I came across a band that I had not heard in a very long time. I remembered their very popular song, Georgy Girl, and the 1966'ish film of the same name. I recalled hearing the song on AM radio back when I was a single digit kid, and I remember liking both the song and particularly, the lead voice.
There was a "timbre" or quality to her voice that I (and apparently a lot of others) particularly liked. Sometimes its that "timbre" that reels me in. Jim Croce is a good example of this, as I really like his "honky tonk" and "smoke filled bar" style of singing...but his voice has a quality to it that I just find appealing.
Well, there were two songs that this group did, that I especially liked, one was "Georgy Girl" and the other "I'll Never Find Another You". The group was an Australian band..or more accurately, started out in the very early 1960's as a "Folk Influenced, Pop Quartet". The bands' name was, "The Seekers".
The Seekers featured three men...two of which were Guitarists that sang harmony, (they played banjo and mandolin as well sometimes) and a Double Bass player (The bass that looks like a huge violin sitting upright on the floor for you younger folks) that also sang harmony. Judith Durham played piano and was the lead singer. I should mention that the three men in the band really do a great job harmonizing and completing the vocal sound of the group, though Judith really brings a distinct upper range/sound to the group. She has a big voice for such a small lady, and admittedly, I like the hint of that Australian accent! It doesn't hurt that she is "easy on the eyes" as well!
This was the first Australian band to top the UK and U.S. Charts...ever. They reached number two in the U.S. and number one in the U.K. This was at a time when the Beatles were at their peak, so no small achievement! They are in the Guinness World Record Book for the highest attendance at a concert in the Southern Hemisphere! (200,000 people attended their "Return To Australia Concert" in Melbourne)
Long story short, I bought two albums. I could not find an album with both songs on it! Ughhhhh! I received one of the albums today and after a quick cleaning, threw it on the phonograph and had a listen...in MONO! There was the unique voice of Judith Durham that I remembered...and you can actually hear the double bass being played by "Athol Guy". (yeah...Athol?!? Unusual name!)
I remember telling my daughter, when she was actively singing and involved a bit more in chorus and solo singing activities, "You don't need a gimmick and don't need to sing all weird the way many do these days...the good ones just Stand and Sing!" A good voice doesn't need a show to back it up, and I thought how fitting it was that the two YouTube videos I have included here (so you can hear the songs) show Judith Durham literally, standing and singing! (Some of it with her hands on her hips!)
Oh, and I love the Australian annunciation of "Fortune" that you hear when Judith is singing the third verse in "I'll Never Find Another You"...haha..I don't know why, but I do!
Have a listen....all the way back to the 1960's..and from, Down Under!
Georgy Girl
I'll Never Find Another You
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