The Nutty Squirrels were a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
virtual band
In entertainment, a virtual band (also called a virtual idol, virtual singer, virtual group, cartoon group, cartoon idol, cartoon singer or cartoon band) is a band or music group whose members are not depicted as corporeal musicians, but animat ...
formed in imitation of
Alvin and the Chipmunks. The Nutty Squirrels' music was characterized by their use of
scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. ...
. They received a
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...
hit in late-1959 as the song "Uh! Oh!". They also preceded
The Alvin Show
''The Alvin Show'' is an American animated television series that aired on CBS in the early 1960s. This was the first series to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks. ''The Alvin Show'' aired for one season, from October 4, 196 ...
in which they appeared on television in 1960 as ''
The Nutty Squirrels Present
''The Nutty Squirrels Present'' is a 1960 animated television series that was inspired by characters from ''The Nutty Squirrels'' hit 1959 novelty record. The series was produced by Transfilm-Wylde Animation, and aired for one season (1960–1961 ...
'', but the show's success was rather decreased.
The group's first two albums, ''
The Nutty Squirrels'' and ''
Bird Watching
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...
'', were released in 1959. The Nutty Squirrels' final album, ''The Nutty Squirrels Sing
A Hard Day's Night and Other Smashes'', marked a stylistic change from their first two albums, featuring covers of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
songs.
Biography
After The Chipmunks' initial success in 1958, plans were almost immediately made to make them into an animated cartoon series. Unfortunately, there were some initial art direction snags (specifically with the character designs) and the show was delayed. This gap resulted in a race between the Chipmunks and an imitative group created by
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
musicians
Don Elliott
Don Elliott Helfman (October 21, 1926 – July 5, 1984) was an American jazz trumpeter, vibraphonist, vocalist, and mellophone player. Elliott recorded over 60 albums and 5,000 advertising jingles throughout his career.
Career
Elliott played ...
and Granville Burland, which they called the Nutty Squirrels.
Both musical groups featured the defining sped-up voices, but
Ross Bagdasarian Sr.
Ross S. Bagdasarian (; January 27, 1919 – January 16, 1972), known professionally by his stage name David Seville, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor, best known for creating the virtual band, cartoon band Alvin an ...
's Chipmunks favored popular music while the Squirrels favored
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
, particularly of the
bebop
Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...
variety. Ultimately, the Squirrels made it to television first, in the animated series ''
The Nutty Squirrels Present
''The Nutty Squirrels Present'' is a 1960 animated television series that was inspired by characters from ''The Nutty Squirrels'' hit 1959 novelty record. The series was produced by Transfilm-Wylde Animation, and aired for one season (1960–1961 ...
'' (appearing in September 1960), but its popularity was decreased as of the originals.
"Uh! Oh! (Part 1)" peaked at #45 on the
Billboard Pop Singles Chart
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming i ...
, while "Uh! Oh! (Part 2)" peaked at #14.
In the 2007 live-action/animated movie ''
Alvin and the Chipmunks'', during the credits, Ian Hawke (
David Cross
David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series '' Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix si ...
) is trying to get three squirrels to sing.
Personnel
* Don Elliott: vocals, trumpet, vibraphone, possible other instruments
* Granville Alexander "Sascha" Burland: vocals
Among the New York-based
session musicians playing on these albums were
Cannonball Adderley, (
alto sax
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B ten ...
),
Bobby Jaspar
Bobby Jaspar (20 February 1926 – 28 February 1963) was a Belgian cool jazz and hard bop saxophonist, flautist and composer.
Early life
Born in Liège, Belgium, Jaspar learned to play piano and clarinet at a young age. Later, he took up ...
(
flute), and
Sam Most
Samuel Most (December 16, 1930 – June 13, 2013) was an American jazz flutist, clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, based in Los Angeles. He was "probably the first great jazz flutist", according to jazz historian Leonard Feather.
Biography
He wa ...
(
clarinet)
Discography
Albums
Singles
Reception
In his 2019 autobiography, ''Mr. Know-It-All'',
John Waters
John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...
wrote, "I should have told my mother about the Nutty Squirrels. They did jazz and they ''weren't'' junkies. This sped-up vocal group who imitated the Chipmunks actually beat them to television with an animated show called ''
The Nutty Squirrels Present
''The Nutty Squirrels Present'' is a 1960 animated television series that was inspired by characters from ''The Nutty Squirrels'' hit 1959 novelty record. The series was produced by Transfilm-Wylde Animation, and aired for one season (1960–1961 ...
'', and they looked down on the pop sound of Alvin and his gang. The Nutty Squirrels actually had a big jazz hit with "Uh Oh, Part One and Two," but if you go back and listen to the rest of their discography, you'll be blown away by some of their other riffs. These cats were smoking! If my mom had heard jazz like this at the wrong speed, she might have loved it."
Further reading
*
The Rocklopedia Fakebandica' by T. Mike Childs, St. Martin's (2004), pg 155
References
External links
Podcast - includes samples of the Nutty SquirrelsLinks to mp3s of Nutty Squirrels/Cannonball Adderley session and a slowed-down Elliott scat solo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nutty Squirrels, The
Animated musical groups
Fictional squirrels
Fictional musical groups
RCA Victor artists
Musical groups established in 1959
Musical groups disestablished in 1964
1959 establishments in the United States
American jazz ensembles
Vocal jazz ensembles