The Seekers open up about fame, fortune and fallout | Australian Story
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- Опубліковано 7 кві 2019
- 1960s Australian "super group", The Seekers, come together to share their personal photo albums and reminisce on their unprecedented success. Australian Story chats with Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley, Athol Guy and Judith Durham, as the band takes us through their career highlights in their first ever comprehensive documentary.
Read more here: www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-0...
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I flew from Canada to see the Seekers in Belfast in 2014. It was a dream fulfilled! They had captured my early years in their songs as a young boy. Judith has such a wonderful moving voice and the harmonies. It was incredible! My brother who came with me to the concert came outside the venue and I looked over tears running down his face. I didn't know he really liked the Seekers. I thought he was just being nice coming along. A truly wonderful lady and group!
My wife and I were at the same concert at the Waterfront .....it was a great experience!!...no Gimmicks...just pure Talent!!...Judith undoubtedly had a great talent but "the boys" harmonies/musicianship just totally enhanced that "Seekers" sound.We were in Australia the previous year visiting family and really enjoyed our time there and were disappointed when we heard the Concert was cancelled.....but thankfully got to enjoy "the Seekers magic"!! RIP Judith!!
I only discovered you all a month or so ago on you tube. Although I had not heard George girl for 50 years I recognized the voices and began to do research. I am now 76 and I love your music. I have researched you and love you all. 50 years, wow! Your are each a treasure. I have been telling my friends in the US about you and sending them you tube of your songs. I am sorry I am late to the party but I will be a fan now forever. You are each quality people. Thank you!!!
My name actually carries a meaning of "it's never too late." Words to live by. Being late to the party isn't an issue. The great thing is you're at the party !
There will never be another Seekers. Thank you so much for this. Brought tears to my eyes.
-Do you want to barrow my hanky . Never mind,I need the hanky for me own self.
I saw them in 2014 in Nottingham UK on their farewell tour, I was up in the gallery and they were on the stage below, about 100 yards away. Judith is quite petite and demure but my God, when she began to sing, she was incredible and unmistakably the one and only Judith Durham, this sweet little old lady full of smiles and appreciating the applause of the audience. I filmed a clip on my phone.
Love the Seekers 40 years ago. Our family favorite group with their evergreen "I Never Find Another You".
Judith, despite the years, your voice is as golden and magical as it was before. Thank you for the music you've gifted it to us.
I was not quite a teenager when they hit in the U.S. I was with a couple of cousins at their house the first time I heard Another You on a 45 record player. I think it was the first time I truly listened to and picked up on the magic of the human voice in what my ears registered as perfect harmony...driven by the voice of an angel. It struck me to the core of my being. Like millions of other boys in the world I fell in love with that voice, and the girl who it belonged to.
I am 60 now. I remember that exact moment as if it were yesterday. It is nice to see that 4 people who gave us so much joy are happy with themselves and still very very good friends after all the years have passed.
Those of us who have shared the earth during the time of The Seekers are blessed.
There are two types of Arch Stantons, those that come by the door, and those that come by the window.
I remember the first time I saw the Seekers on British TV. I was 7 years old and I've loved them ever since! Saw them live twice in 2014 when they did their UK Farewell Tour and they were amazing. Can't wait to see the DVD.
@@philipmacdonald7939h
Þ@@philipmacdonald7939
Hey guys are @@philipmacdonald7939
You will be remembered . You will be treasured. Thank you for the memories.
Thank you ABC News (Australia) !! Thank you Seekers and the people of Australia. This is one group of people who brought wonderful and lasting music to the world. The demands on entertainers such as they were would require such integrity and love and yet they gave it their all. I am blessed to have known them through their songs of the heart. May they all celebrate peace, joy and good health in their remaining time with us in their own way.
Fantastic group! Wonderful people! Brought so much joy into my life as a teenager in the late 60s. Flew from Canada to Belfast to see them a few years ago. Absolutely wonderful! Thanks for the wonderful entertainment!
