Squirrel Nut Zippers is an American swing and jazz band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by James "Jimbo" Mathus (vocals and guitar), Tom Maxwell (vocals and guitar), Katharine Whalen (vocals, banjo, ukulele), Chris Phillips (drums), Don Raleigh (bass guitar), and Ken Mosher. The band's music is a fusion of Delta blues, gypsy jazz, 1930s–era swing, klezmer, and other styles. They found commercial success during the

swing revival The swing revival, also called retro swing and neo-swing, was a renewed interest in swing music and Lindy Hop dance, beginning around 1989 and reaching a peak in the 1990s. The music was generally rooted in the big bands of the swing era, swing e ...

of the late 1990s with their 1996 single "Hell", written by Tom Maxwell. After a hiatus of several years, the original band members reunited and performed in 2007, playing in the U.S. and Canada. In 2016, Mathus and Phillips reunited the band with a new lineup to tour in support of the 20th anniversary of their highest-selling album, ''Hot''. The Squirrel Nut Zippers continue to tour, and released their new album ''Beasts of Burgundy'' in March 2018, and singles "Mardi Gras for Christmas" and "Alone at Christmas" in November 2018.

History

Swing revival

The band was founded by James "Jimbo" Mathus, formerly of Metal Flake Mother and Johnny Vomit & The Dry Heaves, and his then-wife Katharine Whalen in Carrboro, North Carolina, with Tom Maxwell, Chris Phillips, Don Raleigh, and Ken Mosher. The group made its debut in Chapel Hill a few months later. Stacy Guess (formerly of Pressure Boys) joined shortly after. "Nut Zippers" is a southern term for a variety of old bootleg moonshine. The band's name comes from a newspaper story about an intoxicated man who climbed a tree and refused to come down even after police arrived. The headline was "Squirrel Nut Zipper." It is also the name of a caramel and peanut candy dating back to 1890. The band is credited for contributing to the

that occurred during the 1990s. The band was influenced by

Johnny Ace John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid-1950s. He emerged as a prominent figure in postwar R&B an ...

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani people, Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Belgium, Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist and composer in France. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe ...

, Raymond Scott, Fats Waller, and

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

. The breakthrough single "Hell", with its calypso rhythm, more closely aligned the band with the neo-swing movement. The Zippers's debut album, '' The Inevitable'' (1995), received airplay on

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, and its second album, '' Hot'' (1996), was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

. ''Hot'' was also one of the first enhanced CDs, containing an interactive presentation created by filmmaker

Clay Walker Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. (born August 19, 1969) is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single " What's It to You", which reached Number One on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Son ...

. In support of the album, the band toured with rock singer

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

. '' Perennial Favorites'' (1998) followed, then '' Christmas Caravan'' and '' Bedlam Ballroom''. The Squirrel Nut Zippers performed at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta and at President Clinton's second inaugural ball. Their numerous appearances included such notables as the radio show '' Prairie Home Companion'' and on television shows ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

'', ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'', ''

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'B ...

'', and '' Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve''.

Hiatus and other projects

By the early 2000s, the Zippers were inactive. Mathus and Katharine Whalen had divorced, and the band members went their separate ways. Whalen released her debut album, ''Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad.'' Mathus toured and recorded extensively with Buddy Guy and has released 18 solo records on various labels, and under various names, while keeping a hand in numerous other projects. Je Widenhouse and Reese Gray recorded and toured with Firecracker Jazz Band. Chris Phillips spent two years with the Dickies and William Reid from the Jesus and Mary Chain. His band The Lamps included members of the Bangles and

The Connells The Connells are an American musical group from Raleigh, North Carolina. They play a guitar-oriented, melodic, jangle-pop style of rock music with introspective lyrics that often reflect the history or culture of the American South. Though the ...

Reunions

In early 2007, the band's official website announced tour dates with a lineup consisting of Jimbo Mathus, Katharine Whalen, Chris Phillips, Je Widenhouse, Stuart Cole, Hank West, and Will Dawson. With the proclamation "Ladies and Gentlemen...They're Back," the band performed concert dates throughout the U.S. and Canada in the spring and summer of 2007 and through 2008. In late February 2009, Phillips sent an email announcing a forthcoming live album titled ''You Are My Radio'', recorded in Brooklyn in December 2008. The album title was later changed to ''Lost at Sea'' and was released on October 27 through Southern Broadcasting/MRI. They also announced plans for a studio album in 2010. The band taped a performance for NPR's ''Mountain Stage'', which aired in mid-November. Following renewed interest at the approach of the 20th Anniversary of ''Hot'', Mathus began assembling a revival band, focusing on musicians in the New Orleans area. They began touring in June 2016, with the initial line-up including Mathus, Dr. Sick (fiddle, vocals), Ingrid Lucia (vocals), Kris Tokarski (piano), Charlie Halloran (trombone), Dave Boswell (trumpet), Hank West (saxophone), Tamara Nicolai (upright bass) and Kevin O’Donnell (drums), with original Zippers drummer Chris Phillips managing, and Alex Holeman as road manager. The band has continued to tour; the studio album ''Beasts of Burgundy'' was released on March 23, 2018 through their own label Southern Broadcasting. Performers on the album include Mathus (guitar, vocals), Dr. Sick (fiddle, banjo, various instruments, vocals), Cella Blue (vocals), Vanessa Niemann (vocals), Tamar A. Korn (vocals), Dave Boswell (trumpet), Kevin Louis (trumpet), Aurora Nealand (clarinet), Charlie Halloran (trombone), Colin Myers (trombone), Henry Westmoreland (tenor and baritone saxophone), Kris Tokarski (piano), Leslie P. Martin (piano), Tamara Nicolai (upright bass), Neilson Bernard III (drums) and Chris Phillips (percussion).

Discography

Studio albums

* '' The Inevitable'' (1995) * '' Hot'' (1996) * '' Perennial Favorites'' (1998) * '' Christmas Caravan'' (1998) * '' Bedlam Ballroom'' (2000) * ''Beasts of Burgundy'' (2018) * ''Lost Songs of Doc Souchon'' (2020)

Live albums

* ''Lost at Sea'' (2009)

EPs

* '' Roasted Right'' (1994) * '' Sold Out'' (1997)

Compilations

* '' The Best of Squirrel Nut Zippers as Chronicled by Shorty Brown'' (2002)

Singles

Soundtracks

As of 2021, music performed by the Squirrel Nut Zippers has appeared in 25 films or television shows.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1993 establishments in North Carolina 2000 disestablishments in North Carolina 2006 establishments in North Carolina American jazz ensembles American musical octets American swing musical groups Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups disestablished in 2000 Musical groups from North Carolina Musical groups from Chapel Hill-Carrboro, North Carolina Musical groups reestablished in 2006 Musical groups disestablished in 2010 Musical groups reestablished in 2016 Musical nonets Swing revival ensembles Jazz musicians from North Carolina Mammoth Records artists Hollywood Records artists