Year |
Events |
Releases |
1966 |
Adge
Cutler 'broke
into' band manager John Miles' office with
demos, and the idea of Adge Cutler & The Wurzels was conceived.
(June)
Adge
Cutler
(vocals)
gathers together the orginal band line-up of Reg
Quantrill (banjo and guitar), Reg
Chant (accordion), John
Macey (bass) and Brian
Walker (tuba) and starts gigging (July).
Adge
Cutler & The Wurzels are
signed to EMI. Bob
Barrett is assigned the job of producing the
band's debut album; he stays as producer for the extent of
the EMI contract.
The
band's debut album is recorded at the Royal Oak in Nailsea
(November) |
Drink
Up Thy Zider single released (December)
Scrumpy
& Western EP released (December)
Adge
Cutler & The Wurzels album released with the
founding band line-up. (December) |
1967 |
In
February 1967 Adge's pioneering debut single reaches the national
charts, reaching #45 in the official
UK Singles Charts.
March
1967 sees the first album success for the band, as Adge
Cutler & The Wurzels hit the official
UK Albums Charts at #38. This is as good as it gets, and
the album only stays in the charts for two weeks.
Brian
Walker leaves the band after the success of the Adge
Cutler & The Wurzels album. He is not immediately
replaced, and Adge Cutler's Family Album is recorded
as a four-piece line-up.
Henry
Davies is drafted into the band as tuba player to
fill the gap left by Brian.
John
Macey leaves The Wurzels. Henry adds bass player to his
job description.
Reg Chant leaves The Wurzels after the release of Adge
Cutler's Family Album. He is replaced on by Tommy
Banner (accordion, organ and piano) who arrived in
5th November 1967.
Henry
Davies quits the band to join the New Vaudeville Band,
and is replaced by tuba player Melt
Kingston who has one day to learn to how to play
the band's repertoire - and the upright bass! |
The
Champion Dung Spreader single released. (March)
I
Wish I Was Back On The Farm single released.
All
Over Mendip single released.
Adge
Cutler's Family Album album released with the
Cutler, Quantrill,
Chant, Macey line-up. |
1968 |
Melt
Kingston and Henry Davies switch bands, with
Henry rejoining The Wurzels, and Melt off to join the New Vaudeville
Band. |
Don't
Tell I, Tell 'Ee single released.
(April)
Up
The Clump single
released. (August)
Ferry
To Glastonbury single released. (September)
Cutler
Of The West album released
with the Cutler, Quantrill, Banner, Davis line-up.
Henry
Davis is also the album's musical arranger and arranger. |
1969 |
In
January, Henry Davies leaves The Wurzels again, this
time for good (although he does reman a good friend of Adge
and the band). He is replaced
by another Londoner Tony
'Gaffer' Baylis (bass & sousaphone).
|
Carry
On Cutler! album released with the Cutler, Quantrill,
Banner, Bayliss line-up. Henry Davis continues in the role
as album's musical arranger and arranger.
|
1970 |
|
|
1971 |
|
Poor,
Poor Farmer single released. (May) |
1972 |
|
Little
Darlin' single released. (May) |
1973 |
|
|
1974 |
Reg
Quantrill leaves The Wurzels. He is replaced by Pete
Budd (guitar and banjo) on a "temporary
basis".
On
Sunday
5th May, Adge Cutler dies in car accident returning
home from a series of gigs at the Crystal Rooms in Hereford.
At
a meeting at John Miles' offices, the future of the band is
very much in doubt. Pete Budd is offered the lead vocal role
in the band.
The
Wurzels make their debut post-Adge with several nights at
The Globe Inn, near Bath. The success of these gigs gives
John Miles and the band members the confidence to carry on
without Adge. |
Drink
Up Thy Zider single re-released. (June)
Little
Darlin' single re-released. (July)
The
Very Best Of Adge Cutler compilation album released.