Thank you ABC for bring ing us this great Australian Story. The Seekers very individual sound and music have been an important part of my life and indeed most Aussies of my generation. I believe the pain of that breakup was acutely echoed in our hearts too and of course the joy in the reunions as well. To the Seekers as individuals I would like to express a heartfelt Thank You all for all you give us.
So many memories go with those songs. There'll never be another them!
Bravo and thanks so much for all that the fantastic four have given us over the years. Truly memorable. I am lost for words. God Bless you all Keith, Athol, Bruce and Judith. Happy Easter.
For me, the 60's were never about listening to the Beatles, it was all about the Seekers. The connection to their audience was unique and incredible. With all the change and turmoil of that era there was a constant, the music of the Seekers. There was no other agenda other than a good song performed beautifully in an unassuming manner. When the group split up it was like losing family, the world seemed less safe and not quite the same. They came back, but at the time, it proved the point that you never really miss something until it's gone. In retrospect, it was great that the Seekers ended in the 1960s when they did, because they needed to be valued and missed, rather than fading out. Without the break up while at the top of their fame, there wouldn't have been such a triumphant return. I listen to the Seekers almost every day, their music is a gift to all of us.
My gosh the joy they were, are to me......what music.....my eyes are streaming........
Me too :-)
Their music will never be forgotten - we all have our own special memories of when it touched our lives in some way.
I bought the "I'll Never find Another You" single with my first pay-packet and as a teenager. I was in love with Judith. Such a beautiful lady, such a wonderful voice. Nothing has changed. I have asked for "The Carnival is Over" to be played at my funeral. I can never get enough of them. It really was a pity that they broke up.
I just went to another window and watched the "The Carnival is Over". I'm glad I did, I never heard of it.. What a song!
The Seekers - You are remembered and you are treasured. ❤
RIP Judith 🙏🌻
Great music-great people-sheer class! Not available today period!
I'm Dutch but The Seekers are Brilliant I love them and I hope Judith Durham and the guys have a long live, God Bless Australian, friendly regards from Amsterdam The Netherlands Esther ❤💕🎶🎤🎻🐞🐞🌹🌹.
Love The Seekers. Been a fan since the 60's. Everything a group should be. Fantastic musicians. Judith's amazing vocals and the guy's harmonies. Thank you so much for all the great music over the years.
Thankyou Australian Story for that bit of insight into a very large part of my childhood years. Judith was always one of my favourite female voices to listen to while growing up, and she was always such a cutie. And along with the boys, during the period, were undoubtedly the most quintessential Australian sound ever heard coming out of the 'wireless'. Reminiscent splendour!
What a sound they had. And Judith's voice the best voice in the world for six decades.
Instablaster
I loved their songs from the first time I heard them. A rare phenomenon!
I was six when I was given some of their records in 1970 - I loved them then and I still listen and love them now!
I am so enjoying this compilation of Seeker “bests of the bests”. Some of their songs were almost prophetic ...’I Know I’ll never Find Another You’. And here it is 2019 and the Seekers are still loved.
The voices worked very well together and that 12 string guitar just put them over the top sound wise. It was perfection!
The Seekers’ and their music have such magic that I’m not 66 when I watch or hear their music.
I’m 16 again.
I'm not Australian but I loved The Seekers.
Very well done. Superb ending to this documentary. It's always been my belief that if The Seekers had gone on into the 70's, their music would have been influenced negatively by the demands of the record companies. The heart and soul of their music might have been compromised by the industry.
Mark Welch I think you nailed it. It's of course only speculation, but look what happened as a result. There was such a pent up desire among their fans for them to get back together that when they finally did. 25 years later, they were more successful, thru even today, than when they were originally together.
If only they could have performed live here in the USA as they were contracted to do elsewhere... Well that's another speculation!
Their music has always been awesome but these days the positive force of their music helps lift me from recurring bouts of depression & gives me a quiet joy. So I listen to them even more now.
Hello how're you doing hope you're safe due to the covid 19 pandemic?
