and Music Series T racing the history of contemporary Australian music we find it is four young people from Melbourne who started the ball rolling internationally for all the other big name Australian artists ID: 621175
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Lives" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Lives
and
Music
SeriesSlide2
T
racing the history of contemporary Australian music, we find it is four young people from Melbourne who started the ball rolling internationally for all the other big name Australian artists.
Can you tell me who they might be?Slide3
The Seekers Slide4
They started out as a folk and gospel group. The group featured the golden voice of Judith Durham, Athol Guy, Keith
Potger and Bruce Woodley. Slide5
They set sail in 1964 for a working holiday, totally unaware of the global fame and fortune that lay ahead
They sang for their supper on a cruise liner, planning a 10 week turnaround based in the UK and sent their album and photographs ahead.
When they arrived in London, they had already been booked on national TV shows, variety theatre and clubs all over the UK. Slide6
Their agent teamed them with Tom Springfield (brother of Dusty Springfield), Tom wrote ‘
I’ll Never find another You” and they recorded it at the famous Abbey Road Studios, enhancing the boys acoustic instrumentation with percussion.Slide7
I’ll never Find Another YouSlide8Slide9
By February ‘65 the single was number 1 in Britain, Australia and all around the world.
The Seekers had created history as the first Australian group to crack the American charts and the UK music scene had been turned on it’s ear by these clean cut AussiesSlide10
They toured internationally with more chart topping hits over the next 3 yearsSlide11
Some of their hits were:
A World of Our Own
Someday One Day
Morningtown
Ride
Open up them Pearly Gates
The Carnival is Over
We Shall Not be MovedSlide12
A World of Our OwnSlide13Slide14
Someday One daySlide15Slide16
Morningtown RideSlide17Slide18
Open Up Them
Pearly GatesSlide19Slide20
We Shall Not be MovedSlide21Slide22
The Carnival is Over
“The Carnival is Over” knocked out The Rolling Stones from the number one spot on the charts by selling 90,000 copies a day!Slide23Slide24
The Seekers greatest hit “Georgy
Girl
”,
made them the first Australian group to reach number 1 in the USA
.
It was written for them for the black and white movie “
Georgy
Girl” starring Lyn RedgraveSlide25
Georgy GirlSlide26Slide27
The Seekers
Starred in several Australian spectaculars:The Seekers at Home & The Seekers Down Under(the highest rating music program in Australian TV history) and
The World of The Seekers
(for TV cinema release – all ratings triumphed
The Seekers hold the record for the biggest concert crowd in the Southern Hemisphere in March 1967. A concert at the Melbourne Music Bowl drew a record-shattering 200,000+ people, representing 10% of the population of the city at the time.Slide28
After much soul-searching, Judith Durham gave six months’ notice to the other three group members and their manager, and The Seekers’ final London shows in 1968 resulted in an emotional BBC TV spectacular ‘Farewell The Seekers’ watched by a tearful audience of more than 10 million people.Slide29
The Seekers had gone, but the inevitable “best of" album charted for a staggering 125 weeks. Bill Wyman wrote that for the first time ever, The Rolling Stones could not debut at No.1 with their new album, because The Seekers ‘Best Of’ was outselling The Rolling StonesSlide30
For the next 25 years Judith, Athol, Keith and Bruce found fulfilment individually, while the “spirit of the group” grew more and more legendary around the world; fans of all ages continually begged The Seekers to perform “one more time”.Slide31
Judith – became a solo artist and married Ron Edgeworth. Judith and Ron began an exciting musical adventure, full of surprises, lasting quarter of a centurySlide32
Bruce – After leaving The Seekers in 1968, Bruce returned back to Australia not really sure what he was going to do after leading such a busy and high profile life with the Seekers. He quickly returned to the world of advertising, finding work as a freelance music writer with his old firm, John Clemenger Advertising, and soon built up a list of national clients for whom he wrote radio and television ‘jingles’. Slide33
Keith
–When The Seekers disbanded in 1968, Keith’s musical activities turned to songwriting
and record production in major recording studios in the UK. He collaborated with leading UK songwriters such as Tony Macaulay and Barry Mason and enjoyed chart success through the 1970s with British and American artists.
Returning to Australia in 1978, Keith wrote and produced television jingles and music tracks as well as performing solo concerts throughout the 1980s. In 1988 he wrote and produced stage musicals for the Australian Bicentenary. Since that time Keith has been writing and recording original songs. Slide34
Athol
–On his return he established his own consulting company and compared two national TV shows.Elected then to three successive terms in the Victorian Parliament – 71 / 79 where his achievements included the Govt purchase and development of Werribee Park he opted to return to the business world and rejoined the Clemenger group as Executive Director of Clemenger
Harvie
- 79 / 89.
During the 90s he joined St George Banks marketing team as Business Development Consultant, and then
AMPs
blue ribbon financial planning group
Hillross
.Slide35
1993 – The Seekers reunited for their “Silver Jubilee TourSlide36
When the Stars Begin to FallSlide37Slide38
1994 & 1995 – The Seekers have sell out tours at London’s Albert Hall and
Wembly Arena
1995 – The Seekers were inducted into Australia’s ARIA Hall of Fame – the group that first put Australia on the international music map.
1997 – The Seekers toured extensively again to celebrate their first studio album in 30 years “Future Road”Slide39
Speak to the SkySlide40Slide41
With My Swag All On My ShoulderSlide42Slide43
March 2003 – The
Never Say Never Again
Tour. Their audiences still included fans as young as 3 years old to 23, 53 and 93 years young, all joining in and singing with gusto – just like it always was in the sixtiesSlide44
2012 – The Seekers went back into the recording studio to record two new tracks –
“Silver Threads And Golden Needles” and “In My Life”
– to take pride of place on their newest compilation,
‘The Golden Jubilee Album – 50 Tracks For Fifty Years’
… And now … the world can truly celebrate with The Seekers’ milestone as December 3 2012 marked 50 years since the four original members - Judith, Athol, Keith and Bruce - first met and performed together in a little coffee shop called ‘Treble Clef’ in Melbourne…Slide45
The Seekers videos were then released on DVD including the
“25 Year Reunion Celebration – Live in Concert” Slide46
On this DVD was the rare film clip of
Far ShoreSlide47Slide48
2004 – Fans not ready to say goodbye, The Seekers bowed to public demand and took their
“Four Decades of Gold” tour across Australia and New Zealand
2006 – They were given the “Key to the City” of Melbourne
2008
–
Their 1965 hit song “
The Carnival is Over”
was named No. 30 in the UK Official Top 100 Best-Selling Singles of all TimeSlide49
2010 – The Seekers were surprised and delighted to be invited by Andre
Rieu to join his tour and, putting their individual projects on hold for the extravaganza, they reunited to tour Australia and New Zealand as special guests of Andre and his Johann Strauss Orchestra. Slide50Slide51Slide52
I Am Australian
Almost the Australian AnthemSlide53Slide54
Quality Agingthank you for coming today and now please enjoy how
The Seekers
always finish their concertsSlide55Slide56