Scrumpy and Western
Encyclopedia
Scrumpy and Western refers humorously to music from England
's West Country
that fuses comical folk-style songs, often full of double entendre
, with affectionate parodies of more mainstream musical genres, all delivered in the local accent/dialect
. The name, taken from the title of the 1967 Scrumpy & Western EP
by Adge Cutler
and The Wurzels
, refers to scrumpy
, strongly alcoholic cider
produced in the West Country.
Exact styles vary by band or musician, and very few are known outside their native county
. The main exceptions to this are The Wurzels (originally "Adge Cutler
and the Wurzels"), a Somerset
group who had a number one hit in the UK with "Combine Harvester" in 1976. This followed an earlier hit single with "Drink Up Thy Zider", an unofficial West Country anthem, especially among supporters of Bristol City Football Club
. This gained notoriety when the BBC
refused to play its B-side song, "Twice Daily", due to concern about the unseemly subject matter (a shotgun wedding). "Combine Harvester" itself was a reworded version of Melanie
's Brand New Key
and other songs borrowed the style and made fun of the themes of Country and Western
and other US and British popular music
.
Other artists whose music is Scrumpy and Western in flavour include The Yetties
from the village of Yetminster
in Dorset
, The Golden Lion Light Orchestra
from Worcestershire
, Fred Wedlock
, Who's Afear'd (also from Dorset), the Skimmity Hitchers (who rose from the ashes of Who's Afear'd), the Surfin Turnips (more punky folk), Trevor Crozier, the Yokels (from Wiltshire), Shag Connors and the Carrot Crunchers, and the Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
that fuses comical folk-style songs, often full of double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
, with affectionate parodies of more mainstream musical genres, all delivered in the local accent/dialect
West Country dialects
The West Country dialects and West Country accents are generic terms applied to any of several English dialects and accents used by much of the indigenous population of South West England, the area popularly known as the West Country....
. The name, taken from the title of the 1967 Scrumpy & Western EP
Scrumpy & Western EP
Scrumpy & Western EP was the second record release by Adge Cutler and The Wurzels and contained the 2 tracks from their original 1966 hit single "Drink Up Thy Zider / Twice Daily", plus 2 further tracks "Pill, Pill" and "Hark At 'Ee Jacko". The bands first single had reached #45 in the UK charts,...
by Adge Cutler
Adge Cutler
Alan John 'Adge' Cutler was an English singer who had as his backing band the country and Western folk group The Wurzels. Cutler was known for his songs, but also his dry, West Country humour, and gained the unofficial title of "The Bard Of Avonmouth".-Early life:Alan John Cutler was born in...
and The Wurzels
The Wurzels
The Wurzels are a British Scrumpy and Western band...
, refers to scrumpy
Scrumpy
Scrumpy is a term often used for strong ciders made in West Country of England. The term is especially used to distinguish those made locally in smaller quantities and using traditional methods from mass produced branded ciders....
, strongly alcoholic cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
produced in the West Country.
Exact styles vary by band or musician, and very few are known outside their native county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
. The main exceptions to this are The Wurzels (originally "Adge Cutler
Adge Cutler
Alan John 'Adge' Cutler was an English singer who had as his backing band the country and Western folk group The Wurzels. Cutler was known for his songs, but also his dry, West Country humour, and gained the unofficial title of "The Bard Of Avonmouth".-Early life:Alan John Cutler was born in...
and the Wurzels"), a Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
group who had a number one hit in the UK with "Combine Harvester" in 1976. This followed an earlier hit single with "Drink Up Thy Zider", an unofficial West Country anthem, especially among supporters of Bristol City Football Club
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
. This gained notoriety when the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
refused to play its B-side song, "Twice Daily", due to concern about the unseemly subject matter (a shotgun wedding). "Combine Harvester" itself was a reworded version of Melanie
Melanie Safka
Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk is an American singer-songwriter. Known professionally as simply Melanie, she is best known for her hits "Brand New Key", "Ruby Tuesday" and "Lay Down ".-Early career:...
's Brand New Key
Brand New Key
"Brand New Key" is a pop song written by folk singer Melanie, which became a novelty hit in 1971-72. Taken from Melanie's album Gather Me, it was also known as "The Rollerskate Song" due to its chorus. It was her biggest hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in December 1971 and...
and other songs borrowed the style and made fun of the themes of Country and Western
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and other US and British popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
.
Other artists whose music is Scrumpy and Western in flavour include The Yetties
The Yetties
The Yetties are an English folk music group and take their name from the Dorset village of Yetminster which was their childhood home. In 2007 The Yetties celebrated 40 years as a professional folk band....
from the village of Yetminster
Yetminster
Yetminster is a village in the English county of Dorset. It lies within the West Dorset administrative district of the county, about five miles south-west of the town of Sherborne. It is sited on the River Wriggle, a tributary of the River Yeo, and is built almost entirely of honey-coloured...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, The Golden Lion Light Orchestra
The Golden Lion Light Orchestra
The Golden Lion Light Orchestra is a four-piece traditional English and Irish folk music and ceilidh band. The band formed in the mid-1980's in the Golden Lion Pub, Cleehill, Shropshire, England, hence its name. They have since played at numerous venues, mostly centralised around the...
from Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, Fred Wedlock
Fred Wedlock
Fred Wedlock was a folk singer best known for his UK hit single "The Oldest Swinger In Town". Wedlock performed at many venues in Britain and Europe, presented programmes for West Country TV and acted with the Bristol Old Vic and the Ministry of Entertainment, as well as undertaking after-dinner...
, Who's Afear'd (also from Dorset), the Skimmity Hitchers (who rose from the ashes of Who's Afear'd), the Surfin Turnips (more punky folk), Trevor Crozier, the Yokels (from Wiltshire), Shag Connors and the Carrot Crunchers, and the Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra
Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra
The Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra were an eccentric band of British musicians, who joined together in early 1968 to play a fusion of comedy, jazz, and folk music, in a unique style which has been compared with the Temperance Seven and the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Many of the songs performed dated...
.