The Seekers were an Australian folk-influenced

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

, originally formed in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were especially popular during the 1960s with their best-known configuration of

Judith Durham Judith Durham (born Judith Mavis Cock; 3 July 1943 – 5 August 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian folk music group the Seekers in 1963. The group became the first Australian p ...

on vocals, piano and

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called " zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, tho ...

;

Athol Guy Athol George Guy (born 5 January 1940) is a member of the Australian pop music group the Seekers, for whom he plays double bass and sings. He is easily recognisable by his black-framed "Buddy Holly" style glasses, and, during live performance ...

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

and vocals;

Keith Potger Keith Leon Potger (born 21 March 1941) is an Australian musician. He is a founding members of the Australian folk-pop group the Seekers. He was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and is of Burgher descent. In 1969, Potger and his business partner ...

twelve-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

and vocals; and

Bruce Woodley Bruce William Woodley (born 25 July 1942) is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the successful folk-pop group The Seekers, and co-composer of the songs " I Am Australian," " Red Rubber Ball," and Simon & ...

on guitar,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of ...

, banjo and vocals. The group had Top 10 hits in the 1960s with "

I'll Never Find Another You "I'll Never Find Another You" is a 1964 single by The Seekers, which reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom in February 1965. It was The Seekers' first UK-released single, and it was the second-best-selling of 1965 in the UK. The song was also popu ...

", "

A World of Our Own "A World of Our Own" is a 1965 single written by Tom Springfield and was an international hit for the Seekers. The single peaked at number 19 on the Hot 100 and number 2 on the Easy Listening charts. It reached number 3 in the U.K. and number 2 i ...

", "

Morningtown Ride "Morningtown Ride" is a lullaby, written and performed by Malvina Reynolds. It was covered by The Seekers and their recording reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song tells the comforting story of the journey through nighttime made by al ...

", "

Someday, One Day This is a list of songs performed by the Australian pop / folk group The Seekers – on record and live in concert, 144 songs in total. The Seekers * Judith Durham – lead vocals, tambourine, maracas, piano, celeste, harpsichord, (autoharp - for ...

", " Georgy Girl" and " The Carnival Is Over". Australian music historian

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalis ...

described their style as "concentrated on a bright, uptempo sound, although they were too pop to be considered strictly folk and too folk to be rock". In 1967, they were named as joint " Australians of the Year" – the only group thus honoured. In July 1968, Durham left to pursue a solo career and the group disbanded. Keith Potger formed a new group in the UK,

the New Seekers The New Seekers are a British pop group, formed in London in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music would have ...

, which had a hit single in 1971 with " I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing". In 1995, the Seekers were inducted into the

ARIA Hall of Fame In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompani ...

. "I'll Never Find Another You" was added to the

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

of Australia's

Sounds of Australia The Sounds of Australia, formerly the National Registry of Recorded Sound, is the National Film and Sound Archive's selection of sound recordings which are deemed to have cultural, historical and aesthetic significance and relevance for Australi ...

registry in 2011. Woodley's and

Dobe Newton Dobe Newton OAM (born 14 July 1948) is an Australian musician and member of folk and country music group the Bushwackers from 1973. He co-wrote the patriotic song "I Am Australian" in 1987 with Bruce Woodley. For his service to the performing ...

's song "

I Am Australian "I Am Australian" (or "We Are Australian") is a popular Australian song written in 1987 by Bruce Woodley of the Seekers and Dobe Newton of the Bushwackers. Its lyrics are filled with many historic and cultural references, such as to the " digg ...

", which was recorded by the Seekers as well as Durham with

Russell Hitchcock Russell Charles Hitchcock (born 15 June 1949) is an Australian musician and lead vocalist of the soft rock duo Air Supply. Early life Born in Melbourne, Hitchcock attended South Brunswick State School, and later studied at Princes Hill High ...

and Mandawuy Yunupingu, has become an unofficial Australian anthem. With "I'll Never Find Another You" and "Georgy Girl", the group also achieved success in the United States, but not nearly at the same level as in the rest of the world. The Seekers have sold over 50 million records worldwide. The Seekers were individually honoured as

Officers of the Order of Australia An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

in the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 2014.

