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Melt
Kingston
(Wurzel
1967 - 1968)
Melt
Kingston was probably one of the least well-known Wurzels. He became
Adge Cutler's third tuba player when he replaced Henry Davis in
1967. He stayed with the band for less than a year, and never appeared
on any recordings.
At
the time, Melt was a young up-and-coming jazz player based in London.
He counted fellow tuba and bass player, and newly-hired Wurzel Henry
Davis amongst his friends. In the late summer of 1967, Henry was
asked to join the latest pop sensation The New Vaudeville Band whose
debut single had topped the charts in USA. With a chance for fame
and fortune - and perhaps hoping for more of a musical challenge
than The Wurzels offered - Henry accepted the offer, but not before
suggesting to Adge Cutler that he appoint Melt as his replacement.
Melt
arrived at Temple Meads railway station in Bristol where he was
met by Adge and driven to Adge's Nailsea home. Armed with Henry
Davis' spare upright bass - and instrument he had never played,
but 'knew the fundamentals' - and a barrel of scrumpy Adge had in
the parlour, he was given a crash-course in Wurzels songs. Sadly
he had only learnt two songs before the scrumpy took effect. The
next day, hung-over and dressed in the scruffiest yokel clothes
Dunne's Of Bristol could supply, he was on stage as a Wurzel.
Although
he loved working with Adge, and got on well with his band-mates,
his time with the band was limited to less than a year. Down in
London, things hadn't worked out for Henry, and in March or April
1968, Melt and Henry did a job-swap. Henry returned to The Wurzels,
while Melt caught the train back to London to take over tuba duties
with the New Vaudeville Band.
Fame and fortune never did come to members of the New Vaudeville
Band; within a year they had split as the novelty of their act ran
out. Melt
though has remained in the music industry, and was most recently
spotted providing the bass guitar on Lowri Evans'
Welsh language album Clyw Sibrydion. He remembers his time
as a Wurzel with fond memories, having crammed loads of gigs at
pubs and clubs into his few months with the band; and recalled Adge
as 'a gentle man, an artist and a poet' - quite a nice elegy!
Links
Also
well worth reading are Melt's I Remember
Adge reminiscences.
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