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+--- Thread: greatest australian singers... (/showthread.php?tid=8389)
greatest australian singers... - CRAZY-HORSE - 13-04-2013
my thoughts on The Church/Kilbey:
possible the greatest band to ever come from australia who never became anything more than a band with a "cult" following..
intelligent,complex songs that back in the 1980s were way ahead of their time...so i guess the general public didnt "get it"...
only ever had a couple of minor hits here with:
almost with you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeDRhKaB6z4 live
unguarded moment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cRODgXnIlU live
under the milky way
see above link
their albums occasionally made the top ten(but not as often as they deserved)...and the guys still tour here to this day both as a band and Kilbey as a solo artist
greatest australian singers... - CRAZY-HORSE - 13-04-2013
number 45: JOE CAMILLERI
![[Image: 370478-top-50-voices.jpg]](http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2013/04/01/1226610/370478-top-50-voices.jpg)
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Camilleri,[SUP][1][/SUP] (born 21 May 1948 in Malta) aka Jo Jo Zep or Joey Vincent, is an Australian vocalist, songwriter and saxophonist.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][3][/SUP] Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][4][/SUP] Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons highest charting single was "Hit & Run" from June 1979, which peaked at #12;[SUP][5][/SUP] Jo Jo Zep's "Taxi Mary peaked at #11 in September 1982;[SUP][5][/SUP] and The Black Sorrows top single, "Chained to the Wheel", peaked at #9 in March 1989.[SUP][6][/SUP]
Camilleri has also produced records for The Sports, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Paul Kelly & the Dots, The Black Sorrows, Renée Geyer and Ross Wilson.[SUP][4][/SUP] Australian music journalist, Ian McFarlane, described him as "one of the most genuinely talented figures in Australian music",[SUP][3][/SUP] and, as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Camilleri was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2007.[SUP][
Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons formed in 1975 and Camilleri gained national prominence as the group's lead singer, co-songwriter and saxophonist.[SUP][2][/SUP] Other members (from 1976 on) included Jeff Burstin (guitar, vocals), John Power (bass guitar, vocals), Gary Young (drums), Tony Faehse (guitar, vocals) and Wilbur Wilde on sax.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][4][/SUP] Incorporating influences from blues, R&B, soul, punk rock, New Wave and reggae, the group achieved considerable commercial and critical success in Australia.[SUP][2][/SUP] Hit singles for Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons included "Shape I'm In" and "Puppet on a String"; their highest charting single was "Hit & Run" from June 1979 which peaked at #12.
In 1981, most of The Falcons left the group, and the act's name was shortened to Jo Jo Zep. "Taxi Mary", credited to Jo Jo Zep, peaked at #11 in September 1982.[SUP][5][/SUP] The Jo Jo Zep ensemble became unwieldy with, at its peak, a roster of 11 members and disbanded in 1983.[SUP][2][/SUP]
The classic 1976-1981 group reformed in 2001 for a one-off gig, but stayed together to release an album of new material, Ricochet, in 2003.[SUP][9][/SUP][SUP][12][/SUP] As a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Camilleri was inducted into the [[Australian Recording Industry Association ]] (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2007
After the demise of Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons in 1983, Camilleri achieved his greatest success with another long-running group The Black Sorrows, which began in 1984 as an informal semi-acoustic band playing blues, R&B and zydeco.[SUP][3][/SUP] The Black Sorrows had a shifting line-up and at various points included three ex-Falcons: Jeff Burstin, Wayne Burt, and Gary Young.[SUP][3][/SUP] Later additions to the band included sisters Vika and Linda Bull on vocals, and backing vocalist and lyricist Nick Smith. Camilleri himself has been the only constant member of the group.
The Black Sorrows developed a strong fan following and garnered wide critical acclaim for their recordings and superb live performances.[SUP][3][/SUP] After starting life as an acoustic cover band, they evolved into a full electric ensemble that wrote their own material, releasing a string of commercially successful and critically acclaimed albums in the 1980s and 1990s. These albums included A Place in the World, Dear Children (an Australian Top 20 album in 1987),[SUP][5][/SUP] Hold on to Me (peaked at #7, 1988), Harley & Rose (peaked at #3, 1990), Better Times (peaked at #13, 1992) and compilation The Chosen Ones - Greatest Hits (peaked at #4, 1993).[SUP][6][/SUP] Top 30 hit singles by the band were "Chained to the Wheel" (which peaked at #9 in 1989), "Harley & Rose" (1990) "Never Let Me Go" (1990), and "Snake Skin Shoes" (1994).[SUP][6] [/SUP]
For the first several years the band was in existence, Camilleri performed under the pseudonym "Joey Vincent" (a name he had previously used for a solo single), although he wrote and produced material for the group using his real name. The "Joey Vincent" persona was finally dropped in time for the release of 1990's Harley & Rose.
