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. The name refers to the ubiquitous strong cider ("hard cider" for Americans) often required for the performers to give of their best.
Exact styles vary by band or musician, and very few are known outside their native county. The main exceptions to this are The Wurzels, a North 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 at least partly Scrumpy and Western in flavour include The Yetties from Dorset, Fred Wedlock, the Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra , The Yokels from Wiltshire, and The Plonkers from Hampshire.
See also