The group were formed after the disbanding of the successful 1960s Australian group the Seekers. Keith Potger, a member of the Seekers, put together the New Seekers in 1969, featuring Laurie Heath, Chris Barrington, Marty Kristian, and Eve Graham and Sally Graham (no relation), the latter of whom was a member of The Young Generation. Potger himself also performed and recorded with the group.[1]
Despite their having only released one album with no commercial success, ITV's Scottish Television gave the group their own TV series Finders, Seekers. The line-up for this version of the group hosting the series was Keith Potger, Eve Graham, Sally Graham, Laurie Heath, Marty Kristian and Chris Barrington. Produced in colour, the show was given a prime-time slot, starting on 27 March 1970 (Good Friday) and continuing for seven shows. The public did not take to the show, with several complaints seemingly targeted at the band. Despite the complaints, the series was shown on several ITV channels, sold to Canada, Australia and Sweden with interest from other countries as a result of being shown at the international television market in Cannes.
Following the series' failure, later in 1970, after one album release, the line-up was reworked to comprise Eve Graham, Kristian, Lyn Paul, Peter Doyle and Paul Layton.[2] This line-up found instant success with their debut release, a cover of Melanie Safka's "What Have They Done to My Song, Ma" (titled in the U.S. as "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma"[3]), which became a top 20 hit in the US, No. 3 in Canada, and a minor one in the UK.[4]
Mainstream success
Over the next year, the group released a number of singles to little recognition, but it was in June 1971 that they released their breakthrough hit, "Never Ending Song of Love" (the first of many hit songs to be produced by David Mackay, and a cover of the American hit by Delaney & Bonnie).[5] The song became a big hit in the UK, spending five weeks at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart,[6] and was one of the biggest selling singles of the year.[7] This was their last single released on the Philips Records label. The huge success of this single was mildly ironic in that prior to the single's release, the group were dropped by Philips and had signed with Polydor Records. Their first single for Polydor was "Good Old Fashioned Music", which they promoted on television (including an appearance on Top Of The Pops), but it failed to chart. Towards the end of 1971, the group recorded an adaptation of the Coca-Cola jingle, "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke", which had gained much interest. Reworked as "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", the song became a worldwide success.[8] It made No. 1 in the UK for four weeks and sold just under a million copies.[6] In the US, the song was also a hit, reaching No. 7, and in Canada it reached No. 3. It became a No. 1 hit in many other countries and is the most recognised song by the group.
The group were chosen to represent the United Kingdom in the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest. They entered with the song "Beg, Steal or Borrow", which was chosen by viewers of BBC1's It's Cliff Richard! show from six shortlisted songs performed by the group on a weekly basis. They went on to finish in second place at the Eurovision final in Edinburgh, where the group received the biggest cheer of the night from the partisan audience.[9] The song was a No. 2 hit in the UK and sold well in Europe.[10] Around this time, they also charted highly with their most successful album, We'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, which reached No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart.[6] Another top five hit came with the next single, "Circles" in mid 1972.[6] At the end of the year, the group took part in the BBC's anniversary TV show Fifty Years Of Music.
The following year the group saw a slight dip, although they did score a top 20 hit with an adaptation of "Pinball Wizard".[11] Member Peter Doyle left the group this year and was replaced by Peter Oliver. The New Seekers had enjoyed a number of hits in the US by this time and toured there with Liza Minnelli in 1973.[12] While there, they recorded the title track of the American Marlo Thomas's 1972 album Free to Be... You and Me. In 1974, the album was made into a landmark television programme designed to teach children how to express themselves and be independent through a series of vignettes.[13] Since the special was first broadcast, the song became a cult classic.
Up to now, the group's biggest success had been as a five-piece harmony, but it was around this time that they began to favour lead singers for their songs with title credits given to Marty Kristian for "Come Softly to Me" and Eve Graham for "Nevertheless", but it was in late 1973 that this formula found its biggest success when Lyn Paul took the lead on the new single, "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me". The song became a big hit over Christmas and eventually peaked at No. 1 in January 1974, becoming their second biggest hit.[14] This formula continued with the next single, "I Get a Little Sentimental Over You", which also became a big hit, peaking at No. 5. However, despite this revival, the group announced their split amid much publicity. With allegations that the members were receiving little financial reward for their success, The New Seekers officially disbanded in May 1974.[15]
The group's two UK number one singles are listed as being in the top 30 best selling singles for the 1970s, with "I'd Like To Teach The World To sing" at No. 17 and "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me" at No. 27.[16] "We've Got To Do It Now" was used in a public information film about littering.[17]
Reformation
In 1976, the New Seekers reformed with Kathy Ann Rae and Danny Finn replacing Lyn Paul and Peter Oliver.[18] Although they never replicated their earlier success, signed to CBS (Columbia in the US) the group did manage to score a few hits with "It's So Nice (To Have You Home)" (1976), "I Wanna Go Back" (1977) and "Anthem (One Day in Every Week)" (1978).[6][19] This line up remained intact until 1978, when Danny Finn and Eve Graham left the group to marry. Their final single for CBS was "Don't Stop The Music" in 1979, with Kathy Ann Rae on lead vocal, but after it failed to chart, she left the band and the group signed their final contract with EMI.
In 1980, the group attempted to represent the UK again in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Tell Me", but it was disqualified shortly before the British heats were televised due to the fact the group had already performed the song on TV a year earlier.[20]
Marty Kristian entered a song in the 1983 UK Eurovision finals, performed by a trio called 'Audio', which included Kathy Ann Rae in the line up.