Early years

The Seekers were formed in 1962 in Melbourne by

and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

. Guy, Potger and Woodley had all attended Melbourne Boys High School in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. In the late 1950s, Potger led the Trinamics, a

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

group, Guy led the Ramblers and, with Woodley, they decided to form a

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

music group, the Escorts. The Escorts had Ken Ray as the lead singer and in 1962 they became "The Seekers". Ray left the group to get married. His place was taken by

, an established traditional

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

singer who added a distinctive female lead voice. She had earlier recorded an extended play disc on

W&G Records W&G Records was an Australian recording company that operated from the early 1950s to the 1970s. It was a subsidiary of the Melbourne precision engineering company White & Gillespie. W&G released many significant recordings by Australian popular a ...

with the Melbourne group

Frank Traynor Frank Traynor (8 August 192722 February 1985) was an Australian jazz musician, trombonist and entrepreneur based in Melbourne. He led Australia’s longest continuously running jazz band, the Jazz Preachers, from 1956 until his death in 1985. H ...

's Jazz Preachers. Durham and Guy had met when they both worked in an advertising agency – initially Durham only sang periodically with the Seekers, when not performing at local jazz clubs. She was replaced in Traynor's jazz ensemble by Margret RoadKnight. The Seekers performed folk-influenced pop music and soon gathered a strong following in

. Durham's connections with W&G Records led to the group's later signing a recording contract with the label. Their debut album, ''

Introducing the Seekers ''Introducing the Seekers'' is the debut studio album by the Australian group the Seekers. It was released in 1963 and was the 10th biggest selling album in Australia in 1968. Track listing Side A # " Dese Bones G'wine Rise Again" (traditional; ...

'', was released in 1963. Their debut single was the traditional historic

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

bush ballad The bush ballad, bush song or bush poem is a style of poetry and folk music that depicts the life, character and scenery of the Australian bush. The typical bush ballad employs a straightforward rhyme structure to narrate a story, often one o ...

from 1894, "

Waltzing Matilda "Waltzing Matilda" is a song developed in the Australian style of poetry and folk music called a bush ballad. It has been described as the country's "unofficial national anthem". The title was Australian slang for travelling on foot (waltzing) ...

", which appeared in November and reached the Melbourne "Top 40" singles chart. and peaked at number 74 on the national chart. When being photographed for the album's cover, Potger was replaced by Ray – his day job with the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

(ABC) as a radio producer barred him from involvement in a commercial enterprise.

Discovery in the United Kingdom

The Seekers were offered a twelve-month position as on-board entertainment on the

Sitmar Line Sitmar Cruises and its predecessor Sitmar Line were company names derived from the acronym for the Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi ( en, Italian Maritime Transport Company). SITMAR originally was an Italian shipping line founded by Russian ...

passenger cruise ship ''

Fairsky The Turbine Steamship ''Fairsky'' was a one-class Italian-styled passenger ship operated by the Sitmar Line, best known for service on the migrant passenger route from United Kingdom, Britain to Australia from May 1958 until February 1972. After ...

'' in March 1964. In May, they travelled to the UK and had intended to return to

after staying ten weeks, but upon arrival they were offered work by a

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

booking agency, the Grade Organisation. They signed there with

World Record Club The World Record Club Ltd. was the name of a company in the United Kingdom which issued long-playing records and reel-to-reel tapes, mainly of classical music and jazz, through a membership mail-order system during the 1950s and 1960s. In add ...

and issued a single, "Myra", co-written by the group. The group regularly appeared on a British TV show series, ''"Call in on Carroll"'', hosted by

Ronnie Carroll Ronnie Carroll (born Ronald Cleghorn; 18 August 1934 – 13 April 2015) was a Northern Irish singer, entertainer and political candidate. Career Carroll was born Ronald Cleghorn in 116 Roslyn Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1934, the son o ...

. After filling in on a bill headlined by singer

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

, they met her brother, songwriter and producer

Tom Springfield Tom Springfield (born Dionysius Patrick O'Brien, 2 July 1934 – 27 July 2022) was an English musician, songwriter and record producer who was prominent in the 1960s folk and pop music scene. He was the older brother of singer Dusty Springfiel ...

