single "I Wanna Be An Eddie Stobart Driver" (released as a limited edition lorry-shaped disc) which hit the lower end of the national singles charts. The interest in this record sparked off renewed interest in The Wurzels.
The late 1990s saw the continuing of this revival of the fortunes for the surviving Wurzels, gaining a cult status amongst students and a resurgence in their popularity in their native West Country. Under the new management of The Stranglers
manager Sil Willcox a number of CD releases followed, largely featuring re-recordings of older works, but also Never Mind The Bullocks, Ere's The Wurzels containing cover versions of contemporary British rock songs. This album was recorded and produced by Louie Nicastro and George Allen manager of The Mission. The album title and cover were a spoof Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
.
The Wurzels covered British Sea Power
's Remember Me while British Sea Power covered The Wurzels' I Am A Cider Drinker. The band also supported BSP at their gig at the London Forum in November. In 2004, The Wurzels appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks
in that year's Christmas special, performing Christmas songs to Bill Bailey
's team. (Bailey is a Wurzels fan, and stood and saluted upon hearing Combine Harvester, later claiming that he had the tune on his doorbell at home!) In 2005, the band released a limited edition split single
with British Sea Power
.
In 2007, The Wurzels and Tony Blackburn
re-released I Am A Cider Drinker with the royalties from the song going to the BUI Prostate Cancer
Care Appeal in Bristol
.
The Wurzels continue to gig around the UK, including playing at the Shalbourne Festival
for nearly 11 years, although they pulled out of the 2007 Glastonbury Festival
, having been scheduled to play the bandstand stage where they could not use their own sound engineers, although they had played the same stage at the 2000 Glastonbury Festival. They were also one of the headliners at the 2007 Bristol Community Festival, and made a return to Glastonbury in 2008 (on a higher profile stage).
The Wurzels are also very popular with supporters of Bristol City F.C.
. Their song "One For The Bristol City" is the official club anthem. First released in 1976, a newly recorded version of this song reached number 66 in the UK charts in September 2007. It is played at the final whistle at Ashton Gate
if the home club win and it is sung by fans along with another Wurzel song "I am a cider drinker". The song has also been adopted by Bath City
who, like Bristol City, play the track after home victories.
The band continue to spread the message of wurzelmania across the country. In December 2009 they released a new single, available by internet download only — a first for the band, entitled 'Ode To Adge' - a tribute to the band's founder, Adge Cutler.
Early June 2010 the Wurzels' released their latest single (a cover of the Kaiser Chiefs "Ruby") and as another first in the band's history, issued in preview form, together with a promotional film, on their YouTube channel. The single was made available for general release only as an internet download (traditional hardcopies were made available as promo discs to radio stations).
28 June 2010 saw the release of the band's latest CD album 'A Load More Bullocks' - timed to coincide with their appearance the previous Saturday at the Glastonbury festival. Their session took place on the Avalon stage to a crowd of some 20,000 fans.
In 2011 BBC4 started a series of repeats of the popular long running programme 'Top of The Pops' starting with 1976 and a programme dedicated to that year. Two of the Wurzels, Budd and Banner were interviewed as part of that programme with their first performance on the programme (1976) being screened. In the same month the BBC 'One Show' included a 7 minute item on the story of the Wurzels' Combine Harvester' song featuring further interviews with Budd and Banner and extracts from the 1976 promotional film for the 'Combine Harvester' song.
, his Scottish accent remains but with a strong Somerset twang.
Pete Budd is the familiar front-man of the post-Cutler band, Pete Budd originally joined the Wurzels as a banjo
player in 1972, and his distinctive West Country vocals made him an obvious replacement lead singer after Adge's death. He continues to sing, and play banjo and guitar for the band, including in his repertoire a Mark Knopfler
-esque guitar lead on their modern version of I Wish I Was Back On The Farm, originally made famous by George Formby.
John Morgan, also known as 'Amos',is the oldest drummer in the land according to fellow band members hailing from the Forest of Dean — prefers hot cocoa to cider and during 'live' gigs the claim is made that he is 79 years of age.
