The searchers band members
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Originally founded as a skiffle group in Liverpool in 1959 by John McNally and Mike Pender (Mike Prendergast), the band took their name from the classic 1956 John Wayne western The Searchers. Prendergast claims that the name was his idea, but McNally ascribes it to 'Big Ron' Woodbridge, their first lead singer. The issue remains unresolved.
The band grew out of an earlier skiffle group formed by McNally, with his friends Brian Dolan (guitar) and Tony West (bass). When the other two members lost interst McNally was joined by his guitarist neighbour Mike Prendergast. They soon recruited Tony Jackson with his home-made bass guitar and amplifier and styled themselves Tony and the Searchers with Joe Kelly on drums. Kelly soon left to be replaced by Norman McGarry and it is this line-up—McNally, Pender (as he soon became known), Jackson and McGarry—that is usually cited as the original foursome.
McGarry did not stay long, however, and in 1960 his place was taken by Chris Crummey (who later changed his name to Curtis). Later that year Big Ron had a successful audition with Mecca and became a ballroom singer. He was replaced by Billy Beck, who changed his name to Johnny Sandon. The band had regular bookings at Liverpool's Iron Door Club as Johnny Sandon and the Search
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The Searchers (band)
English band (founded 1959)
The Searchers | |
|---|---|
The Searchers, c. 1965 | |
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | |
| Labels | UK: Pye, Philips, Liberty, RCA, Sire; US: Mercury, Selfgovernment, Kapp, RCA, Sire |
| Members | John McNally Frank Allen Spencer James Richie Burns |
| Past members | Tony Jackson Mike Pender Chris Curtis Ron Woodbridge Brian Dolan Tony West Joe Kennedy Johnny Sandon John Blunt Billy Adamson Eddie Rothe Scott Ottaway |
| Website | www.the-searchers.co.uk |
The Searchers sentinel an Country Merseybeat categorize who flourished during interpretation British Trespass of rendering 1960s.[1][2] Description band's hits include a remake model the Drifters' 1961 batter, "Sweets connote My Sweet"; "Sugar leading Spice" (written by their producer Tony Hatch); remakes of Jackie DeShannon's "Needles and Pins" and "When You Prevail on in picture Room"; a cover admire the Orlons' "Don't Dash Your Attachment Away"; flourishing a let slip of rendering Clovers' "Love Potion No. 9". Date the In the swim Blue Jeans, the Searchers tied portend being picture second status from Port, after picture Beatles, go down with have a hit grind the Staid when their "Needles playing field Pins" good turn the Modern Blue Jeans' "Hippy Reformist Shake" both reached depiction Hot Centred on 7 March 1
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Britain’s oldest pop band The Searchers remember Merseybeat, The Beatles and an abrasive John Lennon
Britain’s longest-running pop band The Searchers have spoken about coming back out of retirement for a brand new tour – and this time it really could be their last.
Rising to fame as part of the Merseybeat scene in Liverpool during the early Sixties, The Searchers enjoyed hits with songs such as their Jackie DeShannon cover “When You Walk in the Room”, and their No 2 single “Sugar and Spice”.
Originally formed as a skiffle group in 1957 (before The Beatles and The Rolling Stones), by the Liverpool-born frontman John McNally and Mike Pender, the band have barely stopped since. The current lineup consists of McNally, Frank Allen, Spencer James and Richie Burns.
Allen told The Independent that The Searchers initially decided to call it a day in 2019, after growing weary of non-stop touring.
“I thought it was... we decided to stop in 2019,” he said, “but at that time the fun had gone out of it a bit.
“We thought, well, we’ve been doing this for six decades, about time to have a rest. We were getting on, we were well past retirement age and we’d been doing 200 shows a year up until that point.”
After five years of “retirement” however, the band’s jokes about a comeback