, who had experience with writing folk-pop material and lyrics/tunes with the siblings' earlier group

The Springfields The Springfields were a British folk-pop vocal trio who had success in the early 1960s in the UK, US and Ireland. They included singer Dusty Springfield and her brother, songwriter Tom Springfield, along with Tim Feild, who was later repla ...

. He penned "

", which they recorded in November 1964. It was released by

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

, on their

Columbia Graphophone Company Columbia Graphophone Co. Ltd. was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1917 as an offshoot of the American Columbia Phonograph Company, it became an independent British-owned company in 1922 in a managemen ...

(Columbia) label, in December and was championed by the

offshore radio Offshore radio is radio broadcasting from ships or fixed maritime structures. Offshore broadcasters are usually unlicensed but transmissions are legal in international waters. This is in contrast to unlicensed broadcasting on land or within a na ...

station "

Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...

" which frequently played and promoted their music. Despite the fact that the group had not signed a contract with EMI, the single reached the UK "Top 50" and began selling well. In February 1965, it reached No.1 in the UK and Australia, and No.4 in the United States where it was released on EMI's

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

label. "I'll Never Find Another You" was the seventh biggest-selling single in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

for 1965 though their own " The Carnival Is Over", released later in the year, would eventually eclipse it – and went on to sell 1.75 million copies worldwide. The Seekers were the first Australian pop group to have a Top 5 hit in Australia, the UK and the US. Australian music historian

described their style as "concentrated on a bright, uptempo sound, although they were too pop oriented to be considered strictly folk and too folk to be rock". The distinctive soprano voice of Durham, the group's vocal harmonies and memorable songs encouraged the British media, including the national broadcasting agency on

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, the BBC, to give them exposure, allowing them to appeal to a broad cross-section of the young British folk,

and rock music audience.

String of hits

The Seekers achieved their first success in the United States in 1965 with their hit "

" reaching peaks of No. 4 for pop and No. 2 for easy listening on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' magazine charts. They followed "I'll Never Find Another You" with " What Have They Done to the Rain?" in February 1965 which did not chart in the Top 40. The group were named "Best New Group of 1964" at the April 1965 ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' Poll Winners Awards. They appeared at the annual celebratory

Wembley Empire Pool Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...

concert, on a bill which included

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

and

the Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

. In May, another

composition was issued, "

", which reached Top 3 in Australia and the UK and Top 20 in the US.

Malvina Reynolds Malvina Reynolds (August 23, 1900 – March 17, 1978) was an American folk/blues singer-songwriter and political activist, best known for her songwriting, particularly the songs "Little Boxes", "What Have They Done to the Rain" and "Morningtown ...

' lullaby "

" was issued in Australia in July and peaked in the Top 10. That same month, Durham had to temporarily leave the group due to emergency nasal surgery; she was replaced on live dates from July to early September by Scottish-born singer Ellen Wade. Durham quickly returned to the group and their next single, " The Carnival Is Over", appeared in November 1965. The melody is based on a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

n folk song, while the lyrics were written by Tom Springfield; it reached No. 1 on both the Australian and the UK charts and, at its peak, the single was selling around 93,000 copies a day in the UK alone. However, although "The Carnival Is Over" became a signature song for the group, it was not a great success in North America, peaking at No. 105 in the US and missing the Canadian charts completely. On 16 November 1965, they appeared at a

Royal Command Performance A Royal Command Performance is any performance by actors or musicians that occurs at the direction or request of a reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Although English monarchs have long sponsored their own theatrical companies and commis ...

at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

before

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was th ...

. Also in 1965, the group met

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

, of the American duo

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of ...

, who was pursuing a solo career in the UK following the initial poor chart success of the duo's debut LP, '' Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.''. In 1966, the Seekers released the Simon-penned "Someday One Day", which reached No. 4 in Australia and No. 11 in the UK. Their version was Simon's first UK success as a songwriter and his first major hit as a composer outside of his work with Art Garfunkel. Woodley co-wrote some songs with Simon, including "

Cloudy In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may compo ...

