Judith Durham’s titanic vocal talent with The Seekers saw her fly higher than the rest
A few years before the end of her life, Judith Durham continued to express a charming befuddlement at how far her singular voice had reached.
A few years before the end of her life, Judith Durham continued to express a charming befuddlement at how far her singular voice had reached.
Speaking with The Australian in 2018, she related with a smile her recent experience of receiving a letter from a young fan who had singled out an obscure cover song from 1974 as his favourite of her works.
“He was writing me to say he absolutely loves it,” said Durham four years ago. “To think that a 10-year-old is discovering those records? It’s the most mind-boggling thrill. Here I am, at nearly 75, and I still don’t know who my actual audience is.”
Whether coy humility or genuine uncertainty, Durham’s confusion was amusing, for her audience was essentially anyone with ears.
The acclaimed singer died at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne on Friday, aged 79, as a result of complications from a longstanding chronic lung disease.
“A national treasure and an Australian icon, Judith Durham gave voice to a new strand of our identity and helped blaze a trail for a new generation of Aussie artists,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted on Saturday night. “Her kindness will be missed by many, the anthems she gave to our nation will never be forgotten.”
As singer with folk-pop band The Seekers, her instrument carried the quartet from small venues in Melbourne to the global stage in a short space of time.
As far as much of the world beyond our shores was concerned, Durham’s was the first Australian singing voice they had heard.
It is still among the most evocative and expressive voices this country has produced, even 55 years after Georgy Girl became the first No.1 single by an Australian act on the US pop chart in 1967.
In terms of its sheer stopping power, Durham possessed a weapon that remains unrivalled. When she showed the full extent of her peerless vocal range and control, it was impossible not to be moved by the woman gifted with what Elton John once described as “the purest voice in popular music”.
That was why an estimated 200,000 people gathered at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March 1967 for The Seekers’ homecoming gig, in what remains a record for the biggest concert crowd gathered in the southern hemisphere.
Although the group soared to impossibly lofty heights, the singer kept her feet firmly and humbly on the ground; sadly, despite her titanic talent, she was shadowed by persistent insecurities.
When it was put to her that The Seekers contained a sound that could be classified as purely Australian, Durham was taken aback.
“I think that’s fantastic, and I would love to have the audacity to say yes,” she said with a laugh. “How absolutely thrilling. There’s no question that it’s timeless. I would love to think I could agree with you, but I’m scared to say yes.”
Any singer alive today can testify about what she offered with a microphone in hand, all thanks to the quality of the songs generated by Durham and her Seekers bandmates Keith Potger, Athol Guy and Bruce Woodley.
Singer Kate Ceberano said on Sunday that Durham had “the voice of a generation, distinctive in its 1960s restraint, its folk purity and her beautiful enunciation – but her personality added the X factor. It seemed to give her sound extra oxygen; that ping in the high notes and those deep, rich mid-tones.”
Singer Katie Noonan said: “Her voice represented a purity and innocence of a special time – a time when folk music was at the top of the charts.
“Judith and her bandmates have left an indelible legacy for Australian musicians.”
The Seekers were among the nation’s first pop stars, a fact not lost on those who have since flown the flag for Australian music on the world’s stage.
“Before AC/DC, before INXS, before Silverchair, before Tame Impala there was The Seekers and this diminutive woman kicked the door down for all of us,” wrote former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns on Instagram. “May your memories and music live on for eternity.”
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