With a number of different line-ups, the band has continued to release material through the 1990s and 2000s. Their most recent release of original material was Roarin' Town in 2006,[SUP][9][/SUP][SUP][12][/SUP] followed by a live-in-the-studio album of newly recorded versions of older songs called 4 Days In Sing Sing (2009)
[video=youtube;HbqH4FjiXac]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbqH4FjiXac[/video]
[/SUP]
greatest australian singers... - CRAZY-HORSE - 13-04-2013
my opinion....
very talented guy IMO....
has written some memorable pop/top40 songs...
sounds like Van Morrison for the most part both musically and vocally...
"greatest hits" package would be well worth it if you want to get into his music as a starting point
greatest australian singers... - Music Head - 14-04-2013
love the Church
don't care for Urban at all
know of the Sorrows thanks to you
greatest australian singers... - CRAZY-HORSE - 17-04-2013
number 44: KASEY CHAMBERS
![[Image: 368950-top-50-voices.jpg]](http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2013/04/01/1226610/368950-top-50-voices.jpg)
Kasey Chambers (born 4 June 1976) is an Australian country singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of steel guitar player Bill Chambers, and the sister of musician and producer Nash Chambers.In late 2005, Chambers married Australian singer/songwriter Shane Nicholson. Chambers and Nicholson have two children - Arlo Ray (2007) and daughter Poet Poppin (2011). Chambers has an older son, Talon, from a previous relationship.[SUP][[/SUP]
Chambers recorded her solo album The Captain on Norfolk Island over a few weeks in late 1998 with Nash Chambers producing the album and Bill Chambers on guitar. US country musicians Buddy Miller and Julie Miller added guitars and vocals to four tracks. The Captain was released in 1999 in Australia and in 2000 in the US. Chambers won the 1999 ARIA Award for "Best Country Album" for The Captain and a year later she would win "Best Female Artist". The strong word of mouth would eventually lead to The Captain going double platinum in Australia. The Captain would eventually reach the top 50 of the Billboard country albums in 2001 with Chambers touring the US as support act to Lucinda Williams. Subsequently, she supported Emmylou Harris on her Australian tour. Chambers would receive further exposure when The Captain was played on episode 8 of the third season of HBO's The Sopranos titled "He Is Risen".
Chambers' second album Barricades & Brickwalls was released in late 2001 debuting at No. 4 in the ARIA album charts. The record really took off in early 2002 with lead single "Not Pretty Enough" going to No. 1 on the ARIA singles charts. Chambers became the only Australian country artist to have a No. 1 single and album on the charts in that country simultaneously. Subsequent singles "Million Tears" and "If I Were You" also made the Australian Top 40 singles charts in 2002.
While "Not Pretty Enough" eventually went double platinum, Barricades & Brickwalls would achieve sales of 7*platinum in Australia meaning Chambers had the second best selling single and album by an Australian artist in 2002 behind Kylie Minogue whose single Can't Get You Out of My Head and album Fever became the biggest successes of the year. At the 2002 ARIA Awards, Chambers won "Album of the Year", "Best Female Artist" and "Best Country Album". Barricades & Brickwalls was released in the US in 2002 peaking just outside the top 100 of the Billboard 200 album charts, topping the Billboard Heatseeker Charts and reaching the top 20 of the Billboard country charts. The album also received a generally positive critical response.[SUP][1][/SUP]
She recorded a cover of the Cyndi Lauper song "True Colours" which became the theme song of the 2003 Rugby World Cup and reached the top 5 in Australia in May 2003.
Chambers released her third solo album Wayward Angel in Australia on 31 May 2004. It debuted at No. 1 on the Australian charts and went platinum in its first week of release. Singles from the album include "Hollywood", "Pony" and "Saturated". " Following the Boxing Day Tsunami, Chambers appeared at the Wave Aid fundraising concert in Sydney, to raise funds for aid organisations working in disaster affected areas.