That was just fantastic and I am sure we will always remember them as an awesome group that brought joy and peace to all of us from the 60's era
That's the first time I've ever seen that footage. I can say that,for me anyway, Keith's wish that the Seekers' music be remembered for bringing joy will be granted eternally. Their's is the music to which I turn most frequently when in need of cheering up. It's as fresh and dynamic as the first time I heard it. Thank you all for joy. 💖💖💖💖
Musical group breakups happen quite often and ranging from seemingly benign little things up to shockingly wrong assumptions that are aired publicly. I did get the impression that Judith felt the boys and her were having growing disagreements, and she never knew the hurt they experienced when she, the vocal star, wanted to go solo. But the boys were reluctant to confront her about it for nearly 25 years. Forgiveness is a virtue. From the USA, I loved them in the 60s, and again when they regrouped and toured. They were always better together than apart! What a treasure not just to Australia, but to the whole music world! I have watched numerous YT videos of their songs, and media stories about them and of course The Breakup. But they really were and are better sounding, more popular and happier together than they ever were going solo! Amazing to see that 200,000 people flocked to that new outdoor theater to see in person The Seekers! The 60s, 70s and even 80s had some great musicians, but today 99% of modern music is crap, all glitz, no substance, by people who become millionaires and don't deserve any of it. I for one, sure hope that The Seekers music will live on forever. Pretty cool that they outsold the Beetles and Rolling Stones! Love it!
-You are so right.Today's (so called)music is for the birds.They dress the froggie singer up in a glitter suit and a super loud band(to drown out his voice)and call that a band.A real disgrace to all good singers.
The Seekers should never die: theirs is the greatest music ever done!
Because of the INTERNET, the past remains with us. Thank you, Athol, Judith, Keith, and Bruce for the unsullied joy and optimism that you have brought us ... and that you will bring to new generations! God bless you all!
I've always loved their music, because together with the Beatles and others, in the later 60's, they formed my taste in music!
I never even knew their names, just loved their music to bits!
This "clip" however, brought tears to my eyes, on several occasions.....
Slightly older than I am, I only want to wish them the best going forward and thank them for many beautiful memories, their music has, for me!!
Loved this documentary. My 6-year older brother had a folk group in high school in 1970 and they sang hits from The Seekers and The Mamas and the Papas. I was only 12 years old at the time, but I remember The Seekers' lyrics perfectly. Continents away, here in Canada, The Seekers moved young people then and now. Thank you!
what a band and judith voice is incredible!
Judith always had such a beautiful clear voice. It was a shame the group split up as quickly as it did but they left us with wonderful memories.
Of course, Judith had a right to have a real life apart from traveling around with three blokes. She is STILL such a delight to hear!
I am so glad I lived through a time with such greats like this, thanks guys.
What a grand quartet - and what great memories they conjure.They were superb in the 60s and 70s, but in their mature years they have no peers that can warm the heart so much. Much loved, much admired, much treasured and much missed.
Absolutely stunning. I was moved to tears. Love to Australia and to these superb four!! Greetings from Uruguay in South America.
Nicole
Wow! That just brought my childhood rushing back, my mum & dad, my brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles. Very emotional.
What a wonderful group of musicians.
After watching many videos about the seekers I think this one is very useful for the fans to understand the break up of the group. From the way she conduced her personal life and career after 1968 Judith Durham indeed demonstrates she was not that interested in becoming a stage star or millionaire. She loved singing, wanted to go on in her profession but she wanted also to find love and lead her own life, which was impossible giving 100 concerts per year and travelling with three men all the time. And so she quit. At the same time the video displays the admirably gentle character of Bruce Woodley. They are indeed four very special human beings, whose work displayed online brings happiness even to many people who never knew about them until the advent of youtube. As a fan I would like to ask them the additional question about why Tom Springfield stopped composing by the same time they broke up. Thank you for posting.