", "I Wish You Could Be Here" and "

Red Rubber Ball "Red Rubber Ball" is a pop song written by Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel and Bruce Woodley of The Seekers and recorded by The Cyrkle, whose version reached 2 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and in South Africa and New Zealand. In Canada, th ...

" which became an American No. 2 single for

the Cyrkle The Cyrkle was an American rock band active in the early and mid-1960s. The group charted two Top 40 hits, "Red Rubber Ball" and " Turn-Down Day". Career The band was formed by guitarists and lead singers Don Dannemann and Tom Dawes (who also p ...

. The Seekers' version was provided on their 1966 album ''Come the Day'' (released on the album ''Georgy Girl'' in the US). Early in 1966, after returning to Australia, the Seekers filmed their first TV special, ''At Home with the Seekers''. In November, a re-recorded version of "Morningtown Ride" was released in the UK which reached No. 2. The song had been recorded earlier as an Australian single on the 1964 album ''Hide and Seekers'' and appeared on the 1965 American debut, ''The New Seekers''. In December 1966 they issued " Georgy Girl", which became their highest charting American hit when it reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 1 on the '' Cashbox'' Top 100 in February 1967. It was the title song and theme for the British film of the same name starring

Lynn Redgrave Lynn Rachel Redgrave (8 March 1943 – 2 May 2010) was an English actress. She won two Golden Globe Awards throughout her career. A member of the Redgrave family of actors, Lynn trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962. B ...

and

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

and sold 3.5 million copies worldwide. They were awarded a gold record certificate by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

. Meanwhile, it was No. 3 in the UK and No. 1 in Australia. Its writers,

Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...

and

, were nominated for the 1967 Academy Award for Best Original Song of 1966, but the Oscar was won by the title song of the film '' Born Free''. In February 1967, "Morningtown Ride" reached the Top 50 in the US.

Return to Australia and breakup

In March 1967, the Seekers returned to Australia for a homecoming tour, which included a performance for Music for the People at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, attended by an estimated audience of 200,000. The ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' (1968) listed it as the greatest attendance at a concert in the Southern Hemisphere. Melburnians were celebrating the annual Moomba festival, a free community festival, and many thousands were enjoying other attractions but are included in the crowd estimate. The Seekers were accompanied during their 20-minute set by the Australian Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hector Crawford. Film of their appearance was incorporated into their 1967 Australian television special, ''The Seekers Down Under'', which was screened on Channel 7 and drew a then record audience of over 6 million. It was also screened in the UK on BBC1 on 24 June 1968, and repeated on 27 December 1968. In January 1968, on

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port ...

, in recognition of its achievements, the group was named joint Australians of the Year – the only group of people to have this honour bestowed upon them. They personally accepted their awards from

John Gorton Sir John Grey Gorton (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician who served as the nineteenth Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1968 to 1971. He led the Liberal Party during that time, having previously been a l ...

, the

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the princip ...

, during their tour. During this visit, the group filmed another TV special, ''The World of the Seekers'', which was screened in cinemas before being screened nationally on Channel 9 to high ratings and is in the Top 10 most watched TV shows of the 20th century in Australia. On 14 February 1968, during the New Zealand tour, Durham approached the other group members to announce that she was leaving the Seekers to pursue a solo career and the group subsequently disbanded. Their final performance, on 9 July, was screened by the BBC as a special called ''Farewell the Seekers'', with an audience of more than 10 million viewers. The special had been preceded by a week-long season at London's Talk of the Town nightclub and a live recording of one of their shows was released as a live album, '' Live at the Talk of the Town''. It reached No. 2 on the UK charts. Also in July, the compilation album '' The Seekers' Greatest Hits'' was released and spent 17 weeks at No. 1 in Australia. It was released as ''

The Best of The Seekers ''The Best of The Seekers'' was released in UK by EMI's Columbia label (Catalogue No. SCX 6268) in 1968 on the break-up of The Seekers. The album spent 117 weeks on the UK album chart (at the time a Top 50 listing), including six weeks at No.1 ac ...

'' in the UK and spent six weeks at No. 1 in 1969, managing to knock '' The Beatles (White Album)'' off the top of the charts and preventing

' ''

Beggars Banquet ''Beggars Banquet'' is the 7th British and 9th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It was the first Ro ...

