The Seekers are one of the most famous Australian musical groups of the second half of the 1962th century. Having appeared in XNUMX, the band hit the major European music charts and the US charts. At that time, it was almost impossible for a band that recorded songs and performed on a distant continent.
History of The Seekers
Initially, the team consisted of four people. Keith Podger became the main vocalist, who also performed guitar parts. Bruce Woodley also became the band's guitarist and vocalist. Ken Ray played guitar and Athol Guy played bass. For the first year, all participants performed as vocalists, in almost all compositions each participant had his own vocal parts. However, in this composition, the group was almost not successful.
A year later, the guys met Judith Durham. Etol Guy invited her to the group and she took the place of the main vocalist of the group. It is this composition of the group that is considered stellar. The group enjoyed international popularity.
1964 was a successful year for the group. It was then that the first trip to London took place. Here the guys were invited to perform in the popular TV show "Sunday Evening". After performing several songs, the group became widely known in the UK. Here the team was offered to sign a contract with a major recording company Grade Agency.
In the same year, Tom Springfield, whose band Springfields had recently broken up, met The Seekers and offered to collaborate as a songwriter and producer (Springfield had more experience than the budding band, so they began to collaborate).
Worthy competition for legendary bands
The next year was one of the most difficult for all the musicians of that time. This year, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were popular on the international music scene. These two bands became strong competitors of The Seekers, they also set the taste of the growing audience. The music market began to change precisely in 1965, adjusting to the style of the two largest bands of their time.
This was the reason for the decline in the career of many singers and artists of those years. However, The Seekers did not stop there and decided to fight for the popularity of European and American listeners. Together with the songs of Tom Springfield, the band took a leading position in the British and American charts. The group also collaborated with other authors at the same time. So, the song Someday One Day, written by Paul Simon, became a hit.
Two hits at once (I'll Never Find Another You and The CarnivalIs Over) in 1965 took a leading position in the UK Top 30. Many critics and modern observers claimed that The Seekers gained no less popularity than its main competitors, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
Then came the composition I Am Australian, which featured Russell Hitchcock and Mandaviu Yunupingu. The song became popular outside the continent, and many even called it the unofficial anthem of Australia.
Breakup of The Seekers
Until 1967, the group's career began to develop, regular concerts and large-scale tours took place. The group released new singles and records. In 1967, the song Georgy Girl, written by Springfield, was released. The composition also became an international hit, hit the rotation of the leading charts around the world. However, the song is also notorious for being the band's last real hit.
Over the next two years, the band recorded less material but continued to play shows. The Seekers officially announced their breakup in 1969. Then the vocalist Durham began to pursue a solo career and achieved some success in this. Keith Podger had the idea for a band called the New Seekers. However, she was never successful.
Another attempt…
The final point was set in 1975. Then the original first line-up (4 male vocalists) of the group reunited to create another album. However, the team realized that without a female vocalist, his style and signature style would become unrecognizable. Instead of Durham, they took Louise Wisseling, a young Dutch singer.
Many predicted this release a complete "failure", but the old "fans" of the band liked the release. This album did not enjoy worldwide popularity. But the single The Sparrow Song hit the charts in Australia. The group again managed to loudly declare itself - this time only on the territory of their native continent.
This was not the last return of the team. The reunification took place almost 20 years later - in 1994 the band played a series of concerts. This time in the original line-up with Judith Durham. In 1997, a collection of all the best compositions of the band was released.
