Bee Bumble and the Stingers

[horseman]

For some reason the (Sixties?) single Nut Rocker by B. Bumble and the Stingers has come back to haunt me... who were these guys and did they disappear after that one 'triumph'?

[andy hughes]

B Bumble And The Stingers (cool name or what!) were formed by William 'Billy' Bumble in Ada, Oklahoma. Surprisingly, 'B' is actually the guitarist in the band - the star is of course piano player Fred Richards.
The band used the 'frontier' piano sound, created by using pianos with metal hammers, as opposed to the usual felt, or hammering tin tacks into the felt hammers to make that distinctive jangling sound. Having hit on a formula of boogieing up classical pieces, the band enjoyed some success with re-workings such as 'Flight Of The Bumble Bee', addressed as 'Bumble Boogie' and the famous 'Nutcracker' extract, re-born as 'Nut Rocker'.
The band enjoyed 'one-hit' wonder status here in England, but they have produced a fairly extensive catalogue of material in the US, which suggests that their career had more mileage in it there than over here.
The sheer energy and fun of 'Nut Rocker' means it has a fond place in a lot of memories, as you suggest - even progressive rock giants Emerson Lake And Palmer used it to wind down, or is that wind up, as an encore in their live set. Check out the end of their 'Pictures At An Exhibition' live album and hear them tear up Newcastle City Hall with the Stingers' favourite. Classic!