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The Wurzels are a British band that have been successful in their homeland since the 1970s. They are the best-known band in the English West Country, the region in the south-west of the British Isles from Gloucestershire to Land's End .
Band biography
Adge Cutler
The Wurzels were founded in 1966 as a backing band by Adge Cutler, who was also the road manager for Acker Bilk . The band name is derived from the German word Wurzel, which found its way into English in the "lack root", the name for the beetroot . This also went well with the music of Cutler from Bristol , who sang the typical themes of the English West Country in local dialect in humorous folk songs: agriculture, factory work, village life and the specialty of the Southwest, the cider .
He and his three fellow musicians were not only regionally successful, in 1967 they even made it into the British single charts with Drink Up Thy Zider . The song is still a regional classic today. Her debut album was also placed nationwide. In addition to traditional songs, they played many songs written by Adge Cutler himself, and while they didn't make it to the charts, they enjoyed years of popularity in the West Country. There was a major turning point on May 5, 1974 when Adge Cutler was killed in a car accident.
Combine harvester
So the band not only lacked the head and singer, but above all the songwriter. In addition, Reg Quantrill, the only one of Wurzels from 1974, who had been there from the start, gave up. The remaining two musicians, Tommy Banner and Tony Baylis, however, decided to carry on. Pete Budd was added as the third member. First they followed up with an album with well-known songs and unreleased Cutler songs, but since they lacked the composer, they finally took on well-known hits and provided them with new funny lyrics. Her first single was not her own work, but the cover version of a parody by comedian Brendan Grace , who had already had a number one hit in his native Ireland in 1975. It's a version of Melanie's hit Brand New Key with the new title Combine Harvester . This hilarious song about a combine harvester was so popular in the UK that it climbed to number 1 on the UK charts within five weeks . The single sold nearly 400,000 times.
Due to the great popularity that their hit brought them, a new album and a single of the same style followed in the same year. This time the melody came from Una paloma blanca from the George Baker Selection , the lyrics were called I Am a Cider Drinker . With that they had another big hit and reached number 3 on the charts. This song also sold a quarter of a million times. Especially in the English southwest, the home of cider, this song is still popular today.
The second single from the album was Morning Glory , which had two renowned songwriters in Guy Fletcher and Doug Flett. However, it did not meet the expectations of the two hit parodies and was a real flop. Only with a new album and the single Farmer Bill's Cowman did they return to the charts in the second half of 1977. For this song they had made the international instrumental hit I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman by Whistling Jack Smith from 1968 and provided it with lyrics. Nevertheless, it became apparent that interest in this type of song had faded again: It only reached the lower ranks of the chart and was the last song that could place itself for a long time.
Nevertheless, the Wurzels continued to publish albums and singles on a regular basis until the 1980s. Their popularity remained unbroken in their homeland in southwest England. In 1981 the trio became a quartet when drummer John Morgan joined. In 1985 bassist Tony Baylis left the band and broke up the successful formation of the late 70s. In the years to come, the bassists changed and the musicians' studio activity declined. Nevertheless, they continued to perform regularly and several best-of albums and compilations from the Cutler time were released. A single single came out of them in the 1990s with I Want to Be to Eddie Stobart Driver . Stobart is a northern English haulage company and the song is dedicated to truck drivers, the single was pressed in the shape of a truck. After all, it reached the lower, non-official ranks of the sales charts.
The 2000s
In 2000, The Finest 'Arvest, another best-of CD by the roots, showed that the interest in the band continued. Therefore, the record company decided to release a remix for the 25th anniversary of the number 1 hit Combine Harvester 2001 . The south-west of England thus returned to the top 40 of the British charts after more than two decades. A cover version of the Oasis hit Don't Look Back in Anger also made it into the charts. It was recorded in the so-called "scrumpy-and-western" style, for which the Wurzels and other bands of the West Country are known, a kind of modern folk with fun elements. In 2007 they were again successful with radio DJ veteran Tony Blackburn and a new recording of their classic I Am a Cider Drinker . After Tommy Banner had previously successfully overcome prostate cancer, the single was released as a benefit single in aid of a cancer organization.
Bristol City FC
The Wurzels have always had a close relationship with the southern English football club Bristol City . I Am a Cider Drinker and especially Drink Up Thy Zider are very popular with fans. The latter is the stadium anthem after the final whistle for home wins. 1976 took the root of the previously flopped Morning Glory and provided it with a new text. Under the title One for the Bristol City , the song finally became the club's official anthem and is now played at home games when the teams arrive. When Bristol rose in 2007 after a long third division in the Football League Championship , the second highest English league, the band recorded the song again with the club and released it successfully as a single.
Band members
Founding members in 1966
- Adge Cutler (singer, songwriter), until 1974 (†)
- Reg Quantrill (banjo, guitar), until 1974
- John Macey (bassist), until 1968
- Reg Chant (accordion), until 1967
- Brian Walker (tuba), until 1967
The successful band from 1974 to 1981
- Tommy Banner (singer, accordion, piano), since 1967
- Tony Baylis (bassist, tuba), 1969 to 1985
- Pete Budd (guitar, banjo), since 1974
Current line-up 2007
- Tommy Banner (singer, accordion, piano), since 1967
- Pete Budd (guitar, banjo), since 1974
- John Morgan (drums), since 1981
- Sedge Moore (bassist), since 2007
Discography
AlbumsAdge Cutler & the Wurzels
The root
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SinglesAdge Cutler & the Wurzels
The root
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swell
- ^ British Hit Singles & Albums , 18th Edition, Guinness World Records Limited 2005, ISBN 9781904994008
- ↑ Music Sales Awards: UK
- ↑ Hit Singles Volume 2 - Complete UK Chart Data from 1952-2010 , Virgin Books 2010, ISBN 9780753522455
- ^ Brendan Grace - razor sharp wit , Ireland Calling, accessed January 8, 2016
- ↑ a b Combine Harvester (Brand New Key) / The Blackbird (Single) from Wurzelmania, accessed on January 8, 2016
Web links
- Wurzel World (official homepage, English)
- comprehensive fansite (English)