cex.com.au
february - march 2014
24
i
n 1962 The searchers were merely four kids making a
few extra pounds playing small gigs around their home
town of Liverpool, providing the backing for a local C
& W singer Johnny sandon. One year later, the singer
having left to further his own solo career, The searchers
found themselves at number one in the british charts with
`sweets for my sweet'. The beatles had started the `mersey
boom' and a host of other combos from the north of
england followed, to form what was to become the golden
decade of british pop music.
Unlike many of these other groups, The searchers created
their own highly individual sound, which later on influenced
a host of performers who were just beginning to make their
way into music. Artists such as Tom Petty, The byrds, marshall
Crenshaw and even `The boss' bruce springsteen, whose
version of `When You Walk in the room', was a high spot
in his stage show. back in `62 the line-up was John mcNally,
Chris Curtis, Tony Jackson and mike Pender. These four took
the plunge by throwing in their jobs, packing up their bags
and trudged off to Hamburg to the now famous `star Club'.
The hours were long and the audiences tough, but the
pay was good. These hard times proved to be unforgettable
and vital in their future. They learned their craft in a way that
was not possible at home. They ate and slept music alongside
a host of other musicians some of whom were later to
become legends in their own lifetimes. The sixties music
phenomenon had begun and record companies were soon
signing every group that hailed from north of Watford. Pye
the
Searchers
FRiDAY 21
FeBRuARY
8.00pM
$29
records signed The searchers. Nobody could have expected
their very first recording `Sweets For My Sweet' to rocket
straight to number one. The hits kept coming `Don't Throw
Your Love Away', `Needles and Pins', `Love Potion Number
Nine', `sugar and spice', `someday We're Gonna Love Again'.
The resurgence of the sixties sound in the 1980s brought
new life to The searchers, and a new and vibrant young
vocalist, spencer James, replacing Pender from the original
line up - the only change in personnel since the late 1960s.
The new line up John mcNally, Frank Allen, spencer James
and billy Adamson was to prove highly successful in the years
that were to follow. 1989 was a good year for The Searchers.
In addition to successful nationwide package tours with the
`solid silver sixties show' they also signed to bmG/Ariola
and recorded Hungry Hearts - an album of brand new songs
(plus the bonus of completely reworked versions of `sweets
for my sweet' and `Needles and Pins') on the Coconut
Label. This was the first album with Spencer James as the
lead vocalist and included some of the best searchers songs
ever - `somebody Told me You Were Crying' (recently voted
favourite song of all time by the searchers Appreciation
society) `Forever in Love' and `Not Other Love'.
Today, The searchers continue to headline major theatre
tours around the country and have recently started
performing their own special solo concerts, giving their
ever increasing fans a great opportunity to enjoy a range
of material including their well-known hits and rarely seen
acoustic performed songs.