Who: THE SEARCHERS
When: 16/02/2013 at 8pm
Where: Twin Towns
Tickets: $30
The Searchers hold a lasting place in the history of popular music worldwide.
Named for the classic John Wayne western The Searchers – the band was formed in 1959 in Liverpool.
From their early beginnings as a skiffle group formed by John McNally and a bunch of friends, through the heady days of the sixties as teenage idols they have comfortably settled into a position well deserved by a band whose sound has influenced some of the most important artists of our generation.
Their hit songs include Sweets for my Sweet, Sugar and Spice, Needles and Pins, Love Potion Number 9, Don’t Throw Your Love Away, Someday We’re Gonna Love Again and When You Walk in the Room.
In 1962 lead singer Johnny Sandon, a country style vocalist with a deep booming Jim Reeves kind of voice, decided that his opportunity for greater success lay in joining forces with the respected Liverpool band The Remo Four. THE SEARCHERS, who by now consisted of John McNally, Chris Curtis, Mike Pender and Tony Jackson, decided to take their chances and continue as a four piece and promptly hit the trail to Hamburg and the prestigious Star Club like so many of their fellow musicians, The Beatles included.
It this converted cinema in the heart of the red light district they improved and extended their repertoire and learnt from the visiting American stars who performed there regularly. Stars like Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent. A host of other Liverpool bands such as Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Big Three and The Undertakers shared the long but exciting evenings playing to a wild German public who were more appreciative of the hard, blues based kind of music these brash ‘scousers’ delivered. There would be bands from other parts of the U.K. too and they particularly admired the London outfit Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers whose young bass player, Frank Allen, was to figure in their fortunes in the not too distant future.
When The Beatles took the nation, and finally the world, by storm the way was suddenly open for every other guitar twanging group to grab their chance and The Searchers, in a move that was both enterprising and precocious, took matters into their own hands by recording their own demonstration album on a primitive set up at The Iron Door Club.
Tony Jackson’s replacement was Frank Allen, the bassist with The Rebel Rousers who they had hung around with back in the Hamburg days.
“When You Walk In The Room”, his first single in his new position, proved to be one of their strongest and most enduring of hits. And the run continued with “Goodbye My Love”, “What Have They Done To The Rain”, “He’s Got No Love”, “Take Me For What I’m Worth”, “Bumble Bee”, “Take It Or Leave It”, and a string of others.
When the hits finally failed to continue THE SEARCHERS entered a period of hard work on the cabaret circuit which proved to be good training for a career that, although they had no idea at the time, would last for more than four decades. They learned how to put together a professional presentation with light and shade and with changes of pace that would keep an audience enthralled for an hour and more.
Meanwhile there were changes. Chris Curtis, disillusioned by the failing singles, quit the group after a 1966 tour of Australia and the Far East to follow a career in production. Alas things did not work out well for the highly talented and respected Curtis and he eventually returned to his native Liverpool where he became a civil servant.
John Blunt replaced Chris Curtis for a three-year period until Billy Adamson took over on drums. At the end of 1985 Pender announced his decision to go solo. It was a shock to the others. What was more of a shock was his decision to use the group’s name in some capacity, thus resulting in a lot of bad blood and the necessity for the remaining three to take court action in order to protect themselves.
Mike Pender’s replacement Spencer James, the one-time vocalist with First Class who had charted with Beach Baby in the eighties, was a breath of fresh air.
He is an admirer of that remarkable period in music and appreciates the Searchers` special position in the history of pop music. He is thrilled to be a part of the continuing story and they are delighted to welcome him on board.
Last year saw them as busy as ever, having visited many countries around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. But it doesn’t stop there, TV, Radio, personal appearances, concert tours, luxury cruises, corporate events, private parties, all figure in their never ending touring schedules. Some countries are yet to be visited and others are just waiting to be rediscovered.
If there is a venue to perform in, THE SEARCHERS want to play there and they are just waiting to be asked. A career that has lasted this long is not an exercise in survival. It is really about doing what you love and being a part of something you have pride in.
