She was quickly worked into the group as a sort of 'fifth Seeker.' Ray was gone in fairly short order, as Durham took his place as lead singer, and her membership in the Seekers got them a recording contract with W&G Records.įate played a hand in early 1964 when the group was offered a chance to perform on board a ship for a year's worth of international cruises. Durham already had records out, backed by Frank Traynor's Jazz Preachers on the W&G label, but was willing to try singing folk music on the nights she wasn't singing jazz. She'd been born with perfect pitch and had intended to sing opera until she was bitten by the jazz bug in the mid-'50s. July 3, 1943, Melbourne), who worked at the same advertising agency where Athol Guy had his day job. By 1963, the folk boom that had started sweeping America and England in 1959 had made its way to Australia, and the Escorts evolved into the Seekers.īy late that year, they'd met Judith Durham (b. The breakup of both groups got the two of them together with Woodley and a singer named Ken Ray, and they formed a doo wop outfit called the Escorts. Potger had led a band in the late '50s called the Trinamics, doing covers of Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, et al., while Guy had led a band called the Ramblers. July 25, 1942, Melbourne, Australia), who had all attended Melbourne Boys High School together.

March 2, 1941, Colombo, Sri Lanka), and Bruce Woodley (vocals, guitar b. January 5, 1940, Victoria, Australia), Keith Potger (vocals, 12-string guitar b. The Seekers were formed in Australia in 1963 by Athol Guy (vocals, bass b. They played acoustic instruments (even the upright bass), and they were closer in image and inspiration to the likes of the Rooftop Singers ('Walk Right In'), the New Christy Minstrels ('Green Green,' etc.), or Peter, Paul and Mary than to the Beatles or even the Searchers, yet they managed to hang onto young listeners, as well as older teenagers and their parents, with songs like 'I'll Never Find Another You,' 'A World of Our Own,' 'Come the Day,' and 'Georgy Girl.' that lasted into 1967, two years later than most of the rest of the British exports to America. The Seekers were at the head of the British Invasion's acoustic folk-rock division, right there with Peter & Gordon and Chad & Jeremy but without the personal Beatles connection of the former, and more successful than either - they scored a string of number one hits in England and Top Ten successes in the U.S.

Biography Although it's difficult for those who weren't there to believe, for a short time during late 1965 and early 1966 the popularity of this singing quartet from Australia was sufficient to rival the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

The seeker the who chords