The Australian music world is in mourning today following the news that Judith Durham, lead singer of The Seekers, passed away yesterday after a along battle with a chronic lung disease. She was only 79 years old and tributes are pouring in from all over the world this morning.
Judith, along with Athol Guy (bass), Keith Potger (12 and 6 string guitar) and Bruce Woodley (6 string guitar and composer) were the little group that could; the little folk quartet that emigrated from Melbourne to England and, in the midst of Beatlemania, showed just what real talent could achieve.
Teaming up with noted songwriter, Tom Springfield, they released a succession of records that soared to the top of the charts, a phenomenon of acoustic folk music artistry in the face of electrified rock and roll.
And then, just as it we were getting used to it, it was over. In just 4 short years they had achieved what many took a lifetime to do, world-wide fame (and, probably, fortune, if truth be known).
In those few years the musical style of the group had moved on. From a classical folk/gospel genre they had begun to explore other musical forms and their songs became more sophisticated, more “modern”. Judith branched out into doing some song-writing of her own and, it seems, listened to those who told her that she didn’t need “the boys” but could become an even bigger success as a solo artist. The news that the group was breaking up was devastating to their fan base and their farewell concert at the Talk of the Town night club in London, their first and last “live” recording of a full record was wrenching as we realised that we’d been and seen it and were never going to see it again. The final song, “The Carnival is Over” was heart-breaking.
Sadly, time was to prove that the group was more than just the sum of its parts. Judith achieved a level of success as a solo artist but nothing like what was promised and expected. The boys formed several new groups over the years, the most successful with Melbourne folk singer, Louisa Weissling, that yielded two great albums, but nothing like the fame that they had known would come their way again. Funnily enough, the two 1970’s albums were very country-oriented with the group singing many country standards as well as many new country songs from the pen of the amazing Bruce Woodley.
In the 1990’s the original group reformed and did several concert tours to great acclaim. There was no doubt the talent was still there but, even then, the signs of Judith’s impending lung complaint was already there and her voice had lost some of its “punch” (though not its clarity). They could still “sell” the songs, but, to the faithful, it was never the same.
The music clip below I have mentioned before but it deserves inclusion in this tribute. Sung as the opening number of their epic and famous concert at the Sydney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne in 1967, it is a towering example of their extraordinary talent. Organisers expected and planned for a big crowd that day, they couldn’t have envisaged that over 200000 people gathered in the sun to hear their musical heroes. The attendance record for a music concert set that day stood for decades.
As I mentioned, this was the opening song of the concert. No warm-up, no introduction, they walked onto the stage, the boys with their instruments ready and they started straight in. The ringing tones of Bruce and Keith’s Maton guitars set the rhythm and the the bell-like clarity of Judith’s vocals stunned the crowd. Remember that she was 5’2″ tall and only 24 years old when this recording was made yet her confidence and poise was astonishing. The harmonies from the boys was what we had always expected and, together, they grabbed the audience and never let them go.
On stage there is something that the experts call “presence”. If you want an example, you need look no further than Judith on this recording. She could “sell” a song like few others and her gestures, the little “bob” of her head and her engagement with the song, the group and the crowd is exemplary.
And the song, the vehicle of this extraordinary performance, must also be mentioned. Another Bruce Woodley classic it deserves to be placed right up there with the other folk music classics of the “peace and love” era. No song expresses better the hopes and aspirations of the generation better than “Come the Day.”
I feel privileged to have lived through the Seekers era, to have enjoyed them from start to finish and my record collection includes nearly all of their work. Judith’s actions in 1967 were a huge disappointment to me and have remained so but I am grateful to have been able to enjoy her brilliance and that should be enough.