By 1967 and the album "Seen In Green" the group were writing the majority of their new songs. According to Judith's book they felt, and also Springfield felt that they were moving in different directions. However, the song "On the Other Side" was his last song on Seen in Green and its one of my favorites.
@@jeffschroeder357 thank you for replying. Wikipedia has a very brief note about Springfield. It is rather puzzling that he apparently completely lost interest on songwriting at that time, in spite of all his success. I wonder what he did for a living afterwards.
Osvaldo Schilling In answer to your question Tom Springfield continued to be a very successful music producer in the USA and beyond for many decades. Correct me if I am wrong he even picked up and distributed the album for another Australian singer Tina Arena resulting in her song Chains becoming a world wide hit
@@grazial8369 Thank you for replying. Springfield might perhaps be considered the fifth Seeker... I may be wrong but there are no "recent" recordings of his beautiful song "The Olive Tree", written for Judith, which is a shame.
Judith the lady with the amazing voice what a singer 🎤
My love knows no bound for these people............thank you my loves :-)
Judith’s voice was so clear & perfect.
Great documentary. It seems to me that is was her band mates and well chosen harmonies that allowed Judith's voice to soar to it's full potential.
I love all 4 of you. Your sound makes my heart sing.
She never loss her voice , great memories .
So interesting to watch and listen to these recordings, and remembering I had been to several NME concerts at Wembley. Yet I had hardly any idea what had happened in those 25 years apart. Seekers music was always in my head. The 'New Seekers' always took my mind back to the 'Seekers'. God bless Judith. R.I.P.
That was fantastic it brought back so many memories not just of the Seekers but of the lifestyle of Australia in the 60s.
Absolutely. I feel very nostalgic for the 60's, mainly because it was the time I left school and started "real" life in what was the perfect country to grow up in. Many of the Seekers songs are genuine classics and I'm sure will outlive the total banality which is unfortunately much of today's music.
They will never be forgotten, especially Judith's voice. A big part of Australian culture that unfortunately is disappearing reapidly
They had a very wholesome image at a time when everyone were becoming hippies and taking drugs.Their music was aimed at all ages and could be enjoyed by all generations.I do believe that if they carried on for a few more years they would have possibly found themselves to be out of touch with popular music and maybe no longer scoring hits but even though their glory days were rather brief the music and the songs and their voices and harmonies struck a chord in people's hearts and minds.They are still loved and admired over 50 years after they first broke up.This is a testament to their great talent and to their body of work.People listen to their music and think of a time and place where life was maybe simpler.The Seekers' music remind them of their youth and bring back mostly happy memories.The Seekers' songs have such an uplifting vibe.Both the music,the lyrics and the voices seem to really revitalize one's spirit.
idan willenchik well said. At least their music can, and will, be enjoyed by future generations.
The real question now is, will we ever see such a group such as this in the future? The Seekers are a hard act to follow.
Idan Willenchik: Perfectly stated! one of the more enlightened comments on this post.
@@abberationify Thank you! :)
I couldn't put it better myself, very insightful.
Fabulous.... music, people and times. Thank you!
Wow! what a great story!! Took me back to the 60s in Australia reminiscing... I used to dance to the seekers music in grade 5 and six in recess times!!!! Love Love Love!!!!
I am South African and was only born in the 1960s, but I loved their music even as a kid... still do
Same here. My parents were Nigerians studying in England in the 50s and they got married and had kids. In the 60s quite a few households had eclectic tastes and my Mum liked the Seekers. By a process of osmosis, I soaked them up and by the time I was 15, I liked them sufficiently to be taping my Mum's songs of theirs. And though I grew to love jazz, fusion, avant garde, heavy rock, progressive rock, psychedelia, Indian music, folk/rock, reggae, soul, funk, and loads of other styles and genres, I never lost my love of the Seeker's music. I still listen to them now, alongside all my weird stuff. I couldn't even tell you when I came to like them. My Mum played their stuff maybe once a week, but over a 15 year period, it becomes like speech to a toddler. One day, you just do ! Osmosis !!
