THE Seekers

They toured the Melbourne coffee bars "starving on a grand scale for several months".

Whilst on their starvation circuit they met up with Bruce Woodley, a singer, guitarist and banjo player. Since Bruce was also struggling, they asked him to join them. And then Judith Durham, a first-rate jazz and gospel singer, joined the boys to make The Seekers complete.

The group began playing in night clubs around Melbourne, but still felt they would have greater opportunities outside Australia. They signed up for a working holiday on a round the world cruise ship, and in May 1964 they landed in Britain, completely unheralded and unknown.

They did however, have a letter of introduction to agent Eddie Jarrett who found them distinctive, talented and eager. Jarrett booked them into several theatre dates and a couple of TV shows, including Sunday Night At The London Palladium.

Audiences were enthusiastic, leading Jarrett to suggest they stay in England - a tremendous decision for each of them. They decided to take the gamble and stay. In an incredibly short time they achieved stardom on an international level.

Their first hit in 1964 was I'll Never Find Another You. On their first attempt they reached the top of the charts with a gold record for their efforts. Their second release, A World Of Our Own, also hit the top of the charts.

The Seekers' first year in England was a phenomenal success, and their return home to Australia for a concert tour was a national event. They also stopped off in the USA to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Their debut LP, A World Of Our Own, was released about this time and bounced immediately into the album charts where it stayed for nine months.

The Carnival Is Over was the next Seekers' hit, also reaching Number One on the British charts, giving the group a hat-trick. It was also the third song especially written for The Seekers by Tom Springfield (formerly of The Springfields).

The rapidly-growing success of The Seekers prompted their own British TV series, A Date With The Seekers. By this time they had appeared on just about every major radio and TV show in the UK, and hundreds of programs in America, New Zealand, Holland, France, Germany, Spain, and (of course) Australia.

In 1968 though, The Seekers decided to go their individual ways.