Sedge Moore, born and bred in Somerset. A skilful bass player, his cheerful, happy style is perfectly suited to the band.
Louie 'Gribble' Nicastro, latest member of the band, also the producer of the band's recent releases, plays keyboard. Responsible for the majority of 'live' animal noises during the songs!
The original Wurzels line-up to accompany Adge recorded their first album (“Adge Cutler and the Wurzels”) in 1966 and consisted of Brian Walker, Reg Quantrill, John Macey and Reg Chant.
Brian Walker left in 1967, soon after the band's first album was released. Their next offering “Adge Cutler and the Wurzels’ Family Album”, was recorded with the remaining members – Reg Quantrill, John Macey and Reg Chant.
1967 saw a year of several changes – Reg Chant left the group, soon followed by John Macey. But their places were quickly filled by Henry Davies and Tommy Banner.
The group's third album “Cutler of the West’ was released in 1968 with a line-up featuring Adge Cutler, Henry Davies, Tommy Banner and Reg Quantrill. Shortly afterwards they were joined by Melt Kingston for a short period whilst Henry Davies went to work on other projects. Melt left when Henry returned at the end of the year.
Early in 1969, Henry Davies left the group permanently and was replaced by Tony Baylis, just in time for the band's fourth album release “Carry On Cutler”, the line-up now being Adge Cutler, Tommy Banner, Tony Baylis and Reg Quantrill.
By 1974, Reg Quantrill had been replaced by Pete Budd (born Peter Budd, 18 July 1940, in Brislington
, Bristol
), but following the death of Adge Cutler the Wurzels were left to continue on their own – the future chart topping trio consisting of Tommy Banner, Pete Budd and Tony Baylis.
The Wurzels obtained their first permanent drummer, John Morgan (born 21 April 1941, in Lydney
, Forest of Dean
), in 1981 and the line-up then remained unchanged until Tony Baylis left in 1983. Just before he left Jai Howe played with the group for a short period, with Terry Pascoe also augmenting the line-up.
Early in 1984, Jai Howe and Terry Pascoe left the band and were replaced by Mike Gwilliam. For the next nine years ‘The Wurzels’ consisted of Pete Budd, Tommy Banner, John Morgan and Mike Gwilliam.
In 1995 Mike Gwilliam left and was replaced by Dave Wintour
. This remained the shape of the band until 2002 when Dave was replaced by Jai Howe (who had played with the band in the early 1980s).
A temporary change in line-up occurred in November 2005 when long-term Wurzel Tommy Banner had to step away from performing whilst undergoing treatment for prostate cancer
. His place was taken on by the band's production and sound engineer, Louie Nicastro, until Banner's health was restored and he was able to return to the fold in the spring of 2006.
The death of Jai Howe in 2007 left the band one man down — this led to Sedge Moore being recruited to give the current ‘farmyard four’ line-up of Pete Budd, Tommy Banner, John Morgan and Sedge Moore.
Scrumpy and Western
Scrumpy and Western refers humorously to music from England's West Country that fuses comical folk-style songs, often full of double entendre, with affectionate parodies of more mainstream musical genres, all delivered in the local accent/dialect...
band. The Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
-based band is best known by many people for their 1976 number one hit "Combine Harvester", and number three hit "I Am A Cider Drinker" based on the song Una Paloma Blanca, but have a history stretching over 40 years, and still perform to this day.
Name
The name of the band was dreamed-up by the band's founder Adge Cutler. It appears to be short for mangelwurzelMangelwurzel
Mangelwurzel or mangold wurzel , also called mangold, mangel beet, field beet and fodder beet, is a cultivated root vegetable derived from Beta vulgaris...
, a crop grown to feed livestock, and 'wurzel' is also sometimes used in the UK (perhaps only as a result of the band's name) as a synonym for 'yokel
Yokel
Yokel is a derogatory term referring to the stereotype of unsophisticated country people.-Stereotype:In the US, it is used to describe someone living in rural areas...
'.