Some groups just had their own specific sound. Trying to work out what makes the overall sound is fun; for me there are 4 clear elements when it comes to the Seekers: i Judith's bell clear voice, ii Keith's 12 string guitar {he was one of the first people to really utilize it in a dominant way, kind of acoustically what Jim McGuinn was electrically and long before David Bowie}, iii Athol's understated and unspectacular but oh so foundational double bass and iv the vocal harmony of the group. All these blended to make one distinct sound that was so sweet yet edgy, that sometimes, you'd just want to cry. Some groups just have that blend of voices. It's not thought out beforehand, but it just fits.
It's as easy to forget them as a 60s band as it is the Pretty Things but they were actually one of the defining groups of that '65~'68 period when popular music went through the stratosphere of invention and creativity from which it never really recovered. I'm glad to say.
@@grimtraveller7923 What an awesome story. I love most of the music you do. 😊 Music feed the soul, and the best diet is a varied diet.
You will always be remembered. Thank you for sharing your beautiful gifts❤️❤️❤️❤️
I remember when they broke up.Things were moving very fast back then with the war in Vietnam and many other protests and movements for civil rights. I didn't appreciate the Seekers until much later in my life when they came together for their anniversary tour in the 90's. I fell in love all over again with the music and the realization of how much I needed Judy/Judith and her voice, personality and heart in my mature life. I began to delve into the Seekers other songs and their lives. The individual members with their ongoing careers. Judith and her husband Ron were very interesting and the jazz years were fun. Judith/Judy and the Seekers are a national treasure in Australia and a world wide tesoro to be shared everywhere! I will always remember Judith And her dress making. Her humbleness of heart and the vulnerability that so disarmed me even now at 72. God bless her and the boys in their lives now til we all meet again on that shore..........
A unique group with a unique female singer.
I am 40 and remember as a very young child my father occassionally humming the tune of The Carnival is Over whether to some odd tasks around the house , driving , etc . . . As I grew up I learnt it was sung by this band called The Seekers. Today whenever I hear The Carnival is Over memories of my late father come to me & all I can do is smile quietly in my heart.
RIP Judith
Lovely woman with a beautiful voice
grew up listening to these guys , it was beautiful music , saw them numerous times around the world , this was awesome to know a little bit more about their story . thank you for sharing .
Fair play to ever uploaded this, proper good, honest, clean from the heart stuff!!!
i have got to stop peeling onions when watching things like this
They had a unique sound. RIP Judith Durham
Thank you for sharing this group with the world.
ill Hensel
Have been watching and listening to 'The Seekers' for a couple of months now....... OMG, where have I been? I'm 75 y.o. and feel so 'short changed' by not listening to them much sooner in my life. Guess I've been so lucky to have discovered them on UA-cam....... will keep on listening for many more years to come. Judith...... your voice will be in my memory 'song box' forever......
R.I.P. Judith Durham, a truly magnificent performer.
Judith was one of my first crushes! Still singalong to their tunes when they come on the radio.
A youtube comment on the Seekers a few years back sticks in my mind: "You don't really believe these 4 people came together by coincidence... ".
And there was a fifth person, Tom Springfield, whose foremost compositions he wrote FOR the Seekers and then he retired. If one believes in destiny...
@@osvaldoschilling9129 If only Dusty had had such a happy ending...
No, it couldn't be a coincidence - just a well orchestrated miracle.
Thank you to the Seekers for the years of wonderful songs and memories. May you each find what ever it is your heart is seeking!
Absolutely Awesome
I remember it all I fell in love with their music at the very beginning.....I will forever love that music. :-)
The seekers were the best group of all time by far. Will never be equaled
Even as a young child, l was so impressed by the spiritually uplifting music and songs. Never can be replaced. Timeless pieces.
Judith was a crush of mine. She was so cute and at 75, still a grand lady.
Rocky Mullins Judith and Yvonne Goolagong, John Newcombe and Richie Benaud WERE Australia to me, way back when.
