Return to Rock-and-Roll Page.The Seekers were a popular pop-folk group from Australia who achieved success not only there but also on the American and British charts in the 60's.
The group was formed in the early 60's in Australia and consisted of bassist Athol Guy (born in 1940 in Melbourne) and guitarists Bruce Woodley (born in 1942 in Melbourne) and Keith Potger (born in 1941 in Ceylon), all of whom had attended Melbourne High School; they developed their act performing at coffee shops in Melbourne. They added Judith Durham (born in 1943 in Melbourne) as lead singer, who was a co-worker of Guy's at an Australian advertising agency. The three men were excellent musicians and combined with the outstanding vocals supplied by Durham, they produced a pleasing sound that was embraced first by the people of Australia, then elsewhere.
The Seekers recorded their first album in 1963, titled Introducing the Seekers. In early 1964 they were hired to perform on a cruise ship, the S.S. Fairsky, which was setting sail for England. They planned to remain in England for ten weeks, and in advance of the trip sent a copy of their album to a booking agency in England. Shortly after their arrival in the United Kingdom, they were booked for a show at the Palladium with well-known British singer Dusty Springfield. The Seekers began to draw notice. They became acquainted with Dusty's brother, Tom Springfield, who was an established songwriter. He wrote a song for the group titled I'll Never Find Another You.
The song became enormously popular in England, rising to number one, and in the United States where it went to number four in the spring of 1965. They stayed in England for quite some time to advance their career, recording such hits on the EMI label (Capitol in the United States) as A World Of Our Own and the one that proved to be their biggest, Georgy Girl, from the film of the same title. The group presented a wholesome image which gave it a broad appeal, and often recorded at the Abbey Road Studios made famous in the 60's by the Beatles. While in England they met up with Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel, who collaborated with Bruce Woodley of the Seekers to write some songs. One of these compositions was turned into a huge hit by the American group the Cyrkle in 1966, titled Red Rubber Ball. The Seekers finally returned to Australia early in 1966. The group had other songs that were popular in England and Australia, but did not reach the top forty in the USA, such as The Carnival Is Over, Someday One Day, and Morningtown Ride. They toured their native country for the next two years and became a sensation there.
By 1968 Judith Durham had unexpectedly decided to leave the group to pursue a solo career, and the Seekers disbanded for a while. By this time their status as one of the best music groups to ever emerge from their native Australia was intact. Keith Potger returned to the United Kingdom, where he formed the New Seekers, an act that is sometimes confused with the Seekers but had no connection to it other than Potger having been involved with both. The New Seekers had hits in the early 70's with Delaney Bramlett's Never Ending Song Of Love, Melanie Safka's Look What They've Done To My Song Ma, I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony) and the Who's Pinball Wizard/See Me, Feel Me. The Seekers continued performing over the years, with a somewhat altered lineup and different lead singers, until 1992 when the four original members reunited. They toured Australia and the UK and recorded some new songs for more than a decade.
The Seekers are among the most beloved groups ever to come from their native Australia. They lit up the world of pop music on three continents in the 60's with their hits I'll Never Find Another You, A World Of Our Own, and Georgy Girl.
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Send email to the author, Tom Simon tsimon@tsimon.com.