The Wurzels' particular "genre" of music was named Scrumpy and Western
Scrumpy and Western
Scrumpy and Western refers humorously to music from England's West Country that fuses comical folk-style songs, often full of double entendre, with affectionate parodies of more mainstream musical genres, all delivered in the local accent/dialect...
after the group's first EP of the same name, issued early in 1967. Scrumpy
Scrumpy
Scrumpy is a term often used for strong ciders made in West Country of England. The term is especially used to distinguish those made locally in smaller quantities and using traditional methods from mass produced branded ciders....
is a name given to traditional Somerset cider, popular amongst The Wurzels and their fans, and frequently referred to in their songs.
Adge Cutler and The Wurzels
The Wurzels were formed in 1966 as a backing group for, and by, singer/songwriter Adge CutlerAdge Cutler
Alan John 'Adge' Cutler was an English singer who had as his backing band the country and Western folk group The Wurzels. Cutler was known for his songs, but also his dry, West Country humour, and gained the unofficial title of "The Bard Of Avonmouth".-Early life:Alan John Cutler was born in...
. With a thick Somerset accent
West Country dialects
The West Country dialects and West Country accents are generic terms applied to any of several English dialects and accents used by much of the indigenous population of South West England, the area popularly known as the West Country....
, Adge played on his West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
roots, singing many folk songs with local themes such as cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
making (and drinking), farming, dung-spreading, local villages and industrial work song
Work song
A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a specific form of work, either sung while conducting a task or a song linked to a task or trade which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song....
s, often with a comic
Comic song
A comic song is a humorous song. These songs were especially popular in the music halls of the 19th and 20th century....
slant.
During the latter half of the 1960s, the band became immensely popular regionally, and the release of the single Drink Up Thy Zider in 1966 led to national fame and it reaching number 45 in the UK charts, despite the B-side Twice Daily being banned by the BBC for being too raunchy. This was because it told the story of a farm labourer who begins a physical relationship with a female co-worker called 'Lucy Bailey'.
A number of live albums were recorded at local pubs and clubs, filled with Adge Cutler penned favourites such as Easton in Gordano
Easton in Gordano
Easton in Gordano sometimes shortened to "E-I-G" is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is within the District of North Somerset and in 2001 the population was 4,719....
, The Champion Dung Spreader, and Thee's Got'n Where Thee Cassn't Back'n, Hassn't? together with songs written by others and some re-workings of popular folk songs of the time.
Adge Cutler died after falling asleep at the wheel of his MGB
MG MGB
The MGB is a sports car launched by MG Cars in May 1962 to replace the MGA. Introduced as a four-cylinder roadster, a coupé with 2+2 seating was added in 1965...
sports car which then overturned on a roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
approaching the Severn Bridge
Severn Bridge
The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the River Severn between South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, England, and Monmouthshire in South Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the River Severn and River Wye estuary. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and...
. He was returning alone from a Wurzels show in Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
in May 1974. He is buried in Nailsea
Nailsea
Nailsea is a town in the unitary authority of North Somerset within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, approximately to the southwest of Bristol and about to the northeast of the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare. The nearest village is Backwell, which lies south of Nailsea on the...
.
The Wurzels
Adge's death marked a turning point in the history of the Wurzels. Deprived of the main song-writing talent, the remaining Wurzels recorded The Wurzels Are Scrumptious! in 1975, an album containing many favourites from the back catalogue, including a number of previously unrecorded Cutler-written songs. In order to continue the surviving band needed its own songs, and these mostly took the formula of re-written popular pop songs of the time with the lyrics changed to include the usual Wurzel themes (cider, farming, local villages, Cheddar cheeseCheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, yellow to off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting cheese, produced in several countries around the world. It has its origins in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset....
, etc.)
In 1976, the Wurzels released "The Combine Harvester", a re-work of the song "Brand New Key
Brand New Key
"Brand New Key" is a pop song written by folk singer Melanie, which became a novelty hit in 1971-72. Taken from Melanie's album Gather Me, it was also known as "The Rollerskate Song" due to its chorus. It was her biggest hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in December 1971 and...
