The Seekers

The Seekers hold a unique place in Australian popular music, aside from the hits the group recorded and took to the top of the charts internationally.

The original folk group started in 1962 without Judith Durham. She was a jazz and blues singer by night, and a secretary by day. The Seekers at the same time were an all-male group, with a member whose voice was so high, when Ken Ray left it seemed a good idea to replace him with a female - but not just any female. Judith Durham had already recorded an EP with Frank Traynor's Jazz Preachers. She was already making a name for herself on Melbourne's jazz circuit and was bound to enhance the Seekers sound and career. Her powerful crystal clear voice became the focus of the Seekers' style.

In March 1964, with an album under their belt, the Seekers accepted an offer of a free passage to London on the Sitmar shipping line, while entertaining other passengers during the passage. They took with them a copy of a performance on Channel Nine's 'In Melbourne Tonight'. Their aim was just to have a look around, but the Seekers' timing couldn't have been more fortuitous.

They arrived in a London in the grip of Beatlemania. England's favourite group was conquering the rest of the world and it seemed like everyone just wanted be like the Beatles. Significantly, London's own folk-style folk group the Springfields had decided to break up faced with the new sound in British music. But not everyone was in love with new sound of things. Promoter Eddie Jarrett saw the Seekers as a clean-cut wholesome alternative, offered to manager the Australians and teamed them up with the Springfields' songwriter. On November 4, 1964 they recorded Tom Springfield's 'I'll Never Find Another You '.(YouTube) Their Australian record company had agreed to let them go rather than stand in the way of the Seekers' chance at international fame. The single went on to sell 1.75 million worldwide. No.1 in England and Australia, top ten in America. More big hits - 'A World Of Our Own', 'The Carnival Is Over', 'Georgie Girl' - again written by Tom Springfield followed. Paul Simon wrote 'Someday One Day'. 'Georgie Girl' was nominated for the Academy Awards.

At home in Australia this had a profound impact on the local music scene. English-born Frank Ifield had returned to England and No.1 success from Australia a couple of years earlier, but here was an act which we could truely claim as 'our own'. Who would be next? The Bee Gees packed their bags. From now until the mid-sixties Australian acts would follow in the Seekers' footsteps and hope to emulate their success.

The Seekers themselves returned home when their international status allowed. In March 1967 they performed in front of a world record crowd of 200,000, something that has gone into Seekers folklore, although based on some falsehoods. Melbourne was enjoying its Moomba festival, and the Seekers were one of the attractions. Thousands of Melbournians were in the area for Moomba that day. It wasn't just the Seekers on their own which had attracted that huge crowd.

The Seekers themselves only performed for 20 minutes. At the start of 1968 Judith Durham decided to leave. She felt trapped musically. The rest of the group resented her decision. For seven years that resentment festered, and in 1975, back in Australia, they put the group back together, recruiting Dutch-born Australian singer Louisa Wesseling as Judith's replacement. They were immediately rewarded with a major hit, 'The Sparrow Song', written by the group's own Bruce Woodley. But the shadow of Judith's distinctive voice and popularity hovered over them. In 1978 popular cabaret singer Julie Anthony took over as lead singer. In June 1990 it was Karen Knowles' turn. In late 1992, Judith finally returned. The shadow of their past hits hovered over them. A highly successful and lucrative concert attraction the Seekers could never get out from under that shadow on record.

In late 1992, Judith finally returned for an international reunion tour after 25 years apart. Another tour followed in 1994, and in 1998 the group recorded and released 'Future Road', their first studio album for 30 years. But their audience wasn't interested in anything new. They couldn't get enough of the old stuff. Every "last" tour was superseded by another, literally by public demand.

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