Since then, there have been personnel changes which included Caitriona Walsh, Nicola Kerr and Vikki James (Grammy Winner Victoria Horn).[21] Paul Layton remained with the band throughout this time.[22] The final tour was 2010.
Recent career
Today's[when?] New Seekers toured from 2006 with the latest line up of Paul Layton, Donna Jones, Francine Rees, Mick Flinn and Mark Hankins.[citation needed] A CD of the 2006 tour was released which includes the group's hits and some cover versions. With a Royal Variety performance at St James's Palace, London for Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and an appearance on ITV's This Morning, they completed 2006. The New Seekers helped host a garden party in 2007 at Buckingham Palace.[23] This was repeated the following year along with a show at The Tower of London and a return batch of concerts in British theatres.[citation needed] The 40th anniversary of the group in 2009 was celebrated by a 35-date UK concert tour, which began at London's Shaw Theatre on 31 January and continued throughout the year.[24] In July 2009, an album was released; It's Been Too Long – Greatest Hits and More, comprising the group's hits and some new recordings. It entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 17, their first album to enter that chart for 35 years.[6]
In 2011 and 2012 Marty Kristian released two albums of demo recordings from the 1970s and 1980s.[citation needed]
The Seekers were an Australian folk-influenced pop group originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were especially popular during the 1960s, with their best-known configuration of Judith Durham on vocals, piano and tambourine; Athol Guy on double bass and vocals; Keith Potger on twelve-string guitar, banjo and vocals; and Bruce Woodley on guitar, mandolin, banjo and vocals.
Marty Kristian is a German-born, British-based musician. He grew up, and started his musical career, in Australia, as a solo artist. He is a singer-song writer-guitarist and, in the 1970s, he became a heartthrob as a founding member of the New Seekers.
Ferry Aid was a British-American charity supergroup, brought together to record the song "Let It Be" in 1987. The single was released following the Zeebrugge Disaster; on 6 March 1987 the ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise had capsized, killing 193 passengers and crew. All proceeds from sales of the single were donated to the charity set up in the aftermath of the disaster. The recording was organised by The Sun newspaper, after it had sold cheap tickets for the ferry on that day. "Let It Be" was written by Paul McCartney and originally recorded by the Beatles in 1969.
Keith Leon Potger is an Australian musician, who was a founding member of the folk-pop group the Seekers. In September 2014, along with his colleagues in the Seekers, Potger was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). In 1968, they were all awarded the nation's top honour as "Australians of the Year 1967". In 1988, he wrote and produced stage musicals for the Australian Bicentenary.
Lyn Paul is an English pop singer and actress. She came to fame as a member of the international chart-topping pop group the New Seekers in the early 1970s. She has more recently found success and critical acclaim starring in the long-running West End musical, Blood Brothers.
Eve Graham is a retired Scottish singer who found fame in the early 1970s with the pop group The New Seekers.
Carol Hitchcock is an Australian singer and actress. She had a top 20 hit on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart with her cover version of "Get Ready" in mid-1987. It also peaked in the top 60 in the United Kingdom and top 50 in New Zealand. In 1985 Hitchcock had acted in the TV series, Prisoner.
Prima Donna were the United Kingdom representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980. The group comprised sisters Kate and Jane Robbins, Sally Ann Triplett, Danny Finn, Alan Coates and Lance Aston. Finn was a former member of The New Seekers and was married to fellow ex-New Seeker Eve Graham. Robbins later embarked on a successful career as a comedian, impressionist and actress.
Sandra Stevens is an English singer and member of pop group Brotherhood of Man.
David Mackay is an Australian record producer, arranger and musical director. He began his music career at the age of 15 in a production of Bye Bye Birdie for J. C. Williamson Theatre Company. He also worked for a time recording musical sessions for local radio.
We'd Like to Teach the World to Sing is the name given to two albums by UK pop group The New Seekers. The first of these, released in late 1971, was a repackaging of their previous album New Colours and was released in the US. The second version of the album was released in the UK and Europe in 1972 with a new line-up of tracks. Both albums however contained the song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing ".
Beautiful People is a 1971 album by UK pop group The New Seekers. This was the group's third album and their last one released in the UK on the Philips record label. It was their first to be solely produced by David Mackay, who would guide the group through their most successful period over the next two years.
Keith Potger and the New Seekers is a 1970 album by the UK-based pop group The New Seekers. It was the group's second album and their only one to feature the group's founder Keith Potger as a member.
The New Seekers is the debut album by UK-based pop group The New Seekers. It was released in January 1970, just a few months after the group was formed by producer Keith Potger.
Circles is a 1972 album by UK pop group The New Seekers. It was the group's sixth album and released at the peak of their success. In the UK the album was notably released in a cut-out circular sleeve.
Live at the Royal Albert Hall is a 1972 double-album by British pop group The New Seekers. The album was released in November, having been recorded some months earlier.
Now is a 1973 album by British pop group the New Seekers. It was retitled Pinball Wizards in the US.
Together is a 1974 album by British group The New Seekers. It features the No. 1 single "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me" and the top five follow-up "I Get a Little Sentimental Over You". It was the last album the group released before a much-publicised split.
Farewell Album is the final album released by The New Seekers in their early 1970s hit-making line up, released in 1974. It is also the group's last release on Polydor Records.
Donna Jones is an English performer best known for her work as Pussyfoot in the 1970s, and as a member of the New Seekers since February 1979.
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