", by Melanie
Melanie Safka
Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk is an American singer-songwriter. Known professionally as simply Melanie, she is best known for her hits "Brand New Key", "Ruby Tuesday" and "Lay Down ".-Early career:...
, which became a UK hit, topping the charts for 2 weeks. The band quickly followed its success with the release of a number of similarly themed songs such as I Am A Cider Drinker (a rework of an existing melody "Una Paloma Blanca", which was written by and had been a hit for the George Baker Selection and also covered by Jonathan King
Jonathan King
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
the year before) which got to number three in the charts, and Farmer Bill's Cowman (a reworking of the Whistling Jack Smith instrumental I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman
I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman
"I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" was a hit single in 1967 composed by Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. It was a novelty record, being performed mostly by whistling. This was credited to Whistling Jack Smith and Billy Moeller appeared under this name, though the whistling was really performed by John...
).
The Wurzels have never stopped performing, but record releases during the 1980s and 1990s were few — and included singles like I Hate JR and Sunny Weston-super-Mare. To help celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Eddie Stobart Ltd in 1995, the group signed to Cumbria record label Loose Records & Music
Loose Records & Music
Loose Records & Music is an independent record label and publishing company. The label was founded in the mid-70s by Bernard S. Vick and Andy Titcombe. Originally based in London, United Kingdom, it currently has its headquarters in Cumbria.-History:...
, and recorded four new new songs including the single "I Wanna Be An Eddie Stobart Driver" (released as a limited edition lorry-shaped disc) which hit the lower end of the national singles charts. The interest in this record sparked off renewed interest in The Wurzels.
The late 1990s saw the continuing of this revival of the fortunes for the surviving Wurzels, gaining a cult status amongst students and a resurgence in their popularity in their native West Country. Under the new management of The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
manager Sil Willcox a number of CD releases followed, largely featuring re-recordings of older works, but also Never Mind The Bullocks, Ere's The Wurzels containing cover versions of contemporary British rock songs. This album was recorded and produced by Louie Nicastro and George Allen manager of The Mission. The album title and cover were a spoof Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols is the only studio album by the highly influential and controversial English punk rock band The Sex Pistols...
.
The Wurzels covered British Sea Power
British Sea Power
British Sea Power are an indie rock band based in Brighton, England, although three of the band members originally come from Kendal in Cumbria. Critics have likened their sound to a variety of groups, from The Cure and Joy Division to the Pixies and Arcade Fire. The band are famed for their live...
's Remember Me while British Sea Power covered The Wurzels' I Am A Cider Drinker. The band also supported BSP at their gig at the London Forum in November. In 2004, The Wurzels appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
in that year's Christmas special, performing Christmas songs to Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
's team. (Bailey is a Wurzels fan, and stood and saluted upon hearing Combine Harvester, later claiming that he had the tune on his doorbell at home!) In 2005, the band released a limited edition split single
Remember Me/I Am a Cider Drinker
"Remember Me"/"I Am a Cider Drinker" was a split single released by British Sea Power and The Wurzels. The 7" single features The Wurzels covering BSP's "Remember Me" and BSP covering The Wurzels' 1976 hit "I Am a Cider Drinker"...
with British Sea Power
British Sea Power
British Sea Power are an indie rock band based in Brighton, England, although three of the band members originally come from Kendal in Cumbria. Critics have likened their sound to a variety of groups, from The Cure and Joy Division to the Pixies and Arcade Fire. The band are famed for their live...
.
In 2007, The Wurzels and Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
re-released I Am A Cider Drinker with the royalties from the song going to the BUI Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
Care Appeal in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
The Wurzels continue to gig around the UK, including playing at the Shalbourne Festival
Shalbourne
Shalbourne is a civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. Besides a village of the same name, the parish includes a number of widely spaced small settlements, including Bagshot and Stype, to the north, and Rivar and Oxenwood to the south...
for nearly 11 years, although they pulled out of the 2007 Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, having been scheduled to play the bandstand stage where they could not use their own sound engineers, although they had played the same stage at the 2000 Glastonbury Festival. They were also one of the headliners at the 2007 Bristol Community Festival, and made a return to Glastonbury in 2008 (on a higher profile stage).
