Believe it or not...

Today in Music History: November 25, 1965

Many groups of the Spirit of the 60s Music disbanded with a few members going on to become chart topping solo artists. Others disbanded to reunite years, often decades, later reviving the music, memories, pain and happiness of the past. Such is true of the group in the spotlight today. During late 1965 and early 1966, believe it or not, they rivaled the popularity of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Welcome into the spotlight...

 

The Seekers in 1965
Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

The Seekers: the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States

The Seekers were at the head of the British Invasion's acoustic folk-rock division. They scored a string of number one hits in England and Top Ten successes in the U.S. that lasted into 1967, two years later than most British exports to America. 

The Seekers achieved their first success in the US in 1965 with their highly popular hit, "I'll Never Find Another You", reaching peaks of No. 4 Pop and No. 2 Easy Listening in Billboard magazine surveys.

The Seekers were the first Australian pop group to have a top 5 hit in all three countries – Australia, UK and US. Australian music historian, Ian McFarlane described their style as "concentrated on a bright, uptempo sound, although they were too pop to be considered strictly folk and too folk to be rock." The distinctive soprano voice of Durham, the group's harmonies and memorable songs encouraged the UK media, including the BBC, to give them exposure, allowing them to appeal to a broad cross-section of the pop audience. Source: en.wikipedia.org

1965 The Seekers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Carnival Is Over', the group's second No.1. Originally a Russian folk song from 1883 with lyrics written by Tom Springfield (the brother of Dusty Springfield). At its peak, the song was selling 93,000 copies per day and is No.30 of the biggest selling singles of all time in the United Kingdom.

Here are The Seekers performing the same song in 2011 at an Andre Rieu concert...

The following recordings by the Seekers were each certified as having sold over one million copies: "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own", "The Carnival is Over" and "Georgy Girl". They were each awarded a gold disc. As of 2004, the Seekers sold 60 million recordings worldwide. Makes one wonder what that count is today 10 years later!

More No.1s on this day...

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  1972 Chuck Berry was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'My Ding a-Ling', his only UK No.1. The song was originally recorded by Dave Bartholomew in 1952. Berry's version was from a concert recorded at the Locarno ballroom in Coventry, England, on 3 February 1972. Boston radio station WMEX disc jockey Jim Connors was credited with a gold record for discovering the song and pushing it to No.1 over the airwaves and amongst his peers in the United States.

• 2001 American country music artist Garth Brooks went to No.1 on the US album chart with his eightth studio album Scarecrow, the last album by Brooks before his thirteenth-year hiatus. It has been certified 5× platinum RIAA and was named Best Selling Album at the 2002 Canadian Country Music Association Awards.

• 2001 Robbie Williams started an eight-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with Swing When You're Winning. The album spent 57 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, certified 7x Platinum, and became the 49th best-selling album of all-time in the UK.

• 2001 Madonna achieved her sixth number one on the US album charts with Confessions on a Dance Floor her third consecutive US album chart topper. The album went to No.1 in 40 countries setting a new record. The Beatles previously held this record when The Beatles 1 went to No.1 in 36 countries in 2000.

   

1965 Harrods department store in London, England, closed to the public so The Beatles could do their Christmas shopping in private.

1992 The Bodyguard, opened nation-wide featuring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. The film which was Houston's acting debut was written by Lawrence Kasdan in the 1970s, originally as a vehicle for Steve McQueen and Diana Ross. It became the second-highest-grossing film worldwide in 1992 with the soundtrack becoming the best-selling soundtrack of all time, selling more than 42 million copies worldwide.

2010 A restaurant fell victim to a prankster who had them make 178 pizzas by claiming they were for singer Bob Dylan and his crew. An imposter wearing a fake pass for a Dylan concert called in an Antonio's restaurant and placed the huge order worth more than $3,900. He told the owner the pizzas were for Dylan and his crew who had appeared in concert in Amherst, Massachusetts. Staff at Antonios worked until 5.30am to make the pizzas - but were left stunned when no one returned to collect the order.

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times...