Wurzels singer was not a cider drinker, new book reveals

The founder of scrumpy-loving folk band the Wurzels actually preferred red wine to cider, according to a new book. Music legend Adge Cutler penned a number of hits about the Westcountry tipple including I Am A Cider Drinker and Drink Up Thy Cider. But the first biography of Cutler, who died in a car crash in 1974, reveals his favourite drink was actually a glass of Spanish Rioja. Author John Hudson tells how Adge got a taste for red wine while living near Guernica in the Basque region of Spain. Describing how Adge would have spent his perfect last day, he wrote: "On the Atlantic coast of Basque, Spain, sharing red wine and tapas with loved ones and friends as the sun sank into the ocean and fireflies danced around." Adge's cousin Coreen Stone recalled how he was a pioneer of red wine drinking in their home town of Nailsea, Somerset. She said: "Adge drank red wine with his meals and I do remember that because not many people in Nailsea did." Adge formed the Wurzels in 1966 but died in May 1974 after crashing his MGB sports car while returning alone from a gig in Hereford. Adge: King of the Wurzels is published by Bristol Books and on sale now for £12.
The Wurzels/Tony Blackburn - I Am A Cider Drinker (Paloma Blanca) on MUZU.TV.