Somerset, UK · scrumpy and western · folk

The Wurzels

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Somerset's cider-fuelled 'scrumpy and western' institution, booked entirely on purpose and greeted like heroes — 'Combine Harvester' guaranteed.

The Wurzels take their name from the mangelwurzel, a root crop grown to feed livestock, a title dreamed up by founder Adge Cutler when he formed the group with manager John Miles in Somerset in 1966. Billed at first as Adge Cutler & The Wurzels, the band's earliest recordings were made live at the Royal Oak Inn in Nailsea in December 1966.

Cutler's broad West Country accent and songs about farming, cider and village life set the template early. Their single 'Drink Up Thy Zider' reached number 45 on the UK chart that same year and brought the band national attention, though its B-side was banned by the BBC for being too risqué.

After Cutler's death in 1974, the group continued as a trio, adopting the name The Wurzels, and reached a wider audience in 1976 with 'The Combine Harvester,' a rewrite of Melanie's 'Brand New Key' that topped the UK chart for two weeks. 'I Am a Cider Drinker,' adapted from Jonathan King's 'Una Paloma Blanca,' followed it to number three.

The style they named 'scrumpy and western' pairs singalong pop and country arrangements with rural comedy and a deliberately thick Somerset burr. As lifelong supporters of Bristol City, the band also wrote the club's anthem.

The band has continued performing for decades with changing personnel, and their live sets lean heavily on the familiar chorus-driven material that made them a fixture of West Country popular culture, decades after Cutler's death.

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scrumpy and westernfolk