Chambers's next album, Carnival, debuted in the No. 1 position on the ARIA album charts in late August 2006. The lead single, "Nothing at All" also reached the top ten of the singles chart.
Chambers and Shane Nicholson with Troy Cassar-Daley played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 14 March 2009 for Sound Relief, a multi-venue rock music concert in support of relief for the Victorian Bushfire Crisis.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][3][/SUP] The event will be held simultaneously with a concert at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[SUP][2][/SUP] All the proceeds from the Melbourne Concert will go to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire relief.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][3][/SUP] Appearing with Chambers in Melbourne are, Augie March, Bliss N Eso with Paris Wells, Gabriella Cilmi, Hunters & Collectors, Jack Johnson, Jet, Kings Of Leon, Liam Finn, Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, Split Enz and Wolfmother.[SUP][4][/SUP]
In 2010 the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Award for 'Best Independent Country Album' went to the Australian Country family dynasty - Kasey Chambers, Poppa Bill and the Little Hillbillies - for their Lost Music Blues album. A unique collaboration of 3 generations - the 16 original songs were crafted together by Kasey, Father Bill, Brother Nash and their collective brood of Little Hillbillies.
Studio albums
[TABLE="class: wikitable plainrowheaders"]
[TR]
[TH]Title[/TH]
[TH]Album details[/TH]
[TH="colspan: 6"]Peak chart positions[/TH]
[TH]Certifications
(sales threshold)[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]AUS
[SUP][9][/SUP][/TH]
[TH]US Country
[SUP][10][/SUP][/TH]
[TH]US
[SUP][11][/SUP][/TH]
[TH][URL="http://www.music-discussion.com/wiki/Top_Heatseekers"]US
Heat[/URL]
[SUP][12][/SUP][/TH]
[TH][URL="http://www.music-discussion.com/wiki/Folk_Albums"]US
Folk[/URL]
[SUP][13][/SUP][/TH]
[TH][URL="http://www.music-discussion.com/wiki/Independent_Albums"]US
Indie[/URL]
[SUP][14][/SUP][/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]The Captain[/TH]
[TD]
- Release date: 1999
- Format: CD, digital download
- Label: EMI Records
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]49[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD="align: left"] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Barricades & Brickwalls[/TH]
[TD]
- Release date: 3 September 2001
- Format: CD, digital download
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]13[/TD]
[TD]104[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]
- AUS: 7Ã Platinum[SUP][16][/SUP]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Wayward Angel[/TH]
[TD]
- Release date: 31 May 2004
- Format: CD, digital download
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]31[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]15[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]
- AUS: 3Ã Platinum[SUP][17][/SUP]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Carnival[/TH]
[TD]
- Release date: 19 August 2006
- Format: CD, digital download
- Label: EMI Records
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]22[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]
- AUS: Platinum[SUP][18][/SUP]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Rattlin' Bones
(with Shane Nicholson)[/TH]
[TD]
- Release date: 19 April 2008
- Format: CD, digital download
- Label: Liberation Music (Aus/NZ), Sugar Hill Records (US/Worldwide)
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]21[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]
- AUS: Platinum[SUP][19][/SUP]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Little Bird[/TH]
[TD]
- Release date: 17 September 2010
- Format: CD, digital download
- Label: Liberation Music (Aus/NZ), Sugar Hill Records (US/Worldwide)
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]32[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]39[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]
- AUS: Gold[SUP][20][/SUP]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Storybook[/TH]
[TD]
- Release date: 23 September 2011
- Format: CD, digital download
- Label: Liberation Music (Aus/NZ), Sugar Hill Records (US/Worldwide)
[TD]21[/TD]
[TD]53[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]16[/TD]
[TD]19[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD="align: left"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Wreck & Ruin
(with Shane Nicholson)[/TH]
[TD]
- Release date: 23 October 2012
- Format: CD, digital download
- Label: Liberation Music (Aus/NZ), Sugar Hill Records (US/Worldwide)
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]35[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]15[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD="align: left"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 10"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Singles
[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
[TR]
[TH]Year[/TH]
[TH]Single[/TH]
[TH="colspan: 2"]Peak chart
positions[/TH]
[TH]Certifications
(sales threshold)[/TH]
[TH]Album[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]AUS
[SUP][21][/SUP][/TH]
[TH]NZ
[SUP][22][/SUP][/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2000[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]"Cry Like a Baby"[/TD]
[TD]71[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]The Captain[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]"The Captain"[/TD]
[TD]68[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2001[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]"Runaway Train"[/TD]
[TD]86[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Barricades & Brickwalls[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]"On a Bad Day"[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2002[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]"Not Pretty Enough"[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]
- AUS: 2Ã Platinum[SUP][23][/SUP]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]"Million Tears"[/TD]
[TD]32[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]"If I Were You"[/TD]
[TD]32[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2003[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]"True Colours"[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]
- AUS: Gold[SUP][24][/SUP]
[TD="align: left"]Non-album song[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2004[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]"Hollywood"[/TD]
[TD]28[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Wayward Angel[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2005[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]"Pony"[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]"Saturated"[/TD]
[TD]75[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2006[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]"Nothing at All"[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Carnival[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]"Surrender"[/TD]
[TD]74[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2008[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]"Rattlin' Bones"[/TD]
[TD]55[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Rattlin' Bones[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]"Monkey on a Wire"[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]"Wildflower" (with Shane Nicholson)[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2010[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]"Little Bird"[/TD]
[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Little Bird[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2011[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]"Beautiful Mess"[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD]—[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 10"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
greatest australian singers... - CRAZY-HORSE - 17-04-2013
my thoughts on Kasey:
i love this girl...