Don't
Tell I, Tell 'Ee compilation album released. |
1975 |
In
October 1975, Irish comedian Brendan Grace topped the IRMA Top
50 Singles Charts in Ireland with a parody song he had penned
called Combine Harvester. Never did much in the UK
for him though... |
I'm
The Captain Of The Dredger
single planned but never released. (May)
The
Wurzels Are Scrumptious! album released with the
Banner, Baylis, Budd line-up. (July) |
1976 |
May
1976 sees The Wurzels charting with their version of Combine
Harvester. The single spends 13 weeks in the official
UK Singles Charts, and reaches #1 in June 1976 staying
there for two weeks.
July
1976 sees the The
Combine Harvester album also charting. It reaches
#15 in July 1976 in the official
UK Albums Charts, and stays in the charts for 20 weeks
in all and is without doubt the band's biggest selling album.
In
September 1976, the follow-up single I
Am A Cider Drinker spends nine weeks in the official
UK Singles Charts reaching
#3.
Combine
Harvester makes the End Of Year Singles Charts, being
UK's 16th top-selling single of the 1976. |
Combine
Harvester single released. (April)
The
Combine Harvester album released with the Banner,
Baylis, Budd line-up. (July)
I
Am A Cider Drinker
single released. (September)
Morning
Glory
single released. (November) |
1977 |
January
1977 sees The Wurzels first hitting the Canadian
charts, as Combine
Harvester debuts in the RPM Adult
Contemporary and the Country Singles Charts. Combine Harvester
would peak at #19 in the Adult Contemporary charts.
March
1977 sees I
Am A Cider Drinker join Combine Harvester
in the Canadian charts
where it would slightly out-perform Combine Harvester
by reaching #11 in the Adult Contemporary charts.
In
April 1977, the Golden
Delicious album hits the official
UK Albums Charts at #32, but this is as high as it ever
reaches.
June
1977 sees The Wurzels back in the official
UK Singles Charts with Farmer
Bill's Cowman which peaks at #32 on 9 July. |
Golden
Delicious album released with the Banner, Baylis,
Budd line-up. (April)
Farmer
Bill's Cowman
single released. (June)
Give
Me England!
single released. (September)
One
For The Bristol City
single released. (September)
Give
Me England! album released with the Banner, Baylis,
Budd line-up. (December) |
1978 |
Ed
Welch
first works with The Wurzels as musical arranger and director |
The
Tractor Song
single released. (May)
Don't
Tell I, Tell 'Ee 1974 compilation album re-released
with bonus tracks. (June)
I'll
Never Get A Scrumpy Here
single released. (August)
I'll
Never Get A Scrumpy Here album released with the
Banner, Baylis, Budd line-up. (November) |
1979 |
|
I
Am A Cider Drinker compilation album released. (June)
The
Wurzels Greatest Hits
compilation album released. (November) |
1980 |
EMI
terminates their recording contract with The Wurzels. As a
result Bob Barrett is no longer available
as producer.
The
Wurzels' manager sets up his own record label John Miles Records,
with The Wurzels I Hate JR single being the label's
first release.
|
Drunk
On A Saturday Night
single released. (February)
I
Hate JR
single released on John Miles label. (April)
Adge
Cutler's Cider-Drinking Favourites compilation album
released. (June)
I
Shot JR
single released. (April)
Vintage
Zider compilation album released.
If
You Got Nothin' On Tonight
single released. (November)
Combine
Harvester
original 1976 single re-released on HMV label. (November) |
1981 |
John
Morgan joins The Wurzels (drums) |
The
Wurzels compilation album released. (June) |
1982 |
|
Coughin'
Song
single released. (March) |
1983 |
Sometime
after the release of Freshly Cut, the band expanded
to a five-piece with the arrival of keyboard player
Terry Pascoe.
We have no exactly details as to when Terry joined or left. |
Wurzel
Rap
single released. (March)
Freshly
Cut album released with the Banner, Baylis, Budd
line-up. |
1984 |
January
1984, Tony Baylis leaves The Wurzels. He is replaced
by Jai Howe
(bass).
|
|
1985 |
Jai
Howe leaves The Wurzels. He is replaced by Mike
Gwilliam (bass). Exact year unrecorded. |
|
1986 |
|
All
Fall Down
single released. (October) |
1987 |
John
Miles resigns as The Wurzels manager. |
|
1988 |
|
The
Wurzels 1981 compilation album re-released on CD.