@@cotswoldcuckoo775 It's funny, even though Evonne Goolagong was a huge part of my childhood, it was the name and her hitting a tennis ball. I never actually really looked at her. I remember the curly hair, but that's about it. I remember being kind of confused when they started calling her Mrs Cawley. But I just loved the name Goolagong. I had an affinity with "strange" names as mine was considered pretty "out there" in England in the late 60s and early 70s.
Sorry Beatles and Rolling Stones. The Seekers will always be my favorite group of all time, as no one can match the joy their songs bring to us all!
Georgie Girl was one of my music exams. Always and ever The Seekers are a apart of my musical appreciation of the next after theirs. With heart from gen x.
Kelda Kellie glad you enjoy their music. It goes to show that great music will appeal across multiple generations who will continue to treasure it.
Wonderful program. The Seekers were one of the best groups ever. I know the boys were sad to have Judith leave when she did, but life is full of hurdles to overcome. It was such a gift to us all when they got back together for their reunion tour. Honestly, I was never a big fan of the Beatles. I like some of their songs but I felt The Seekers were a far better group with better harmonies.
You can't compare Beatles with Seekers.
The Beatles wrote their own songs.
The Seekers did covers.
I love them both.
@@markrymanowski719 Same here. That said, the Seekers were a harmony group. It was intrinsic to their sound. It wasn't always to the Beatles. Can you imagine harmonies on "Tomorrow never knows" or "Love you to" ?
That said, there were some great harmonies and backing vocals on some of their belting rockers too.
@@grimtraveller7923
I read that the Beatles covered the song
To know him is to love him. Teddy bears.
John Lennon rated it as a top song.
They were inspired to learn to harmonize on that one song.
Their song Because has been covered
by many. No one has yet to emulate
the studio recording.
They didn't do it live. Studio tricks?.
This mix up between originators and coverists persists with Classical Piano.
People are calling pianists genius.
The composer was the genius.
And he wrote every note down.
Franz Liszt's Sonata in b minor comes to mind. So many notes. I left a comment
suggesting one week to write it all out.
Maybe someone will educate me on that.
The Seekers did great covers.
Jimi Hendrix. All along the watchtower.
Juicy Lucy. Who do you love.
Cream. Crossroads.
Bob Hatfield. Unchained Melody.
Jo Stafford. No other Love.
The list goes on.
I guess love is blind.
Many songwriters forgotten.
Great performers remembered.
Looking back at the sixties, the Beatles were the closest thing to musical visionaries in that time. They brought rock out of the fifties and moved it into something very different. But their greatest contributions came in the studio. They were given a tremendous budget and a free reign to experiment, due to their early financial success. The Seekers, by contrast, were excellent performers (though not rock and rollers). Listen to any live recording of the Beatles (like many groups) and they cannot reproduce the same sound they had in the studio. The Seekers could, because their studio sound was honest and Judith had such great pitch. The 1966 London Palladium videos are exhibit A for that.
@@jeffschroeder357 👍🏼 yep, succinctly well said!👌🏼🙂
My favorite group... This was a great look back into the past as well as the present...
They are a massive part of Australia. You know your Australian when you listen to the fabric of their wonderful songs.
Recall Georgy Girl playing on the AM in my cousins car before he was shipped off to Vietnam. He left me a 45 of the song. Memories.
They were a great vocal band with unique songwriting. I'm not sure who wrote the songs but they were catchy and simple with a good sound. the three main ingredients of a hit song.
Great group!Obviously they liked each other as friends which I'm sure helped them stay together for so long!
And I still pick up their vinyl in second hand shops! Too classic to go past. Thank you for your music The Seekers!!!!
Love Judith's hair on the orange dress. Classical.
Her voice uplifts.
Great backstory.
Can't believe The UK had no commercial radio in those days.
But let's be honest Judith caused the breakup.
And the heartbreak.
