We’re saddened to hear that APRA AMCOS member and beloved icon of Australian music, Judith Durham, has passed away. As lead singer of The Seekers, Judith enjoyed global success, and sold more than 50 million records.
The Seekers were one of Australia’s first successful music exports. Their first hit, ‘I’ll Never Find Another You’ was the biggest selling single in the UK in 1965, as well as a chart topper in Australia and the US. They achieved three Top 20 singles, including ‘Georgy Girl’ and ‘A World of Our Own’, and two Top 20 albums in the US.
“I’m very sad to hear we’ve lost the voice of a generation. Judith’s voice defined the instantly recognisable sound of The Seekers. A canon of global hits – one of Australia’s greatest exports. Vale Judith Durham, singer, songwriter, artist, national icon,” said APRA AMCOS Chief Executive, Dean Ormston.
They were trailblazers, paving the way for other Australian musicians to find success on the global stage. Rather than forging a career at home before attempting to break overseas markets, The Seekers took their act to the world while still relatively unknown. They returned home triumphant, having put Australia on the international pop music map.
Judith enjoyed a solo career, as well as reuniting with The Seekers for a series of comeback concerts and new albums in the past three decades.
In 2013, APRA AMCOS presented The Seekers with the Ted Albert Award for outstanding services to Australian music. Accepting the award, Judith said “This is music accolade. We left here as an unknown folk group, never dreaming when we got to England that we would become international pop stars, and come back here and eventually, like 50 years later, have this incredible recognition by our peers in the music industry.”
Our thoughts are with Athol, Keith, Bruce, and Judith’s family and friends.
The Seekers received the 2013 Ted Albert Award for outstanding services to Australian music