Sunny
Weston-Super-Mare
single released. (September) |
1989 |
|
|
1990 |
|
|
1991 |
|
The
Wurzels and Adge Cutler & The Wurzels compilation
album released on CD. |
1992 |
|
|
1993 |
|
|
1994 |
|
|
1995 |
Mike
Gwilliam leaves The Wurzels. He is replaced by Dave
'Squire' Wintour (bass) |
Mendip
Magic 'Live' live album released on cassette.
I
Want To Be An Eddie Stobart Driver
single released. (September)
Wurzel
Hits, The Road live album planned but never released. |
1996 |
|
|
1997 |
|
|
1998 |
|
|
1999 |
Paul Gunningham sets-up the Wurzelmania!
website, and starts to harrass EMI to re-issue Adge & Wurzels
albums. |
|
2000 |
Sil
Wilcox takes over as The Wurzels manager (date not
confirmed).
The
Wurzels play the Glastonbury
Festival, headling on the Band Stand. |
The
Finest 'Arvest compilation album released on
CD. (July) |
2001 |
August
2001 sees the Combine
Harvester 2001 Remix
single giving The Wurzels their first chart succes for over
a decade as it debuts at #39
in the official UK Singles Charts. |
The
Wurzels Collection compilation album released on
CD. (April)
Combine
Harvester 2001 Remix
single released. (June)
The
Finest 'Arvest compilation album re-released
on CD. (August)
Come
On Santa!
single released. (December) |
2002 |
Dave
Wintour leaves The Wurzels. He is replaced by Jai Howe
back for a second stint in the band.
Amid
huge press and radio interest, The Wurzels are back in the
official UK Singles Charts
as Don't
Look Back In Anger
reaches #59 in October 2002. |
The
Wurzels Live
live album and video released.
Don't
Look Back In Anger
single released. (September)
Never
Mind The Bullocks new studio album released on CD.
(November) |
2003 |
|
Make
Love Not War
single released pulled. (March)
Cutler
Of The West original 1968 album re-released on CD.
(July) |
2004 |
Bob
Barrett passes away at the age of 65 on Monday 26th
January 2004. |
A
Taste of the West album released on CD. (June)
Ferry
to Glastonbury EP
planned but not released. (June)
Feed
The Wurzels
single released. (December) |
2005 |
November
2005 saw Tommy Banner in hospital with prostate cancer. Tommy
won the fight and continues to raise money to fight the disease.
Louie
Nicastro, the band's producer and sound engineer
covers for Tommy, playing keyboards while Tommy is unavailable. |
|
2006 |
April
2006 - Tommy wins the fight, and is back playing live with The
Wurzels again! |
Peter
Crouch In Lederhosen
single released. (June)
Top
Of The Crops live album released on CD. (September)
Remember
Me
single released. (November) |
2007 |
March
2007 sees The Wurzels most suitable merchandise ever - bottles
of 'Wurzels Me Cider' released by Thatchers Cider in aid of
the BUI Prostate Cancer Care Appeal.
May
2007 sees The Wurzels with Tony Blackburn back in the official
UK Singles Charts as I
Am a Cider Drinker 07 debuts at #57.
Jai
Howe leaves The Wurzels for the second time, diagnosed
with a brain tumour. He is replaced by Sedge
Moore (bass)
November
2007 sees Tommy Banner celebrate 40 years as a Wurzel.
October
2007 sees The Wurzels achieving two hit singles in the same
year for the first time since 1976 as One
For The Bristol City
reaches #66 in the official
UK Singles Charts. |
I
Am a Cider Drinker 07
single released. (April)
The
Wurzels Greatest Hits new compilation album released
on CD. (May)
One
For The Bristol City
single released. (September) |
2008 |
Jai Howe passes away on Monday 4th of February 2008. |
|