The Wurzels are also very popular with supporters of Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
. Their song "One For The Bristol City" is the official club anthem. First released in 1976, a newly recorded version of this song reached number 66 in the UK charts in September 2007. It is played at the final whistle at Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate Stadium is a stadium in Ashton Gate, Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol City F.C. Located in the south-west of the city, just south of the River Avon, it has an all-seated capacity of 21,497, with an effective capacity for football matches of around 19,500, with an average...
if the home club win and it is sung by fans along with another Wurzel song "I am a cider drinker". The song has also been adopted by Bath City
Bath City F.C.
Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They play in the Conference National league after gaining promotion from the Conference South via the play-offs in May 2010...
who, like Bristol City, play the track after home victories.
The band continue to spread the message of wurzelmania across the country. In December 2009 they released a new single, available by internet download only — a first for the band, entitled 'Ode To Adge' - a tribute to the band's founder, Adge Cutler.
Early June 2010 the Wurzels' released their latest single (a cover of the Kaiser Chiefs "Ruby") and as another first in the band's history, issued in preview form, together with a promotional film, on their YouTube channel. The single was made available for general release only as an internet download (traditional hardcopies were made available as promo discs to radio stations).
28 June 2010 saw the release of the band's latest CD album 'A Load More Bullocks' - timed to coincide with their appearance the previous Saturday at the Glastonbury festival. Their session took place on the Avalon stage to a crowd of some 20,000 fans.
In 2011 BBC4 started a series of repeats of the popular long running programme 'Top of The Pops' starting with 1976 and a programme dedicated to that year. Two of the Wurzels, Budd and Banner were interviewed as part of that programme with their first performance on the programme (1976) being screened. In the same month the BBC 'One Show' included a 7 minute item on the story of the Wurzels' Combine Harvester' song featuring further interviews with Budd and Banner and extracts from the 1976 promotional film for the 'Combine Harvester' song.
Current members
Tommy Banner is the longest serving Wurzel, Tommy joined the band in November 1967, and is still going strong. He is usually seen playing accordion, but has also played piano in the Wurzels' past. Hailing from PenicuikPenicuik
Penicuik is a burgh and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. The town was developed as a planned village in 1770 by Sir James Clerk of Penicuik. It became a burgh in 1867. The town was well known for its paper mills, the last of which closed in 2005....
, his Scottish accent remains but with a strong Somerset twang.
Pete Budd is the familiar front-man of the post-Cutler band, Pete Budd originally joined the Wurzels as a banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player in 1972, and his distinctive West Country vocals made him an obvious replacement lead singer after Adge's death. He continues to sing, and play banjo and guitar for the band, including in his repertoire a Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
-esque guitar lead on their modern version of I Wish I Was Back On The Farm, originally made famous by George Formby.
John Morgan, also known as 'Amos',is the oldest drummer in the land according to fellow band members hailing from the Forest of Dean — prefers hot cocoa to cider and during 'live' gigs the claim is made that he is 79 years of age.
Sedge Moore, born and bred in Somerset. A skilful bass player, his cheerful, happy style is perfectly suited to the band.
Louie 'Gribble' Nicastro, latest member of the band, also the producer of the band's recent releases, plays keyboard. Responsible for the majority of 'live' animal noises during the songs!
Past members
Over the years many Wurzels have come and gone since Adge Cutler first formed the group to accompany him in singing his scrumpy laden ditties.The original Wurzels line-up to accompany Adge recorded their first album (“Adge Cutler and the Wurzels”) in 1966 and consisted of Brian Walker, Reg Quantrill, John Macey and Reg Chant.
Brian Walker left in 1967, soon after the band's first album was released. Their next offering “Adge Cutler and the Wurzels’ Family Album”, was recorded with the remaining members – Reg Quantrill, John Macey and Reg Chant.
