In the summertime, when the weather is high / You can stretch right up and touch the sky, plays the shuffling rock tune, “In the Summertime,” a song that quickly became synonymous with the skiffle blues outfit Mungo Jerry. The group may be a one-hit wonder, but what a hit they had.
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Since the song’s release, Mungo Jerry has continued to chase that carefree summertime sound that has become their calling card. From the first notes, it’s easy to pinpoint a Mungo Jerry song, but pinning down the band’s name is the more difficult task.
Behind the Name
British rocker Ray Dorset formed Mungo Jerry in 1970, originally calling the group the Mungo Jerry Blues Band. The name was inspired by the T. S. Eliot poem, “Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer,” from his 1939 collection of feline-centric poetry, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. The collection would go on to become the framework for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 musical Cats.
The poem “Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer,” in particular, follows the titular pair of cats as they wreak havoc throughout posh London. The whimsical verses introduce the cats as such:
Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer were a very notorious couple
of cats.
As knockabout clowns, quick-change comedians, tight-rope
walkers and acrobats
We have an extensive reputation. We make our home in
Victoria Grove—
This is merely our center of operation, for we were
incurably given to rove.
We are very well known in Cornwall Gardens, in Launceston
Place and in Kensington Square—
We have really a little more reputation than a couple of
cats can very well bear.
The rest of the poem finds the feline pair acting out their despicable reputations as “cat-burglars,” stealing winter vests, Woolworth pearls, and a family’s entire dinner. The band Mungo Jerry, however, only stole hearts with their 1970 debut single, “In the Summertime,” their first international hit that is still beloved today.
Mungo Jerry Today
Mungo Jerry’s lineup has seen a number of changes throughout the band’s existence, with Dorset remaining the only constant for five decades. As the de facto leader, the artist took on the persona of Mungo Jerry rather than Mungo Jerry being solely a band. Dorset et al continue to make music under the Mungo Jerry banner, most recently releasing their 20th studio album, Somelight, in 2022.
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