Culture

Finding the Seekers

The ’60s pop group and its front woman Judith Durham, who died last week, were countercultural in the best way.

(GAB Archive/Redferns via Getty Images

A few weeks ago, a YouTube video of a 1967 performance of the catchy tune “Georgy Girl” popped up on my computer screen. I clicked on the YouTube video and immediately fell in love with Judith Durham’s “boys”

They were The Seekers, a pop group unlike any other in the 1960s. First, they hailed from Australia, not the United States or Britain. They were different from the rest. Judith, a charmingly petite woman, sewed modest stage frocks herself, while Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley resembled more bank tellers than rock ‘n rollers, according to one observer. Athol’s was in Clark Kent glasses, while Athol was in dark suit. They sang and strummed. They were formal and well-dressed, but they always had the best time.

They came together organically, not through targeted recruitment for particular sounds or characters. Both men were from the same Melbourne high schools, and Judith had met Athol while she was starting her new job as a secretary. Athol invited Judith to his gig at the local coffee shop that night, where it became clear that they had natural chemistry. They shot together comet-like for six years. Their hits included “I’ll Never Find Another You,” “A World of Our Own,” as well as “The Carnival is Over.” These songs helped to displace the Rolling Stones, and other popular bands, on the charts. The buoyant “Georgy Girl,” composed for a British film with the same name, reached number two in the United States and earned an Oscar nomination as 1966’s Best Original Song (regrettably losing out to another film song, “Born Free”). Their success was based on a deep understanding of themselves and not following musical trends. They recorded the only songs they felt comfortable with, whether it was plaintive tunes or powerful spirituals.

See also  Two Alabama deputies are being held in suspicion of shooting a man

Judith died on August 5th at age 79, just as I was getting to know her. Her radiant voice was immediately evident. Elton John called her voice one of his purest (the other was Karen Carpenter). It wasn’t only beautiful, but it was also powerful. In one barn-burning rendition of “You Can Tell the World” from 1965 (available on YouTube), Judith begins as just one voice among four, but takes command after the opening chorus with palpable conviction.

Subscribe Today

Get weekly emails in your inbox

Judith wasn’t a prima donna. Although she had that great soprano voice, the other boys, as she affectionately called them, contributed essential but less important ways. Athol was almost as tall as his double bass, which he played with joy with. Keith was Keith’s marquee guitarist, with his cheerful mien, and Bruce the multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. They had put in place some basic rules (all had to agree on which songs to record, for example), but it was their unwritten code of conduct–besides their looks and oeuvre–that made them so counter-cultural. They were self-effacing and unfailingly positive, supporting each other always in public. Judith said they were just normal people with similar work ethic. The shared values they had were healthy respects for discretion. One interviewer attempted to wrangle out drama by asking about intercine romance. Judith politely said, “I had a crush upon each of them at different stages.” She smiled sweetly.

It seems that the closest they came to real drama was when Judith announced in February of 1968 that she was leaving to pursue a solo career. Later, when she reflected on the decision, she shared her anxiety about her weight and her desire for marriage. (She wed musical director Ron Edgeworth in 1969.) Her exit wouldn’t have been a surprise to her friends or her fellow Seekers. They all left their respective paths. Judith had a successful solo career. Athol moved to politics and business, where he was a member the centre-right Liberal Party. He served three terms as an MP in Victoria Legislative Assembly. One interviewer said that Athol also raised thoroughbreds and that his friends had stopped taking him along to races as he shouted so loud. Keith continued to be involved in music and formed The New Seekers, best known for the hit song “I’d like to Teach The World to Sing.” Bruce also produced television jingles. He continues to write songs for different performers. When the foursome finally reunited in 1993 for a tour, Judith apologized to her bandmates for the hurt she had caused twenty-five years earlier. Bruce gently patted her shoulder and said, “Everything was lost the moment that you said that.”

See also  WATCH: Rhonda Mary, Second Amendment Advocate discusses female gun ownership

That was always The Seekers’ path. Decency was a virtue for Judith, Athol and Keith. Even fame during the subversive 1960s hadn’t killed it. Judith was a brave girl-next door. Her boys defended her reputation and respected her enormous talent to the end. Athol spoke on behalf her three remaining cavaliers about her passing last week and said: “Our lives have been forever changed by the loss of our dear friend and shining star .”

Read More

Previous post False Friends of Digital Privacy
Next post Which Team Won the Taiwan War Games Competition?