Dorset and Colin Earl had previously been members of The Good Earth. Soon after recruiting Paul King and Mike Cole, they made their national debut at the Hollywood Festival at Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire in May 1970, the week their first single, "In the Summertime" was released. They stole the show and the record topped the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks, made number one in almost every other country around the world, and to date has sold around 23 million copies. After John Godfrey replaced Cole, their second single "Baby Jump" also topped the UK chart in March 1971. A third hit, "Lady Rose" (also in 1971), gave the group the image as a band for producing summertime based hits.
In time Dorset found the group's good-time blues and jug band repertoire a little restricting, and in 1972 he released a solo album Cold Blue Excursion, with his songs backed by strings and brass and, in one instance, a jazz band. His intention to broaden the group's appeal by recruiting a drummer led to King and Earl trying to sack him, but the management, regarding Dorset as inseparable in the public eye from Mungo Jerry, fired them both instead. Dorset and Godfrey, the bassist, recruited new members and presented a new sound, heard on the fourth album Boot Power. King and Earl went on to form the King Earl Boogie Band.
Mungo Jerry's hits continued through to 1976 with "Open Up" (Top Twenty in Europe and number one in Brazil); "Alright Alright Alright" (a rewrite of an old French hit for Jacques Dutronc, and again a major hit worldwide reaching the Top 3 in the UK); "Wild Love"; "Long Legged Woman Dressed In Black"; "Hello Nadine" (European hit and Top Five in Canada); and "It's a Secret" (European hit).
In 1975 Earl, who had played piano with Foghat in between, returned to play keyboards, and percussion player Joe Rush, part-time member of the band in earlier days, also came back for a while.
The group's line-up has changed constantly over the years. Among those who have played with them are bassist Bob Daisley, drummers Dave Bidwell, Paul Hancox and Boris Williams, guitarist Dick Middleton and keyboard/accordion player Steve Jones. They have remained particularly popular throughout Europe. Mungo Jerry was the first western band who had live TV gigs, in all countries behind the Iron Curtain. Their famous "Golden Orpheus" gig in Bulgaria, also gave them a lot of new fans.
In 1980 another Dorset song, "Feels Like I'm in Love", originally written for Elvis Presley, and recorded by the band as a B side of a single, became a British number one hit for Kelly Marie. They remained successful with overseas hits like "On A Night Like This", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Sunshine Reggae" (British version by Mungo Jerry & Horizon). But Dorset had to wait until 1995 for a real comeback, when "In the Summertime" was recorded by reggae vocalist Shaggy, who topped the charts worldwide. The last UK chart entry for Mungo Jerry was "Toon Army", a song for Newcastle United F.C. in 1999.
In 1983 "Mungo Jerry" Ray Dorset was part of the blues supergroup Katmandu, which recorded A Case For The Blues, with guitarist Peter Green, formerly of Fleetwood Mac, and keyboard player Vincent Crane, formerly of Atomic Rooster and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
In 2003, with German musicians, Dorset recorded Adults Only album under the name Mungo Jerry Blues Band, widely acclaimed as one of the best of his career. 2005 saw him performing with three Mungo Jerry line-ups: The British Mungo Jerry Band (pop/rock), the German Mungo Jerry Blues Band (blues/rock) and Mungo Jerry & the Goodtime Gamblers (jug/blues/skiffle).
Also in June 2005, Ray Dorset had a gig again as a duo with Mike Cole - the original double bass player from the early Mungo days - as a highlight of the "35 Years Of Mungo Jerry" event in both Newcastle and Stoke.
In March 2006 Mungo Jerry released their new single "Mr Midnight" from Phantom of the Opera on Ice (http://www.plazarecords.co.uk); produced by Roberto Danova - who had mixed in the past the old continental Mungo Jerry hits "Lana" and "It's a Secret" - and is well-known for his work with rock and pop music, in combination with big orchestras.
