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
swing revival that occurred during the 1990s. The band was influenced by
Johnny Ace,
Cab Calloway,
Django Reinhardt,
Raymond Scott,
Fats Waller, and
Tom Waits. The breakthrough single "Hell", with its
calypso rhythm, more closely aligned the band with the neo-swing movement. 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.
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. 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==