Judith Durham

On Saturday afternoon I was in my room when I was looking at my IPAD and saw the news about the passing of Seekers lead singer Judith Durham which I was sad to see that. I first discovered the Seekers with Judith Durham when I was 12 years old on an Wednesday Night in October 1990 listen to 4KQ on an program called Sixties at Six when they played Georgy Girl and I really liked it so that was the start of it really. I had known of the Seekers when they had Julie Anthony and Karen Knowles but had never had heard of Judith Durham at the time until that Time. I got an Seekers tape for Christmas that year called Again which I started to play it a lot and liking the songs as well as getting to know the other songs which among them was Someday Oneday which I first heard that on 4KQ on an Friday night May 1991 on the 6'Clock Classic Countdown. I bought another Seekers tape in July 1991 on an Saturday at myer City in the music section which had Someday Oneday on it and I remember telling Marge Reeves about it at school on the Monday. Fast Forward to 1993 was the annoucement of Judith Durham getting back with Athol, Keith and Bruce which was great news and going on tour which I knew I wanted to go. I remember Judith and Bruce was interviewed on 4KQ on an Friday morning in March 1993 and played the new song Keep A Dream In Your Pocket and also they performed the song on Hey Hey It's Saturday a few weeks later. I bought the Silver Jubilee Album on tape at David Jones Coorparoo on Thursday June 17th 1993 which had the classic 60's hits as well as those 2 recordings Keep A Dream In Your Pocket and One World Love written by John Young and I still have the tape to this day. I saw the show @ QPAC Concert Hall in South Brisbane on Monday August 9th 1993 with Mum and I remember the day very well as I went back to school as I had an month off due to work experience at K Mart and being in Hospital. The show was just great show which I remember them doing the songs they did in the 60's as well as the 2 songs they recorded for the reunion and it was at the show that me and Mum first heard I Am Australian that was written by Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton of the Bushwackers which has become an classic to this day. I think I had a conversation with Mum during the interval saying about it may never happen again and little did I and many others Seekers would have knwon that they would be back together for the next 21 years touring and recording including Future Road and the Christmas album Morningtown Ride To Christmas. I am glad to have to experience seeing Judith and the guys performing together after 25 years and then 20 years later I went to see the Seekers again this time with my friend Anita which was at the Brisbane Convention Center on Wednesday December 4th 2013 which we would have gone a few months early but due to Judith having the brain haemorrhage it was changed to December. I went to the show with Anita with I bought the program and I bumped into an lady from my work named Del as well as Brisbane musician Darren J Ray and the show it self was sensational, excellent and Brilliant which they did the songs from the 60s' as well as the song I Am Australian, Silver Threads and Golden Needles from the 50th Anniversary compilation as well as Keep A Dream In Your Pocket and Guardian Angel Guiding Light from the 1997 album Future Road which I equaled that show to the first Seekers show 20 years before as I was expriencing history in 2 different ways which I was glad to go. I also go to see Judith Durham on her own 2 times which the first was at the QPAC Concert Hall on Monday September 3rd 2001 which was 2 days after my 23rd birthday as it was her 40th years as an professional performer and the in the first set when she did songs that influence her as well as Seekers songs which Bruce and Keith joined her on stage but Athol wasn't there as he was not well and did her solo stuff in the second set which she finished off with the Carinval Is Over and it was an great show that night. The second time was at the Brisbane Convention Center on Saturday June 28th 2008 which she was backed the Queensland Orchestra and it was an FANTASTIC show which she did an mixture of Seekers classics as well as her solo work which she was in great voice which I enjoyed the show and glad that I got to go if I hadn't won money in the money draw at Easts Leagues Club Sunday April 13th 2008. I never got to meet Judith but lucky I have a signed book of her biography Colours Of My Life when it was released in 1994 and my sister Madonna got me that for Christmas that year which I treasure that. It's sad that Judith has passed away but has left an great legacy of music that she made with the Seekers and her solo work which has remained timeless and will always remain timeless as they are timeless songs which you can never can get tired off and also the other legacy they left was also being the first Australian group to make an impact overseas considering they were only had planned to be in England for 10 weeks but stayed for 4 years and wrote Australian music history with classics including I'll Never Find Another You, A World Of Our Own, The Carnival Is Over, Someday Oneday and Georgy Girl as well as being the first Australian group to chart in the UK and USA and the first Australian group to sell an million copies paving the way for other Australian groups to make their mark including the Easybeats, The Bee Gees, Little River Band, AC/DC, Air Supply, INXS, Savage Garden and many others which besides from the hit singles they had the albums A World Of Our Own, Come The Day and Seen In Green as well as 2 albums for the World Record Club The Seekers and Hide and Seekers before recording for EMI and also their last single before they broke up was Days Of My Life was written by Tony Romero and produced by Mickie Most which was not an hit in England but went to number 73 in Australia in 1968. Judith with her solo work had the one UK solo hit with the Olive Tree written by Tom Springfield who wrote many of the Seekers classic hits in 1967 which went to number 33 in the UK and in Australia had the 1 solo hit in 1997 with her version of I Am Australian which she did that with Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply and Mandawuy Yunupingu of Yothu Yindi which went to number 17 in Australia and number 24 in Brisbane. She performed with her husband Ron Edgeworth who she married in 1969 would last until his passing from Motor Nurone Diesase in 1994 which they recorded 3 albums including 1 live album and her other solo albums including CLimb Every Mountain, For Christmas With Love, Gift Of Love, Let Me Find Love, The Australian Cities Suite and others. She had started out playing piano as well as planning to be an opera singer and started performing jazz around Melbourne in 1961 as well as working with Frank Traynor's Jazz Preachers which they did an EP. Judith joined the Seekers in December 1962 and played at Treble Cleft as well as around Melbourne and did an 2 week stint in Brisbane at the Lennon's Hotel in February 1964 before they went to England. Besides from the health scare in 2013 she was involved in the car accident in 1990 with her husband Ron and road manager Peter Summers as well as being stalked by an former president of her fan club. She was involved in charities including MND research and Injured Nurses Support Group and with the Seekers got awarded Australians of The Year in 1967 and also in 1995 the Seekers were inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame. The seekers recorded for W&G an Melbourne record label and had released an album Intoducing The Seekers as well as the single Waltzing Matilda going to number 74 in Australia in 1963. We will you Judith Durham and thank you for the great music and the legacy.