1967 saw a year of several changes – Reg Chant left the group, soon followed by John Macey. But their places were quickly filled by Henry Davies and Tommy Banner.
The group's third album “Cutler of the West’ was released in 1968 with a line-up featuring Adge Cutler, Henry Davies, Tommy Banner and Reg Quantrill. Shortly afterwards they were joined by Melt Kingston for a short period whilst Henry Davies went to work on other projects. Melt left when Henry returned at the end of the year.
Early in 1969, Henry Davies left the group permanently and was replaced by Tony Baylis, just in time for the band's fourth album release “Carry On Cutler”, the line-up now being Adge Cutler, Tommy Banner, Tony Baylis and Reg Quantrill.
By 1974, Reg Quantrill had been replaced by Pete Budd (born Peter Budd, 18 July 1940, in Brislington
Brislington
Brislington is an area in the south east of the city of Bristol, England. It is on the edge of Bristol and from Bath. The Brislington Brook runs through the area in the woodlands of Nightingale Valley...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
), but following the death of Adge Cutler the Wurzels were left to continue on their own – the future chart topping trio consisting of Tommy Banner, Pete Budd and Tony Baylis.
The Wurzels obtained their first permanent drummer, John Morgan (born 21 April 1941, in Lydney
Lydney
Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...
, Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
), in 1981 and the line-up then remained unchanged until Tony Baylis left in 1983. Just before he left Jai Howe played with the group for a short period, with Terry Pascoe also augmenting the line-up.
Early in 1984, Jai Howe and Terry Pascoe left the band and were replaced by Mike Gwilliam. For the next nine years ‘The Wurzels’ consisted of Pete Budd, Tommy Banner, John Morgan and Mike Gwilliam.
In 1995 Mike Gwilliam left and was replaced by Dave Wintour
Dave Wintour
Dave Wintour is a bass guitarist and session musician.He has played and recorded with artists such as Rick Wakeman, Pete Atkin, Kenny Young, the pioneer jazz-rock band If, Clifford T. Ward, Roger Daltrey, Slapp Happy, Steve Swindells, The Pretty Things, Stealers Wheel and Leo Sayer.From 1995 to...
. This remained the shape of the band until 2002 when Dave was replaced by Jai Howe (who had played with the band in the early 1980s).
A temporary change in line-up occurred in November 2005 when long-term Wurzel Tommy Banner had to step away from performing whilst undergoing treatment for prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
. His place was taken on by the band's production and sound engineer, Louie Nicastro, until Banner's health was restored and he was able to return to the fold in the spring of 2006.
The death of Jai Howe in 2007 left the band one man down — this led to Sedge Moore being recruited to give the current ‘farmyard four’ line-up of Pete Budd, Tommy Banner, John Morgan and Sedge Moore.
Adge Cutler & The Wurzels — UK Singles
All released on 7” vinyl| Title | Year | Label | Reference number |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Drink Up Thy Zider" / "Twice Daily" | 1966 | Columbia | DB8081 |
