The Wurzels

The Wurzels
Tommy Banner and Pete Budd performing at the 2011 Wychwood Festival
Background information
Origin	Loxton, Somerset, England
Genres	Scrumpy and Western
Years active	1966–present
Website	thewurzels.com
Members	Tommy Banner Pete Budd John Morgan Sedge Moore

The Wurzels are a Scrumpy and Western band from North Somerset, England, best known for their number one hit The Combine Harvester and number three hit I Am A Cider Drinker in 1976.

The name of the band was dreamt up by founder Adge Cutler. It appears to be short for mangelwurzel, 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 traditionally-made cider in southwest England, popular amongst The Wurzels and their fans, and frequently referred to in their songs.

The Wurzels were formed in 1966 as a backing group for, and by, singer/songwriter Adge Cutler. 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 songs, 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 chart. The B-side "Twice Daily" was banned by the BBC for being too raunchy.

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.