I think Judith made a big mistake when she left the group; she never found the fame she had as a Seeker and the guys only had mediocre success. Had the Seekers stayed together I think they would have been one of the greatest groups of all time. Judith didn't really need to leave the group to go solo, she was already considered the voice and the heart of the Seekers; in reality any one of the guys could have left the group and it would have still carried on successfully but without Judith the Seekers didn't exist. I think she now realises the impact she had on the guys by leaving them and I can understand the guys being hurt by her leaving them when she did. It was good to see them back together after so long but it should have happened a lot sooner.
I agree...it's like you're on a football team and just as you're about to score the winning touchdown you pick up your ball and go home. I didn't know they split up. I just thought they were just another English band that slowly sunk into oblivion. I rediscovered them here on UA-cam a few weeks ago and fell in love all over again.
I disagree. We measure success of a person's life and career by somewhat superficial things like hits, sales and size of gigs and audiences. A read of her biography brings across very convincingly that Judith was not particularly happy in the Seekers during the 60s. It's a bit like going to university, getting your degree, spending a summer as a summer camp counselor and having a ball so as a result, you fall into teaching, even though it's not what you really wanted to do. But you happen to be good at it and kids like you. But deep down after a while, you get itchy feet because it has dawned on you in a big way that you wanted something else to start with but through circumstances, you kind of got sidetracked.
That's Judith in a nutshell in the late 60s.
She stated that she never formally joined the band; she just used to sit in with them and if she'd been asked to audition, she wouldn't have gone. She thought they were a bit of a commercial sell out and felt that they didn't really need a female singer initially. She was even embarrassed to sing with them because she felt she was a hip jazzer and they were the antithesis of that.
She actually envisaged being away from Oz for 10 weeks when they went to England and she intended to pick up her career when she got back. The fact that she only took summer clothes is symbolic.......
So I think her leaving the band should be looked at a different way. Rather than see it as a mistake, we should be happy that she was adaptable enough in her own life direction to take 4 years out of it and contribute to such wonderful memories we have of their music. We enjoy it far more than she did !
Did anyone notice that she made sure she stated in the video that she didn't think they'd ever play again ? None of the guys said such a thing !
@@grimtraveller7923; I think Judith was very young and naive at the time and couldn't handle the pressure and I truly believe she left the group to further her own career and maybe she is happy with her achievements as an entertainer but my point is she would have achieved much more had she kept with the group. I don't really subscribe to your theory that the things you mention in life are superficial as along with hit records and large audiences etc do show how successful you are as an entertainer which also brings a great satisfaction to any successful entity along with happiness and well-being and wealth. I think in reality as she has matured she does in fact feel somewhat remorseful at breaking up the group and the outcome her action had on her co-workers and of course one has to live with ones decisions one has made in their life and try and justify it as being the right decision. I wonder if she could relive her life as the Seekers knowing what she knows now, if she would do the same thing again. We will never know; The one good thing that came out of their short career as the Seekers is the fact that their music will survive for many many years to come but unfortunately as a solo artist; Judith Durham's music will not.
@@johnrobinson1020 Well, I certainly agree with your last point; I wouldn't at all be surprised if most of the commenters here aren't in the slightest bit interested in her solo work. I'm certainly not, because it's the music of the Seekers that I like. Extremely rarely have I gotten into the music of someone that split from a group I liked. Off the top of my head, I can only think of Kerry Livgren and Sting. The jazz world doesn't really count because there was so much of so many people playing with so many other people then striking out on their own then going back to playing with others then striking out on their own etc.
On a related note, there aren't many groups that finish while they're still in their prime or on fire. In a sense, the Seekers splitting when it did kind of guaranteed lasting love; far more than, say, the Rolling Stones, who have just gone on endlessly until their relevance has died, even though people will still shell out a pretty penny to see them.
In a way, your first paragraph is the most significant ¬> she was young and naive and part of the process of maturing was learning how to take control of her own life. And she could only do that by following her heart. I do think that we, the public have a sense of entitlement sometimes, with entertainers we like, almost to the exclusion of any consideration for the mental and physical well being of the said entertainer.