| Scrumpy & Western EP Scrumpy & Western EP Scrumpy & Western EP was the second record release by Adge Cutler and The Wurzels and contained the 2 tracks from their original 1966 hit single "Drink Up Thy Zider / Twice Daily", plus 2 further tracks "Pill, Pill" and "Hark At 'Ee Jacko". The bands first single had reached #45 in the UK charts,... |
1967 | Columbia | SEG8525 |
| "Champion Dung Spreader" / "When The Common Market Comes To Stanton Drew" | 1967 | Columbia | DB8145 |
| "I Wish I Was Back On The Farm" / "Easton-In-Gordano" | 1967 | Columbia | DB8222 |
| "All Over Mendip" / "My Threshing Machine" | 1967 | Columbia | DB8277 |
| "Don't Tell I, Tell 'Ee" / "Faggots Is The Stuff" | 1968 | Columbia | DB8399 |
| "Up The Clump" / "Aloha Severn Beach" | 1968 | Columbia | DB8462 |
| "Ferry To Glastonbury" / "Saturday Night At The Crown" | 1969 | Columbia | DB8614 |
| "Poor, Poor Farmer" / "Chitterling" | 1971 | Columbia | DB8793 |
| "Little Darlin'" / "Mother Nature Calling" | 1972 | CBS | CBS8067 |
| "Drink Up Thy Zider" / "Twice Daily" (reissue) | 1974 | Columbia | DB9031 |
| "Little Darlin'" / "Mother Nature Calling" (reissue) | 1974 | Santa Ponsa | PNS20 |
The Wurzels — UK Singles
All released on 7” vinyl unless otherwise stated| Title | Year | Label | Reference number/format |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Captain Of The Dredger" (Acetate — only one copy known to exist) | 1975 | EMI | 7” acetate (Remains officially unreleased) |
| "The Combine Harvester" / "The Blackbird" | 1976 | EMI | EMI2450 |
| "I Am A Cider Drinker" / "Back Of My Old Car" | 1976 | EMI | EMI2520 |
| "Morning Glory" / "Rock Around The A38" | 1976 | EMI | EMI2568 |
| "Farmer Bill's Cowman" / "Springtime" | 1977 | EMI | EMI2637 |
| "Give Me England" / "Speedy Gonzales" | 1977 | EMI | EMI2677 |
| "One For The Bristol City" / "Cheddar Cheese" | 1977 | EMI | EMI2686 |
| "The Tractor Song" / "Funky Farmyard" | 1978 | EMI | EMI2792 |
| "I'll Never Get A Scrumpy Here" / "I Got My Beady Little Eye On Thee (Demo Only)" | 1978 | Columbia | DB9051 7” vinyl — remains officially unreleased |
| "You Don't Get Drunk On Saturday" / "Don Juan Of The West(Demo Only)" | 1980 | Columbia | DB9076 7” vinyl — remains officially unreleased |
| "Combine Harvester" / "I Am A Cider Drinker" | 1980 | HMV | POP2017 |
| "I Hate JR" / "I Love JR" | 1980 | John Miles | JM1001 |
| "I Shot JR" / "Albert's Funny Farm" | 1980 | John Miles | JM1003 |
| "If You Got Nothin' On Tonight" / "Little Drop Of Home Made Wine" | 1980 | John Miles | JM1004 |
| "Coughin' Song" / "Shovel It Here" | 1982 | John Miles | JM1009 |
| "Wurzel Rap" / "Wurzels In Stereo" | 1983 | Goldliner | RAP1 |
| "All Fall Down" / "My Somerset Crumpet Horn" | 1986 | Dingles | SID238 |
| "Sunny Weston-Super-Mare" / "Sunny Weston-Super-Mare (Instrumental)" | 1988 | Far End | FNS2 |
| "Sunny Weston-Super-Mare" / "All Fall Down" | 1988 | ? | Cassette (private release) |
| I Want To Be An Eddie Stobart Driver (EP) | 1995 | LOOSE Records | ? |
| The Combine Harvester 2001 Remix (EP) | 2001 | EMI Gold | 243 8 79448 2 4CD |
| Come On Santa! (EP) | 2001 | Recognition/Universal | CDREC22 CD |
| Don't Look Back In Anger (EP) | 2002 | EMI Gold | 7243 5 51508 2 0 CD |
| "Make Hay Not War (Demo only)" | 2003 | CD | remains officially unreleased |
