The Nutty Squirrels

The Nutty Squirrels
Also known as	Shirley & Squirrely
Genres	Jazz, pop
Years active	1959–1981
Labels	RCA, GRT
Past members
Don Elliott Alexander "Sascha" Burland

The Nutty Squirrels were a scat singing virtual band, formed in imitation of The Chipmunks, that had a Top 40 hit in late 1959 with the song "Uh-Oh". The Squirrels actually preceded the Chipmunks on television in an animated cartoon, but with much less success.

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 musicians Don Elliott and Alexander "Sascha" Burland, which they called the Nutty Squirrels.

Both musical groups featured the defining sped-up voices, but Ross's Chipmunks favored popular music while the Squirrels favored jazz, particularly of the bebop variety. Ultimately, the Squirrels made it to television first, in the animated series The Nutty Squirrels Present (appearing in September 1960), but they were not as popular as the originals.

"Uh-Oh (Part 1)" peaked at #45 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart, while "Uh-Oh (Part 2)" peaked at #14.^{[citation needed]}

In 1976 Bob Milsap resurrected the act, at first with a novelty single based on the current CB citizens band radio craze, "Hey Shirley (This Is Squirrely)", followed by two albums (one a Christmas release). Due to legal reasons, his version of the creation went credited under the individual character names, Shirley and Squirrely.

In the 2007 live-action/animated movie Alvin and the Chipmunks during the credits Ian Hawke (David Cross) is trying to get three squirrels to sing.

Personnel

• Don Elliott: vocals, trumpet, vibraphone, possible other instruments
• Alexander "Sascha" Burland: vocals

Among the New York based session musicians playing on these albums were Cannonball Adderley,^[1] (alto sax), Bobby Jaspar (flute), and Sam Most (clarinet)

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	Label
1959	The Nutty Squirrels	Hanover
1961	The Nutty Squirrels Go Bird Watching	Columbia
1964	The Nutty Squirrels Sing A Hard Day's Night and Other Smashes	MGM
1976	Hey Shirley! The Album (as Shirley & Squirrely)	GRT
	Christmas with Shirley & Squirrely (and Melvin Too!) (as Shirley & Squirrely)
1981	Shirley, Squirrely and Melvin: Live (as Shirley & Squirrely)	Excelsior

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions				Album
		US	US R&B	US Country	CAN Country
1959	"Uh! Oh! Part 1"	45	—	—	—	The Nutty Squirrels
	"Uh! Oh! Part 2"	14	9	—	—
1960	"Eager Beaver"	—	—	—	—
	"Uh-Huh + 3"	—	—	—	—
	"Please Don't Take My Tree for Christmas"	—	—	—	—	singles only
1963	"Hello Again"	—	—	—	—
1976	"Hey Shirley (This Is Squirrely)" (as Shirley & Squirrely)	48	—	28	15	Hey Shirley! The Album
	"A Squirrely Christmas" (as Shirley & Squirrely)	—	—	—	—	Christmas with Shirley & Squirrely (and Melvin Too!)

References

1. ^ Cannonball-adderley.com

External links

• Podcast - includes samples of the Nutty Squirrels
• Links to mp3s of Nutty Squirrels/Cannonball Adderley session and a slowed-down Elliott scat solo