'' from reaching the top spot. The album spent 125 weeks in the charts in the UK.

Reunions in the 1970s and 1980s

Following the Seekers' split, Durham pursued a solo career. She released a Christmas album called ''

For Christmas with Love ''For Christmas with Love'' is a 1968 Christmas album by Australian recording artist Judith Durham. It was her first solo studio album after leaving the Seekers in July 1968. The album was recorded in Hollywood and Judith subsequently headlined ...

'' (recorded in Hollywood, California) and later signed with A&M Records, releasing more albums including '' Gift of Song'' and '' Climb Ev'ry Mountain''. Guy hosted his own TV show in Australia, ''A Guy Called Athol'', before entering (Liberal Party) politics in 1973. In 1969, Keith Potger formed and managed a new group,

, in the UK who also charted highly with their successful song "

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" is a pop song that originated as the jingle "True Love and Apple Pie", by British hit songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, and sung by Susan Shirley. The lyrics were rewritt ...

". Woodley released several solo albums and focused on songwriting, including co-writing the patriotic song "

" with Dobe Newton (of the

Bushwackers Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there were large areas of contested land and few governmental resources to control these tra ...

) in 1987. From 1972, Guy, Potger and Woodley planned on reforming the Seekers without Durham. By 1975 they had recruited Louisa Wisseling, a semi-professional folk singer formerly with Melbourne group the Settlers. They had a top 10 Australian hit with the Woodley-penned "The Sparrow Song". Woodley left the group in June 1977 and was replaced by

Buddy England Buddy England is a British-born Australian singer and songwriter Career As a solo artist from 1963 to 1969, England released several singles on HMV Records, including "If You'll Stay", "Doll House", "There Goes My Baby", "Movin' Man", "Sunny", " ...

, a former 1960s pop singer and member of the Mixtures. In 1978, Guy was replaced by Peter Robinson (ex- the Strangers) and Cheryl Webb replaced Wisseling as lead vocalist, leaving only Keith Potger from the original Seekers line-up. In 1980 the group released an album, ''A little bit of Country'', and toured periodically until the mid '80s. In 1988, Guy, Potger and Woodley reformed the Seekers with Julie Anthony, a cabaret singer. In May, the group sang "The Carnival Is Over" at the

World Expo 88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo wa ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. In March 1989, the group released the album ''

Live On Live On may refer to: * ''Live On'' (The Seekers album), 1989 * ''Live On'' (Kenny Wayne Shepherd album), 1999 * ''Live On'' (TV series), 2020 {{disambiguation ...

'', which peaked in the top 30 on the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

(ARIA)

Albums Chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...

. In June 1990, Anthony left and was replaced by Karen Knowles, a former teen pop singer on ''

Young Talent Time ''Young Talent Time'' is an Australian television variety program produced by Lewis-Young Productions and screened on Network Ten. The original series ran from 1971 until 1988 and was hosted by singer-songwriter and record producer Johnny You ...

''. However the distinctive

timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and musica ...

of Durham's voice was missing from their sound and the group split again.

1990s, 2000s and 2010s

The Seekers reunited late in 1992, with the classic line-up of Durham, Guy, Potger and Woodley. In March 1992, all four had met together for the first time in 20 years at a restaurant in Toorak, an inner suburb of Melbourne. Before then they had never talked about reforming; they just wanted to get to know each other again. It was two months later that they decided to do a reunion concert, which led to a 102-date tour. The 25-Year Silver Jubilee Reunion Celebration tour in 1993 was sufficiently successful that the group has continued to perform and record together, on and off, ever since. They staged several sell-out tours of Australia, New Zealand and the UK. They group issued several new albums, including the studio albums ''

Future Road ''Future Road'' is a studio album credited to Australian recording artist Judith Durham and The Seekers. It is Durham's eighth studio album and The Seekers' eleventh. The album was released in Australia in October 1997 and peaked at number 4 on ...