she has a real sincerity with her voice(some people find it grating and annoying)...
her songs are 'real', sure she is beginning to move away from her country roots now, but most artists do develop and vere off into other areas as they become confident and mature...
[video=youtube;Mu3ECQk2GuY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu3ECQk2GuY[/video]
greatest australian singers... - CRAZY-HORSE - 17-04-2013
number 43: MARC HUNTER
![[Image: 370247-top-50-voices.jpg]](http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2013/04/01/1226610/370247-top-50-voices.jpg)
Marc Alexander Hunter[SUP][1][/SUP] (7 September 1953 – 17 July 1998) was a New Zealand rock and pop singer best known as the lead vocalist with Dragon, a band formed by his older brother Todd Hunter in Auckland in 1973. He was also with the band The Party Boys.
Born in Taumarunui, Marc joined Dragon in 1974 and the band recorded two albums of progressive rock for Vertigo Records. The band moved to Sydney, Australia, in 1975. After suffering the heroin-related death of drummer Neil Storey, Dragon became a pop-rock act and went on to become one of Australia's biggest-selling bands, scoring a number of hit singles and successful albums, most notably 1978's O Zambezi. In the meantime, Hunter developed a serious heroin addiction. Recklessly outspoken and volatile on-stage, during the band's 1978 United States tour supporting Johnny Winter he called the audience "faggots" at a show in Texas. The following year, he was fired from the band.
Hunter bounced back immediately with his 1979 solo album Fiji Bitter spawning the hit single "Island Nights". Two years later the album Big City Talk and single of the same name were also hits and in 1982 Dragon reformed for a tour, deciding to stay together when the single "Rain" became a hit. The 1984 album Body and the Beat was a massive hit across Australia and New Zealand and the title track of Hunter's solo album Communication (1985) was also a moderate hit. While on a break between Dragon tours (during which Marc's former bandmate Paul Hewson died unexpectedly, in January 1985), Hunter joined The Party Boys for a sold-out national tour, recording the album You Need Professional Help.
Dragon split-up once again in 1988 but the break was short-lived and the band was touring again by mid-1989. Hunter and the band continued a mid-level career throughout the '90s with something of an AOR sound but the singer's years of hard living caught up with him and he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1997 and could no longer perform or tour.
Friends immediately rallied round him and Renee Geyer organised a benefit concert to raise money for his treatment and provide for his children. The concert, Night Of The Hunter, was held in February 1998 at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda in Melbourne. It featured leading artists performing classic Dragon songs: "Are You Old Enough" by Tex Perkins and friends, Chris Wilson singing "O Zambezi", Paul Kelly and Renee Geyer singing a duet of "I'm Still In Love With You", Snout performing "Rain" and Men at Work’s Colin Hay performing a new song he wrote in Marc's honor. The finale, "April Sun In Cuba" was performed by John Farnham and his band, with Todd on bass. The house erupted when Renee Geyer led Marc onstage and he joined in his signature tune for what proved to be his very last stage appearance.
