Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Singer became global star with The Seekers
AUSTRALIAN folk music star Judith Durham achieved global fame as the lead singer of The Seekers.
Durham, 79, made her first recording at 19 and rose to fame after joining The Seekers in 1963.
The group of four became the first Australian band to achieve major chart and sales success in the UK and the United States, eventually selling 50 million records.
International hits included The Carnival Is Over, I’ll Never Find Another You, A World Of Our Own and Georgy Girl.
Durham embarked on a solo career in 1968 but recorded with The Seekers again in the 1990s.
“This is a sad day for Judith’s family, her fellow Seekers, the staff of Musicoast, the music industry and fans worldwide, and all of us who have been part of Judith’s life for so long,” said The Seekers’ management team member Graham Simpson.
Her bandmates in The Seekers – Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley and Athol Guy – said their lives had been changed forever by losing “our treasured lifelong friend and shining star”.
“Her struggle was intense and heroic, never complaining of her destiny and fully accepting its conclusion. Her magnificent musical legacy Keith, Bruce and I are so blessed to share,” they said.
Tributes flowed for the beloved singer, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describing Durham as “a national treasure and an Australian icon”.
“Judith Durham gave voice to a new strand of our identity and helped blaze a trail for a new generation of Aussie artists,” Mr Albanese wrote on Twitter.
“Her kindness will be missed by many, the anthems she gave to our nation will never be forgotten.”
In her home state Victoria, premier Dan Andrews said Durham had conquered the music world both in Australia and overseas.
“With her unique voice and stage presence leading The Seekers, the band became one of Australia’s biggest chart toppers,” he said.
1704: The Battle of Blenheim took place in Germany, in which Anglo-Austrian forces under Marlborough and Prince Eugene defeated the French and Bavarian armies.
1860: Annie Oakley, marksman who starred in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, was born. Nicknamed ‘Little Sure Shot’ by Sitting Bull, she was said to have been able to hit the thin edge of a playing card from 30 paces.
1888: John Logie Baird, electrical engineer who helped pioneer television, was born in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire.
1889: The coin-operated phone was patented in the USA by William Gray of Hartford, Connecticut.
1899: Alfred Hitchcock, English film director who became a US citizen in 1955, was born. He made the first British sound film – Blackmail (1929) – although dialogue only began in reel two as the studio was not equipped in the early sequences. He made many films, including Rebecca in 1940 and Psycho in 1960.