You Better Leave That Whisky Alone
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cos she's been on the bottle all day long
I don't know what to do about my Mummy
'Cos she's been on the bottle all day long
I called the doctor 'round this morning, said I give you warning
She'd better leave that whisky alone
Well now Daddy went and left us last summer
That's when Mummy took that bottle off the shelf
She don't know what to do with herself
I called the doctor 'round this morning, said I give you warning
She'd better leave that whisky alone
Well now Daddy went and left us last summer
That's when Mummy took to drinking all day long
She started on the wheat things, and went on to the sweet things
Now she's drinking something that's real strong
I called the doctor 'round this morning, said I give you warning
She'd better leave that whisky alone
Well, you better leave that whisky alone
Well, she'd better leave that whisky, better leave that whisky
Better leave that whisky alone
I called the doctor 'round this morning, said I give you warning
She'd better leave that whisky alone
In Mungo Jerry's song You Better Leave That Whisky Alone, the artist talks about his mother's addiction to alcohol which has negatively affected her life. The lyrics depict a sad and worrisome situation where the mother has been on the bottle all day long after the father walked out on them the previous summer. The son narrates how he found his mother on the floor crying out for more alcohol. He calls the doctor to intervene and advises his mother to leave the whisky alone to avoid ruining her life further.
The song addresses a sensitive issue of alcohol addiction and how it can ruin someone's life. Mungo Jerry sends a warning message to all those struggling with alcohol addiction to seek help before it's too late. The lyrics are evocative, emotional and showcase the impact of alcohol dependence on the family.
Furthermore, the song touches on the theme of loss and how it can lead to self-destructive behaviors. The mother seeks solace in alcohol after the father walked out on them. It's important to note that alcoholism is an illness that affects not just the individual but the people around them, and You Better Leave That Whisky Alone shows the repercussions of such behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I don't know what to do about my Mummy
I am unsure about how to help my mother
'Cos she's been on the bottle all day long
She has been drinking alcohol throughout the day
I called the doctor 'round this morning, said I give you warning
I contacted a physician earlier today and warned them about my mother's drinking problem
She'd better leave that whisky alone
It would be best for her to stop drinking whiskey
That's when Mummy took that bottle off the shelf
After my father passed away, my mother started drinking heavily
She don't know what to do with herself
She is struggling to cope with her loss and has turned to alcohol for comfort
She started on the wheat things, and went on to the sweet things
She began drinking mild alcoholic beverages but progressed to sweeter, stronger drinks
Now she's drinking something that's real strong
Currently, she is consuming high-proof beverages
Well, you better leave that whisky alone
It would be wise to avoid drinking whiskey
Better leave that whisky, better leave that whisky
It is crucial to refrain from drinking alcohol, particularly whiskey
Contributed by Aria R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@chittys
what an underrated band mungo are,so much more to them than "in the summertime",and real musicians also. brilliant
@GDdeKock
Pity no video
@john111257
get down our local
@user-ol3tw5sv3g
Сила, супер! Сейчас, как и пол века назад звучит классно!!!
@MrJerryattrick
What do you want, boogie, 1930's jug band, rock and roll band, or plain old blues band? Man, this Mungo Jerry is all of these, and more and good luck to him ! I loved his stuff in 1969, and I still do! Honestly reckon he didn't get the wide public acclaim he deserved, except of course with In the Summertime! But he is still there, long live Mungo Jerry! Jerry-attrick!
@brunofantonifilho6715
a música de Mungo Jerry tem o poder de me afastar de tristezas e de lembranças ruins
@eatmygoddamncat
There's still good music out there. You just have to look for it way harder than before.
@monicabauman1580
Can't object to this video... It's Awesome. Just like the Summertime videos! Music to enjoy and dance with. Good for people of all ages! The music is uplifting and the lyrics are fun!
@joseribamarcorreialima4450
o melhor dos anos 70
@dagmarvecernikova6658
I love this song. I better leave that whiskey alone