Another benefit was staged soon after in Sydney, and the Good Vibrations concert proved to be an even more memorable event. The performers included Glenn Shorrock, James Reyne, Ross Wilson, Todd Hunter, Alan Mansfield, Robert Taylor and Tommy Emmanuel, and a host of other Oz music legends – Men At Work regrouped for the first time in a decade to perform, and the remaining members of INXS performed live for the first time since the death of their lead singer Michael Hutchence; Peter Garrett and Jimmy Barnes duetted on "Dreams of Ordinary Men" and "Speak No Evil". Marc could not attend – he was in Korea undergoing alternative therapy to prepare for a major throat operation, but he sent a letter that was read to the crowd. The concert was taped and a 2CD set was rush-released.
For the last few months of his life, Hunter underwent various forms of treatment including several alternative medicine remedies but none were successful and he died in Kiama on 17 July 1998.
Dragon
- Universal Radio (1974)
- Scented Gardens for the Blind (1975)
- Sunshine (1977)
- Running Free (1977)
- O Zambezi (1979)
- Dragon's Greatest Hits Vol 1 (1979)
- Body and the Beat (1984)
- Live One (1985)
- Dreams of Ordinary Men (1986)
- Bondi Road (1989)
- So Far: Their Classic Collection (1990)
- Incarnations (1995)
- Fiji Bitter (1979)
- Big City Talk (1981)
- Communication (1985)
- Night and Day (1990)
- Talk to Strangers (1994)
- You Need Professional Help (1985)
- The Party Boys Rage Album (1985)
[video=youtube;BHFFuukk9Y8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHFFuukk9Y8[/video]
greatest australian singers... - CRAZY-HORSE - 17-04-2013
my thoughts on Marc Hunter/Dragon...
i dont own any material of theirs other than a couple of old 7" singles...
thought they were a good singles band back in the day
greatest australian singers... - CRAZY-HORSE - 18-04-2013
number 42: JUDITH DUHRAM
![[Image: 370250-top-50-voices.jpg]](http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2013/04/01/1226610/370250-top-50-voices.jpg)
Judith Durham, OAM (born Judith Mavis Cock, 3 July 1943, Essendon, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian jazz singer and musician who became the lead vocalist for the Australian popular folk music group the Seekers in 1963. She left the group in mid-1968 to pursue her solo career. In 1993 Durham began to make sporadic recordings and performances with the Seekers, continuing into the 2000s.
The SeekersThe Seekers consisted of Durham, Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger, the last being an ABC radio producer. It was through Potger's position that the three were able to make a demo tape in their spare time. This was given to W&G Records, which wanted another sample of Durham's voice before agreeing to record a Jazz Preachers' album. W&G instead signed the Seekers for an album, Introducing the Seekers, in 1963. (Potger does not appear on the album cover because he was not allowed to have a second job.) Durham, however, recorded two other songs with the Jazz Preachers, "Muddy Water" (which appeared on their album Jazz From the Pulpit) and "Trombone Frankie" (an adapted version of Bessie Smith's "Trombie Cholly").
In early 1964 the Seekers sailed to the United Kingdom on the S.S. Fairsky on which the group provided the musical entertainment. Originally they had planned to return after ten weeks, but they received a steady stream of bookings through the Grade Agency because they had sent the agency a copy of their first album. In November 1964 the Seekers released "I'll Never Find Another You" composed by Tom Springfield. In February 1965 the record reached number one in the UK and Australia, while their 1966 recording of Springfield and Jim Dale's "Georgy Girl" (from the film of the same name) reached number two in the United States.
solo
Durham returned to Australia in August 1968 and her first solo television special screened on the Nine Network in September. During her solo career she has released albums titled For Christmas With Love, Gift Of Song and Climb Ev'ry Mountain. In 1970 she made the television special Meet Judith Durham in London, ending with her rendition of "When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day" by Carrie Jacobs-Bond (1862–1946).[SUP][3][/SUP] In the 1970s she returned to traditional jazz and recorded Volumes 1 and 2 of The Hottest Band In Town and The Hot Jazz Duo. She then moved to Queensland and focused on her songwriting.
In 1994, Durham began recording albums again, including Mona Lisas in 1996 under the direction of producer Gus Dudgeon. This was re-released as Always There in 1997 with the addition of Durham's solo recording of fellow Seeker Bruce Woodley's "I am Australian" (with Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply and Mandawuy Yunupingu of Yothu Yindi) and the Smith Family theme song of the title. Her recording of "Always There" was first released on the 1997 double CD Anthems, which also featured Bruce Woodley's "Common Ground" and the Seekers' "Advance Australia Fair" arrangement.