'' in October 1997 (which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart) and '' Morningtown Ride to Christmas'' (which reached the top 20 in 2001) Both albums were certified platinum. In 1995, the group were inducted into the

. In the build up to the Sydney

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

, an ABC TV satire, '' The Games'', parodied the Seekers in the final episode, "The End". Durham had suffered a broken hip and sang "The Carnival Is Over" in a wheelchair at the closing ceremony of the related

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

on 29 October. ''

Long Way to the Top ''Long Way to the Top'' was a six-part weekly Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) documentary film series on the history of Australian rock and roll, from 1956 to the modern era, it was initially broadcast from 8 August to 12 September ...

'' was a 2001

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

six-part documentary on the history of Australian rock and roll from 1956 to the modern era. The Seekers featured on the second episode, "Ten Pound Rocker 1963–1968", broadcast on 22 August, in which Durham and Woodley discussed their early work on a cruise ship, meeting

and their success in Britain. Four of their songs were played during the episode: "I'll Never Find Another You", "The Carnival Is Over", "A World of Our Own" and "Georgy Girl". In October 2002, on the 40th anniversary of their formation, they were the subjects of a special issue of Australian postage stamps. On 1 September 2006, they were presented with the

Key to the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

by Melbourne's Lord Mayor, John So. In February 2009, the SBS TV program '' RocKwiz'' hosted a 50th anniversary concert at the Myer Music Bowl, ''RocKwiz Salutes the Bowl'', which included "World of Our Own" performed by

Rebecca Barnard Rebecca Chirnside Barnard (born 26 December 1960) is an Australian singer, songwriter, producer and musician. She was the lead singer of the band Rebecca's Empire from 1993 to 2000, and has forged a solo career since her debut album, ''Fortifi ...

and Billy Miller and "The Carnival Is Over" by Durham. In 2004 a DVD, ''The Seekers at Home and Down Under'', was released. It consists of a 1966 television documentary on the Seekers and a 1967 special. The cover includes a photo from the 1966 documentary. In October 2010, ''

The Best of the Seekers ''The Best of The Seekers'' was released in UK by EMI's Columbia label (Catalogue No. SCX 6268) in 1968 on the break-up of The Seekers. The album spent 117 weeks on the UK album chart (at the time a Top 50 listing), including six weeks at No.1 ac ...

'' (1968) was listed in the book ''

100 Best Australian Albums 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

''. Also in October, they were scheduled to tour various Australian cities in support of violinist

André Rieu André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (; is a Dutch violinist and conductor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Rieu and his orchestra have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act. He r ...

and his orchestra. However, the tour was postponed when Rieu was taken ill. They released another ''Greatest Hits'' compilation in May 2011 which peaked in the top 40. That month they supported Rieu on the rescheduled Australian tour. "I'll Never Find Another You" was added to the

of the

registry in 2011. "The Seekers' Golden Jubilee Tour" kicked off 2013 in May, celebrating fifty years since the group had formed in December 1962. Performing in Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle and Melbourne, they received rave reviews to sold-out audiences. However, Judith Durham suffered a brain haemorrhage after their first concert in Melbourne. The rest of the Australian tour and later-to-be-staged UK tour were postponed; the former continued in November, while the UK tour took place in May and June 2014, ending with two performances at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

, London. In November 2015, during a tour of Guy's new group, Athol Guy and Friends, featuring Jenny Blake on vocals, the group were joined by Potger and Woodley for a one-performance fundraiser hosted by the school. The performance featured many of the Seekers' hits as well as other songs that had influenced them over the years. The performance closed with a performance of "

", which Guy introduced as a song that was pertinent given "what was happening around the world" at the time. In

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, they were inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame. In April 2019, the Seekers released '' Farewell'' – a live recording from their 50th anniversary tour of 2013. Following Durham's retirement from live performance, the group continued as "The Original Seekers" with the addition of long-time producer and guitarist and singer Michael Cristiano as the group's "fourth voice". In June 2019, they released a new studio album titled ''Back to Our Roots''. The album features Guy, Potger and Woodley joining with Cristiano on songs they had sung prior to Durham's tenure with the group. The album was released with "The Original Seekers" as the group's name.

2020s

On 28 April 2020, Universal Music Australia announced that a trilogy of Seekers' compilation albums would be released over the following twelve months under the title ''Hidden Treasures'', featuring rarities and lost classics. '' Hidden Treasures – Volume 1'' was released on 22 May 2020 and peaked at number 21 on the ARIA Charts. '' Volume 2'' was released October the same year. In a 2021 interview, Keith Potger said the group members were considering ways to commemorate their 60th anniversary, in 2022.

