Recently two great female singers have died. Olivia Newton-John is perhaps the better know singer world wide. The name of Judith Durham less so although the name of the group she was lead singer in may be more familiar – The Seekers. For myself, I have always had a soft spot for Judith’s voice and in the 60s and 70s there was always at least one track featuring her voice on every audio cassette compilation I made. And I compiled many.
I wonder if some of my younger readers even know what an audio cassette is? Out of curiosity, does anyone still have a working cassette player? I still have one that’s usable but its mono only, so playback isn’t quite the same. I’m not looking for a replacement – I’m just curious if anyone still uses that old technology.
At one time I had several Seekers albums. If I’m being absolutely honest, I bought them solely because of Judith Durham’s voice, and before meeting my future wife, I was rather smitten by Judith’s beauty and fashion sense (hey don’t knock it – it was the 1960s and I was still a teen). During migraine attacks I found her voice soothing and uplifting at the same time. If I recall correctly, one album was on vinyl and two were on cassettes, but that was a long time ago, several house moves , one flood and one burst water pipe away. Somewhere along the line, much of my loved music has disappeared, including all The Seekers albums.
There are many tributes to Judith on social media platforms, wishing sentiments such as “rest in peace“, but I’m firmly of the belief that when a person dies, they are gone – they cannot rest whether in peace or otherwise. Their memory may linger as may any influence they may have had. In the case of Judith Durham, her memory will live on in my mind for the rest of my life, and I’m very grateful for the comfort she has given me over the years, and will no doubt continue to do so.
Breaking from my usual custom, I not including lyrics with this Musical Monday, firstly because I’m including several clips, secondly because Judith’s voice is so clear, and finally because It’s the music in its entirety and not the lyrics that I value.
And finally, for those who would like a little more, watch a 1968 TV special – The World of The Seekers. Sorry the video owner has disabled playback on other websites, so you’ll need to click the link and view it on the YouTube website: https://youtu.be/40LuQVZYepE
Another Spectrum 
15 Aug, 2022 at 10:09 am
Judith Durham was a great talent as well as a great beauty. Her voice always entertained She will be greatly missed.
15 Aug, 2022 at 11:50 am
My parents never listened to rock or folk music even though they were fairly young (early thirties) in the 60s. However Georgy Girl is a song my mother loved and therefore I loved it too. Sad to lose two talented singers in one week, Although I suspect Judith Durham lived a somewhat longer and healthier life than ONJ. Great Musical Monday (although still Sunday here).
17 Aug, 2022 at 4:00 pm
My parents were in their 40s in the 60s, and neither were fond of rock or pop music of that era in general. However The Seekers did meet their approval as did a few other performers who had a similar style of music.
15 Aug, 2022 at 11:43 pm
flip side of the 45 with Georgie Girl was “When the Stars Begin to Fall” what a voice, what a gift, what joy she brought with that beautiful voice.
❤
17 Aug, 2022 at 3:31 pm
Oh, thanks for this Barry. I was a fan of the Seekers and ‘Another You’ was one of my favorite songs – but, strange as it sounds, I think this is the first time I have seen them [what a gift!] – I never went to concerts, watched little TV – but I recognized her voice immediately. If we had to choose the finest vocalist of the ’60s, she would have to be a candidate.
Re cassette players – until 2012 I had a 1999 Toyota Tercel that had one, and it played many many tapes on many long drives I made from Toronto to New York City. I still have 2 walkman type players, though one of them is hiding from me. I have uncountable tapes that I can’t throw away.
17 Aug, 2022 at 3:49 pm
I’m confident I’ll include more tracks from the Seekers in the future. I’ve been to less than a handful of concerts in my lifetime as I can’t stand the loudness or the lighting that often accompanies them.
My sole remaining cassette player most definitely is not a Walkman type. It requires 4 size D batteries if it’s not plugged into the national electricity grid. Like you I have many tapes I couldn’t bear to part with. Several decades ago, I had the opportunity to convert my vinyl and cassette collections to compact disc. I’m sorry I didn’t take advantage of that opportunity as I no longer have a working record player, and the cassette player is most definitely showing its age, although thankfully it does not chew up tapes (so far).