In 2000, Durham's album Let Me Find Love, a top ten hit on the Australian album charts, was re-released as Hold on to Your Dream, with the addition of "Australia Land of Today" (which she had written). In 2001, she did another Australian tour and in 2003 she toured the UK to celebrate her 60th birthday. Her birthday concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London was filmed and released on DVD in late 2004.
In 2006, the Seekers were awarded the "Key to the City" of Melbourne by Lord Mayor John So. As part of the ceremony, Durham sang part of her song "Seldom Melbourne Leaves My Mind" and was later invited by the Lord Mayor's Charitable Fund to record the song, as a fund-raiser, with Orchestra Victoria. The decision was then made to record Durham's entire Australian Cities Suite with all proceeds from the sale of the CD to go to the charitable sector. The album was released in October 2008. The project was to benefit charities such as the Motor Neurone Disease Association of Australia (Durham is national patron) and Orchestra Victoria, in addition to other charities which benefit from the Lord Mayor's Charitable Fund or its national affiliated network United Way.
By 2009, Durham's rendition of "A Perfect Day" by Carrie Jacobs-Bond achieved more hits on YouTube than even the version by Paul Robeson but was withdrawn from availability because of questions involving access to intellectual property.
The Seekers Albums
- Introducing the Seekers (1963)
- The Seekers (also known as Roving with the Seekers) (1964)
- Hide & Seekers (also known as The Four And Only Seekers) (1964)
- A World of Our Own (1965)
- The Seekers Sing Their Big Hits (1965) W&G 25/2512
- Come the Day (1966)
- Georgy Girl (1966) (U.S.A. release ...an abridged version of Come the Day)
- Seekers Seen in Green (1967)
- The Seekers' Greatest Hits (1968) Columbia SCXO 7830
- The Seekers Live at the Talk of the Town (1968)
- The Seekers Again — 1968 BBC Farewell Spectacular
- The Best of the Seekers (1968)
- The Seekers (with Louisa Wisseling) (1975)
- Giving and Taking (with Louisa Wisseling) (1976)
- Live On (with Julie Anthony) (1989)
- Future Road (1997)
- Morningtown Ride to Christmas (2001)
- Night of Nights... Live! (2002)
- The Silver Jubilee Album
- 25 Year Reunion ... Live in Concert
solo albums:
1963 Judy Durham & Frank Traynor's Jazz Preachers [EP]
1964 Frank Traynor's Jazz Preachers & Judy Durham – Trombone Frankie [45]
1967 "The Olive Tree" / "The Non-Performing Lion Quickstep" [45] – UK #33[SUP][8][/SUP]
1967 "Again and Again"/"Memories" [45]
1968 For Christmas With Love [Gramophone record|LP]
1970 Gift of Song LP
1971 Climb Every Mountain LP
1973 JD & The Hottest Band in Town Vol. 1 LP
1974 JD & The Hottest Band in Town Vol. 2 LP
1980 The Hot Jazz Duo LP
1992 "Australia Land of Today" [CD single]
1994 Let Me Find Love [CD] – AUS #8[SUP][9][/SUP]
1996 Mona Lisas [CD] – UK #46[SUP][8][/SUP]
1997 Always There [CD]
2000 Hold on To Your Dream [CD]
2002 JD and the Melbourne Welsh Male Choir [CD]
2003 Diamond Night [DVD]
2009 Judith Durham Up Close & Personal – Volume 1 [CD][SUP][10][/SUP]
2009 Judith Durham’s Advance Australia Fair ... A Lyric For Contemporary Australia [CD][SUP][11][/SUP]
2011 Epiphany [CD]
2011 Colours of My Life – AUS #44[SUP][9][/SUP]
2012 The Australian Cities Suite – AUS #81 (debut)
With the exception of the Jazz EP and the 1971 album Climb Every Mountain, all of Durham's solo records have been re-released on CD.
greatest australian singers... - CRAZY-HORSE - 18-04-2013
my thoughts on Judith Duhram:
been a big fan of of The Seekers(in fact,have a best of set waiting for a spin in the 'to play' pile right now)..
saw her perform on tv a few months ago...was surprised to hear that her voice is still as goos as it ever was, great artist IMO
[video=youtube;jVKyJL1bWO8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVKyJL1bWO8[/video]