The Wurzels have become something of a national institution since their formation 52 years ago - when their unique brand of humorous folk songs provided a little light relief to the psychedelic grooves of the Swinging Sixties.

As one of the UK's longest-established touring bands, they still make live appearances to this day, although the line-up has had a number of personnel changes since their first gig in 1966.

They are so embedded in British culture that one of their songs, One For The Bristol City, has been adopted by the Championship club Bristol City FC and is played after the final whistle at home games!

Where did it all begin?

The Wurzels' first appearance was in 1966, when they were the backing band for West Country singer and songwriter Adge Cutler, otherwise known as "The Bard Of Avonmouth"- with lyrics about village life, farming and cider-drinking, his witty songs had a local Somerset feel.

Again in 1966, their first record was Drink Up Thy Zider (cider), which was a surprise hit in the pop charts when it reached number 45. Cutler and the Wurzels had a large local following on the live circuit, playing at West Country clubs and making a number of live records.

They were renowned for their bawdy wit and had the dubious honour of the BBC banning their song, Twice Daily, in 1966, as a result of its raunchy lyrics!

Sadly, after eight years of success, tragedy struck when Cutler died in a fatal car accident in May 1974, as he drove home after a live gig. The 43-year-old was involved in an accident at the roundabout near the Severn Bridge, when his life was cut tragically short, at the height of his success.

Change of direction

Aside from losing their old friend, the Wurzels now had a dilemma in their professional career as well. Cutler had been the chief songwriter, and without his lyrical expertise, the remaining band members were struggling.

As a result, they went for a change of direction musically. Instead of playing original hits, they began to re-write existing pop songs, creating unusual cover versions containing their own unique West Country wit.

This new lyrical approach led to the Wurzels’ biggest hit to date, Combine Harvester, in 1976. The novelty song was a tongue-in-cheek version of singer Melanie Safka's 1971 hit, Brand New Key.

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However, while Melanie's lyrics revolved around a roller-skating theme, the Wurzels' version referred to a combine harvester. The rustic lyrics and the Wurzels' style were dubbed "Scrumpy and Western" - a label that still describes them today.

The innuendo-filled novelty hit took the number one spot in the UK charts on 12th June 1976 and remained there for two weeks. In light of the fact the BBC had banned the Wurzels' earlier song, Twice Daily, for its suggestive lyrics, it was somewhat ironic that they didn't see the most obvious metaphor in history: "I drove my tractor through your haystack last night."

In the same year, the band released I Am a Cider Drinker, sung to the tune of Jonathan King's Paloma Blanca. Their fusion of comical folk songs and double entendres, sung in a broad local dialect, seemed to hit the right note with the British public.

Live shows

The Wurzels continue to play live gigs across the UK, performing at Shalbourne Festival for 11 years and even joining Glastonbury Festival in 2000 and 2008.

Today's line-up includes vocalist Tommy Banner (who also plays accordion, piano and organ), bass player Sedge Moore, guitarist Pete Budd, drummer John Morgan and keyboard player Louie Nicastro. Morgan, at 79 years old, says he's the oldest drummer in Britain!

They have recorded around 30 albums, and their most recent single was Old Rosie, released in 2017 as a downloadable track only.

While Combine Harvester was simply a bit of fun, in reality, servicing machinery with a hydraulic system is a serious business. As combine harvesters and other agricultural machinery get larger, heavier and faster, they require increased power and more stable hydraulic pressure to perform at optimum efficiency.

Phoenix Hydraulics offers hydraulic press services, with a fully-qualified engineer carrying out hydraulic engineering services to maintain any system, to troubleshoot and repair any issues. Please contact us for further details.