Death of Judith Durham

On 5 August 2022, Judith Durham died from

bronchiectasis Bronchiectasis is a disease in which there is permanent enlargement of parts of the airways of the lung. Symptoms typically include a chronic cough with mucus production. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing up blood, and chest ...

, a chronic lung disease, at

The Alfred Hospital The Alfred Hospital, also known as The Alfred or Alfred Hospital, is a leading tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the second oldest hospital in Victoria, and the oldest Melbourne hospital still operating on its original si ...

in Melbourne, aged 79. The Seekers' final recording together, "Carry Me", was unveiled by Athol Guy at Durham's Memorial service. Written by Bruce Woodley, Guy, Potger and Woodley added their vocals and instrumentation to Durham's vocals.Carry Me
/ref>

Members

Current members

– double bass, backing vocals (1962–1968, 1975–1978, 1988–present) *

– lead guitar, banjo, backing and lead vocals (1962–1968, 1975–1985, 1988–present) *

– rhythm guitar, banjo, backing and lead vocals (1962–1968, 1975–1977, 1988–present)

Former members

– lead and backing vocals, piano (1962–1968, 1992–2019, died 2022) * Julie Anthony – lead and backing vocals (1988–1990) *

– guitars, backing vocals (1977–1980) * Karen Knowles – lead and backing vocals (1991) *Ken Ray – vocals, guitar (1962) * Peter Robinson – bass, backing vocals (1978–1986) *Rick Turk – guitars, piano, backing and lead vocals (1981–1986) *Ellen Wade – vocals (June–August 1965) *Cheryl Webb – lead and backing vocals (1977–1986) *Louisa Wisseling – lead and backing vocals (1975–1977)

Timeline

Million sellers

The following recordings by the Seekers were each certified as having sold over one million copies: "

", "

", " The Carnival Is Over" and " Georgy Girl"; all were written or co-written by Tom Springfield and were each awarded a gold disc. The Seekers have sold over 50 million records worldwide.

Notable performances

* 1965 – The Seekers won the Best New Group in the New Musical Express Poll Winners Awards and performed on 11 April at the Wembley Empire Pool, on a bill that included the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard and Dusty Springfield. Archive footage from this show was included in the Seekers' 2014 50th anniversary tour. * 1965 – In June the Seekers performed in the United States on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' singing "A World of Our Own" and "

You Can Tell The World In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...

". * 1966 – In November the Seekers performed at a

at the London Palladium before the

Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...

. * 1967 – The Seekers made another appearance on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' singing " Georgy Girl". * 1967 – The Seekers represented Australia at

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, Canada (when they appeared on television in Australia via the first satellite transmission from the United States to Australia). * 1967 – Melbourne, 12 March, Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The Seekers played to an estimated 200,000 people in a televised concert celebrating their overseas success.

Television specials

* 1965 – ''An Evening with The Seekers'' * 1966 – ''The Seekers at Home'' * 1967 – '' The Seekers Down Under'' and '' The World of The Seekers'' * Four television mini-specials titled ''A Date with the Seekers'' * 1968 – '' 1968 BBC Farewell Spectacular'' * 2019 – ''

ABC Television's Australian Story ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

'' * 2019 – '' SBS Television screens the Decca DVD Farewell Album'' (trimmed to about one hour)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' ( W & G, 1963) * ''

The Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk music, folk-influenced pop music, pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the Un ...

'' (also known as ''Roving with the Seekers'') (W & G, 1964) * ''

Hide & Seekers ''Hide & Seekers'' is the third studio album by Australian group the Seekers. The album was released in 1964. In some countries, the album was titled ''The Four & Only Seekers'', ''The New Seekers'' or ''Morningtown Ride''. The album peaked at ...

'' (also known as ''The Four and Only Seekers'' and ''The New Seekers'') (W & G, 1964) * ''

'' (also known as ''The Seekers'') (

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

, 1965) * ''

Come the Day ''Come the Day'' is the fifth studio album by Australian group the Seekers. The album was released in 1966. In North America, the album was titled ''Georgy Girl''. The album peaked at number 10 in the ''Billboard'' albums chart and number 3 in ...