I think Judith did the right thing, even if her career didn't make the kind of splash it made with the Seekers. And let's face it, Bruce, Athol and Keith weren't immature teenagers. Naturally, anyone would be gutted to lose the voice that everyone says makes your band. But every group is a risky proposition. Some survive, some don't. If the group doesn't, that shouldn't rule out some kind of life for the others.
I think it all worked out pretty well in the long run. Definitely an Australian icon these 4 ☺
I have known their music well my whole life. I saw them in concert around six years ago, and they sounded as good as ever. Hard to believe, but true. Judith's voice had not changed, not a
harsh note to be heard and her required range is still there. I have a good ear so its true what I am saying.
It meant so much for me to see/hear them once in my lifetime.
A fantastic story of the Seekers
My future husband and I used to frequent the Jazz Clubs in Melbourne in 1964. I loved Judy Jacques, but Teddy said Judith Durham was a better singer :)
So sad Judith could think she's anything but beautiful. But I wish she had stayed with the group.
Oh contraire all my friends and I thought she was wonderful. And of course she sang like an angel, a very beautiful angel.
liberty Ann
Have to agree.
But she did look very different during her jazz period.
Well at least they went out on a high. The stones are still going but they are a sad joke now. The Beatles last tour in 66 was unremarkable at the time. Plenty of bands go on too long. Judith might have timed it just right. Maybe they had done all they could do. I remember poor Louisa Wisseling who was chosen to replace Judith in the new incarnation and that sad song Fly little sparrow. She had an impossible task to take the band somewhere new. Alas it was not to be. They did not even mention her name in this special. It's as if she never existed.
I found her exceptionally beautiful.
@@peterpiper831 yes I didn't care for the short haircut
I think Mr Springfield deserved a lot of credit for their success.
Absolutely. He wrote all their hits - but seems to have been a recluse.
But keep in mind he wrote the melody and the chords for songs like INFAY and World of our Own. But it was Keith and Judith, in particular, who transformed them with their harmonies and musicality. According to Graham Simpson's book on the Seekers' songs, WOOO was original a slow bluesy song when Springfield wrote it. Judith didn't like it and suggested that he speed it up and change the words. She gets no credit, but she probably deserved at least a partial credit for that one.
He wrote their four biggest hits to be sure, but not Morningtown Ride (which was a number one hit in the UK), Some Day One Day, Red Rubber Ball, Colours of My Life, Love is Kind, Days of our Lives, etc. He gave them a huge shot in the arm, but it was their singing ability that was special.
Don't know if those songs would have been as big if they had been recorded by anyone other than The Seekers. So the success of the songs could be credited to Judith Durham and The Seekers.
Texaschainsaw, so true and he wrote with their voices in mind. Georgy Girl was recorded by many other artists but only Judith could give it that special charm with the way she sang "a little bit".
My first memory of The Seekers was Georgy Girl. (RIP Lynn Redgrave.)
Judith and the Seekers brought so much happiness to my life ....Thank you.!!!!!!
I guess I was about 5 when Georgy Girl came out and I don't need to tell you how HUGE that song was. It played non-stop (well...A LOT) on KOTN in Pine Bluff,Ark.
We're most cruel and hard on ourselves. Of COURSE Judith was beautiful -- so cute and attractive and beautiful inside and out. But self-image is a sticky wicket. OTOH Judith was under a lot of pressure and stress and unwanted attention at such a young age, one can only imagine the strain it put on Judith's self image. I know I don't have to tell her now how beautiful she was, because she's still gorgeous; the same cute girl I swooned over in the 60s. And it's readily apparent she's long since become comfortable in her own skin.
Love the Seekers and Judith, you are beautiful!
I heard for the first time how the guys were so resentful when Judith decided to pack it up because they were just on the cusp of making serious money. It's wonderful they managed to patch things up. Hardly any businesses would last this long let alone partnerships. This was the best special I ever saw on the group. It's difficult to imagine how big they were at the time. I was only a young boy but I still remember the songs on the wireless.