As one of the UK's most enduring folk bands, The Wurzels formed in the 1960s. Remaining true to their West Country wit and charm, they've enjoyed plenty of chart success over the years – in fact, they are still a touring band, 54 years after their initial formation.

Calling their brand of music "Scrumpy and Western", in reference to the traditional cider that the Somerset region is famed for, they also have the dubious honour of being banned by the BBC at one time, because the lyrics of one of their songs were considered too raunchy for public broadcast!

 ©Tony Worpole / Alamy Stock Photo

 

Formation

The story of The Wurzels dates back to the swinging sixties, when they were the backing band for the famous West Country singer and songwriter, Adge Cutler. In 1966, the band made its live debut with Cutler, the "Bard of Avonmouth" - they were an instant hit.

Cutler enjoyed a big live following locally and his humorous songs were geared up to the traditional views of life in Somerset, relating to drinking cider, village life and agriculture. The band's name was based on the mangel-wurzel - a root crop used to feed livestock on farms.

In a decade when the UK pop chart was filled with the likes of cool rock bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, Cutler and The Wurzels had a surprise hit with their debut single, Drink Up Thy Zider, in 1966. Recorded live at the Royal Oak Inn in Nailsea, Somerset, it peaked at number 45 in the singles chart.

 

Bawdy humour

The Wurzels became known for their bawdy humour and suggestive lyrics, that were loaded with double entendres. Another of their singles released in 1966, called Twice Daily, was banned by the BBC for television and radio broadcast, because the lyrics were considered too suggestive – which seem pretty tame by today's standards and were actually more of a moral tale about how a young farm worker has a fling with the farmer's daughter, who falls pregnant.

Her father instigates a "shotgun wedding" to save the family name. Despite the narrator's reluctance, he weds the girl and the song ends with them having been happily married for 40 years. However, the inference of making out in the hay was too much for the BBC! No publicity was bad publicity and the song simply enhanced the band's ever-growing reputation.

 

Tragedy strikes

After eight years together and becoming a household name, tragedy struck when Cutler, aged 43, was involved in a fatal car accident on the way home from a Wurzels gig in May 1974. The collision occurred at the roundabout near the Severn Bridge.

The other band members - Tommy Banner, Pete Budd and Tony Baylis - had lost an old friend and had a dilemma not only personally, but also professionally, as they considered whether to continue the band without their lead singer and songwriter.

After much soul-searching, they decided to carry on, but instead of recording and playing original songs, they began re-writing popular songs of the day, making unique cover versions filled with West Country humour.

 

Combine Harvester

The band's biggest hit to date, Combine Harvester, came as a result of their change in direction in 1976. As one of the most well-known novelty songs in chart history, it is based on pop singer Melanie Safka's single, Brand New Key, which was a hit in 1971.

Melanie's innocent lyrics were about a pastime that many teenage girls enjoyed at the time (roller skating) but The Wurzels rewrote the song with some typically risqué lyrics. In light of the earlier BBC ban for Twice Daily, it was a surprise that the lyrics got past the censor, as the song, supposedly about the simple pleasures of driving a combine harvester, had a hidden meaning.

Sung in The Wurzels' typical Scrumpy and Western style, the song was number one on the UK charts in June 1976, and even though it was filled with suggestive metaphors such as, "I drove my tractor through your haystack last night," this went unnoticed by the BBC!

The band has gone on to have a long and successful career, with their other major hit being I Am a Cider Drinker (a rewrite of Paloma Blanca by Jonathan King), which charted at number three in the same year.