The Grumbleweeds
Encyclopedia
The Grumbleweeds are an award winning British
comedy
band, performing music and comedy. They were mostly popular on radio and television in the 1980s.
in 1962. They performed on the northern club circuit and pubs in Yorkshire
, and occasionally abroad in Germany
. The band turned professional in 1967, and were by now a five-piece with the addition of Maurice Lee, a talented singer and guitarist, and brothers Albert and Carl Sutcliffe, who played keyboards and guitar as well as vocals. The group appeared on Opportunity Knocks, and New Faces
, but although they did not win either talent competition, their performance brought them valuable exposure, enough to warrant a recording contract
with Philips
. The first release on this label was an album of serious songs, In a Teknikolor Dreem, which was produced by Alan Hawkshaw
and remains highly collectable today. The group continued to release a mixture of serious and comedy singles and albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, although none of these charted.
In 1973, the group secured further television exposure with a series The Coal Hole Club, which was shown on BBC One
in the early evenings and aimed squarely at children. The show mixed the group's cabaret repertoire of impressions with fast-moving comedy and music.
It was on radio that the Grumbleweeds made biggest breakthrough. with a successful BBC Radio 2
series, The Grumbleweeds Radio Show
, running from 1979 to 1988. Fifteen series were recorded, and it received the "Best Radio Show" award from The Television and Radio Industries Awards in 1983. The Grumbleweeds Radio Show was also the title of a series of television programmes made between 1983 and 1988, for Granada Television
, which retained the fast-moving sketch format.
In late 1987, brothers Albert and Carl Sutcliffe decided to leave the group, leaving the others augmented by backing musicians for the final television programmes which were shown in 1988. By 1989, slimmed down to a three-piece, they secured a new BBC Radio 2 series, Someone And The Grumbleweeds, which ran for three years. Maurice Lee decided to leave the group in 1997, and was briefly replaced by comedian Tony Joe. Lee is now a solo musician (trading as Maurice Grumbleweed) and paints in his spare time.
The Grumbleweeds are now reduced to their two founder members Colvill and Walker, but remain a popular attraction on the cabaret circuit. They have continued performing in most aspects of entertainment, appearing in television series such as Emmerdale
, Coronation Street
, Heartbeat and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere
.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
band, performing music and comedy. They were mostly popular on radio and television in the 1980s.
Career
The group was formed by Robin Colvill and Graham Walker in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in 1962. They performed on the northern club circuit and pubs in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, and occasionally abroad in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The band turned professional in 1967, and were by now a five-piece with the addition of Maurice Lee, a talented singer and guitarist, and brothers Albert and Carl Sutcliffe, who played keyboards and guitar as well as vocals. The group appeared on Opportunity Knocks, and New Faces
New Faces
New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson. It was produced by ATV Network Limited for the ITV Network. The first run of the show was from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham...
, but although they did not win either talent competition, their performance brought them valuable exposure, enough to warrant a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Philips
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
. The first release on this label was an album of serious songs, In a Teknikolor Dreem, which was produced by Alan Hawkshaw
Alan Hawkshaw
Alan Hawkshaw is a British composer and performer, particularly of themes for movies and television programmes...
and remains highly collectable today. The group continued to release a mixture of serious and comedy singles and albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, although none of these charted.
In 1973, the group secured further television exposure with a series The Coal Hole Club, which was shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in the early evenings and aimed squarely at children. The show mixed the group's cabaret repertoire of impressions with fast-moving comedy and music.
It was on radio that the Grumbleweeds made biggest breakthrough. with a successful BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
series, The Grumbleweeds Radio Show
The Grumbleweeds Radio Show
The Grumbleweeds' Radio Show was a long-running comedy sketch show that aired for fifteen series between 1979 and 1988, starring The Grumbleweeds and broadcast on BBC Radio 2...
, running from 1979 to 1988. Fifteen series were recorded, and it received the "Best Radio Show" award from The Television and Radio Industries Awards in 1983. The Grumbleweeds Radio Show was also the title of a series of television programmes made between 1983 and 1988, for Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
, which retained the fast-moving sketch format.
In late 1987, brothers Albert and Carl Sutcliffe decided to leave the group, leaving the others augmented by backing musicians for the final television programmes which were shown in 1988. By 1989, slimmed down to a three-piece, they secured a new BBC Radio 2 series, Someone And The Grumbleweeds, which ran for three years. Maurice Lee decided to leave the group in 1997, and was briefly replaced by comedian Tony Joe. Lee is now a solo musician (trading as Maurice Grumbleweed) and paints in his spare time.
The Grumbleweeds are now reduced to their two founder members Colvill and Walker, but remain a popular attraction on the cabaret circuit. They have continued performing in most aspects of entertainment, appearing in television series such as Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
, Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, Heartbeat and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere
Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere
Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere was an award-winning British comedy television show on Channel 4 starring and written by Peter Kay and Patrick McGuinness. All the episodes were also directed by Kay. It began on 12 November 2004 and ran for six 30 minute episodes up until 17 December 2004, with each...
.