'' (also known as ''Georgy Girl'') (Columbia, 1966) * '' Seekers Seen in Green'' (Columbia, 1967) * ''

'' (

Astor Astor may refer to: People * Astor (surname) * Astor family, a wealthy 18th-century American family who became prominent in 20th-century British politics * Astor Bennett, a character in the Showtime television series ''Dexter'' * Ástor Piazzo ...

, 1975) * '' Giving and Taking'' (Astor, 1976) * '' A Little Bit of Country'' (Hammard, 1980) * ''

Live On Live On may refer to: * ''Live On'' (The Seekers album), 1989 * ''Live On'' (Kenny Wayne Shepherd album), 1999 * ''Live On'' (TV series), 2020 {{disambiguation ...

'' (1989) * ''

'' ( EMI, 1997) * '' Morningtown Ride to Christmas'' (2001) * ''Back To Our Roots'' s The Original Seekers(2019)

Live albums

* '' Live at the Talk of the Town'' (Columbia, 1968) UK: 2 * '' 25 Year Reunion Celebration'' (with

) (1993) AUS: 9, UK: 93 * '' 1968 BBC Farewell Spectacular'' (1999) AUS: 12 * '' Night of Nights... Live!'' (2002) AUS: 26 * '' Farewell'' (2019) AUS: 3 * '' The Carnival of Hits Tour 2000'' (Reissue of Night of Nights... Live!) (2019) * ''Live in the UK'' (2021)

Charting compilation albums

* '' The Seekers Sing Their Big Hits'' (1965) AUS: 3 * '' Introducing the Seekers Big Hits'' (1967) AUS: 5 * '' The Seekers' Greatest Hits'' (1968) AUS: 1 * ''

'' (1968) UK: 1 * ''The Carnival is Over'' (1969) AUS: 17 * ''Something Old/ Something New'' (1984) AUS 55 * ''

The Silver Jubilee Album ''The Silver Jubilee Album'' is a compilation album credited to Judith Durham and The Seekers. It celebrates the 25th anniversary of the band's final performance in 1968. "Keep A Dream In Your Pocket" and "One World Love" are new tracks recorded ...

'' (1993) AUS: 3 * '' A Carnival of Hits'' (1994) UK:7 * ''The Best of The Seekers'' (1997) AUS: 45 * ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' (2009) UK: 34, AUS: 31 * '' The Golden Jubilee Album'' (2012) AUS: 10 * '' Hidden Treasures – Volume 1'' (2020) AUS: 21 * '' Hidden Treasures – Volume 2'' (2020) AUS: 56

CD box set

* '' The Seekers Complete'' CD(1995) AUS: 17 * ''

Treasure Chest Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...

'' CD(1997) AUS: 7 * '' All Bound for Morningtown'' CD(2009) NZ: 36

References

General

* "''The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia – Opera . Music . Dance – Volume 2''" – Ann Atkinson, Linsay Knight, Margaret McPhee – Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd., 1996
The Seekers stamps
– How to fit four giants on to a postage stamp sheet? – Australia Post official website * 'The Judith Durham Story – Colours of My Life' by Graham Simpson (Random House, 1994, 1998, 2000), (Virgin Books, 2004).

Specific

External links

Official website of The Seekers
* *
Official YouTube channel of The Seekers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seekers, The 1962 establishments in Australia APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Australian folk music groups Australian folk rock groups Australian of the Year Award winners Australian pop music groups Capitol Records artists Columbia Graphophone Company artists Logie Award winners Musical groups established in 1962 Musical groups disestablished in 1968 Musical groups reestablished in 1975 Musical groups disestablished in 1988 Musical groups reestablished in 1992 Victoria (Australia) musical groups

Early years

Discovery in the United Kingdom

String of hits

Return to Australia and breakup

Reunions in the 1970s and 1980s

1990s, 2000s and 2010s

2020s

Death of Judith Durham

Members

Current members

Former members

Timeline

Million sellers

Notable performances

Television specials

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Charting compilation albums

CD box set

See also

References

General

Specific

External links