| Ferry To Glastonbury (EP)(Promo only) | 2004 | Cruisin Records CD | remains officially unreleased |
| "Feed The Wurzels: Bristolian Band Aid" The Wurzels with Bush & Troy | 2004 | Bristol GWR FM | CD |
| "Peter Crouch In Lederhosen"/Bush & Troy vs The Wurzels | 2006 | Bristol GWR FM | CD |
| "Remember Me" / "I Am A Cider Drinker" (British Sea Power) | 2006 | Rough Trade | RTRADS302 7” vinyl (limited to 1966 copies) |
| "Remember Me" / "I Am A Cider Drinker" (British Sea Power) | 2006 | Rough Trade Records | CD (Promo copy only) |
| "I Am A Cider Drinker" (with Tony Blackburn) / "Ferry To Glastonbury" | 2007 | EMI Gold | 0946 3 92653 2 9 7” vinyl (yellow) |
| "I Am A Cider Drinker" (with Tony Blackburn) / "Combine Harvester" | 2007 | EMI Gold | 0946 3 92653 2 9 CD |
| "One For The Bristol City" / "Drink Up Thy Zider (live)" | 2007 | Absolute | CIA004CD |
| "Ode To Adge" | 2009 | Internet | Download only |
| "Ruby" | 2010 | Internet | Download only |
Adge Cutler & The Wurzels — UK Albums
| Title | Year | Label | Reference number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adge Cutler & The Wurzels | 1967 1974 |
Columbia Columbia |
SX6126 (mono) 12" Vinyl SX6126 (stereo) 12" Vinyl |
| Adge Cutler & The Wurzels Family Album | 1967 1974 |
Columbia Columbia |
SX6165 (mono) 12" Vinyl SCX6165 (stereo) 12" Vinyl |
| Cutler Of The West | 1968 1974 2003 |
Columbia Columbia EMI Gold |
SX6263 (mono) 12" Vinyl SCX6263 (stereo) 12" Vinyl 584 8072 CD |
| Carry On Cutler | 1969 1969 |
Columbia Columbia |
SX6367 (mono) 12" Vinyl SCX6367 (stereo) 12" Vinyl |
| Don't Tell I, Tell 'Ee | 1974 | EMI Starline | SRS5119 12" Vinyl |
| The Very Best of Adge Cutler | 1974 | EMI | EMC3191 12" Vinyl |
| Dont Tell I, Tell 'Ee | 1978 | Encore | ONCR502 12" Vinyl |
| Adge Cutler's Cider Drinking Favourites | 1980 | EMI | Notes NTS199 12" Vinyl |
| Vintage Cider | 1980 | EMI | MFP50476 12" Vinyl |
The Wurzels — UK Albums
| Title | Year | Label | Reference number and format |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wurzels Are Scrumptious | 1975 | EMI One Up | OU2087 12" Vinyl |
| The Combine Harvester | 1976 | EMI One Up | OU2138 12" Vinyl |
| Golden Delicious | 1977 | EMI Notes | NTS122 12" Vinyl |
| Give Me England | 1977 | EMI Notes | NTS138 12" Vinyl |
| I'll Never Get A Scrumpy Here | 1978 | EMI Notes | NTS160 12" Vinyl |
| The Wurzels Greatest Hits | 1979 | EMI Notes | NTS190 12" Vinyl |
| I Am A Cider Drinker | 1979 | EMI Encore | ONCR523 12" Vinyl |
| The Wurzels Freshly Cut | 1983 | Wurzel Records | WR854675 12" Vinyl |
| The Wurzels | 1988 | EMI IDEAL | IDL22 CD |
| The Wurzels AND Adge Cutler & The Wurzels | 1991 | EMI IDEAL | IDL114 CD |
| Mendip Magic 'Live | 1995 | AFS Television Cassette Tape | |
| The Finest 'Arvest Of The Wurzels | 2000 | EMI Gold | 5 27046 2 CD |
| The Wurzels Collection | 2001 | HMV Easy | 5 32071 2 CD |
| The Finest 'Arvest Of The Wurzels | 2001 | EMI Gold | 5 34401 2 CD |
| The Wurzels Live | 2002 | APR Media Centre | 0700010230 CD |
| Never Mind The Bullocks, Ere's The Wurzels | 2002 | Cruisin' | ZEN 00262 CD |
| A Taste Of The West | 2004 | CIA | 001 CD |
| Top Of The Crops | 2006 | CIA | 002 CD |
| The Wurzels Greatest Hits | 2007 | EMI Gold | 3 93902 2 CD |
| A Load More Bullocks | 2010 | CIA | CD and Internet Download |