Wurzels frontman Adge Cutler remembered 50 years on
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Former frontman of The Wurzels Adge Cutler has been remembered by his bandmate 50 years after the singer's death.
Cutler's songs about cider and manure, as well as his charismatic personality, made him a popular Somerset celebrity.
But tragedy struck eight years into his music career, when he died in a car crash as he was approaching the Severn Bridge.
Tommy Banner, who is The Wurzels' longest-running band member, said Cutler was a "great raconteur" and "very entertaining company".
Banner said his best memory of Cutler was in Germany when they were touring British Forces bases.
A German band asked Cutler if they could join their set and when they did Banner said "you've never heard a noise like it".
"They never played one song in the same key as we were playing. Like Les Dawson playing piano on a bad day," he added.
According to his former manager, John Miles, Cutler initially went to his office saying he had written some songs and wanted to "make some money out of them".
Mr Miles rang a friend at EMI Records and told him "Adge had written these songs about cider and manure".
Despite thinking he was "nuts", Cutler was taken to Abbey Road Studios in London to put the songs on tape.
The Wurzels had hits with songs including Combine Harvester and I Am A Cider Drinker.
Eight years later, at the age of 42, Cutler died in a crash on 5 May 1974.
Banner said: "We were very shocked and empty at the news of his death.
"At first, audiences told us it felt as if they were waiting for Adge to come on stage, so we changed our stage appearance for a while, then went back to what we still wear today."
Continuing Cutler's legacy, The Wurzels have never stopped performing.
A statue of Cutler now stands outside Nailsea's Royal Oak - the place where his first song was recorded.
