What band began as a skiffle group in Liverpool in the late 50s, played local venues, traveled to Hamburg in 1962, returned home and scored one hit after another through the early 60s? OK, here’s another hint: They sang in intricate three-part harmonies, and one of them played a Rickenbacker guitar.
Actually two groups share this history: We don’t have to tell you the first. The second is perhaps the most underrated band of the British Invasion, the Searchers.
They took their name from the title of the 1956 Western starring John Wayne. Like the Beatles, the Searchers sang covers of American R&B songs at Liverpool’s Cavern and Iron Door before a four-month gig in Hamburg at the Star Club, where they played three shows a night.
Back in Liverpool, the Searchers signed on with Pye Records, and Tony Hatch became their producer. Hatch played piano on some recordings and wrote “Sugar and Spice” — the band’s second number one record — under the name Fred Nightingale; a secret he kept from the band at the time. Their first UK #1 record, “Sweets for my Sweet,” was released in 1963. “Sugar and Spice”, the Searchers’ second single, reached #2 on the charts.
In 1964, the Searchers released a version of “Love Potion Number Nine,” a Leiber and Stoller song that was a hit for the Clovers, five years earlier. It became the Searchers’ top-selling record in the U.S..
After scoring with “Needles and Pins” (a song co-written by Sonny Bono and Jack Nitzsche), bassist Tony Jackson left the band and was replaced by Frank Allen, who’s still with the Searchers today.
The Searchers toured with the Rolling Stones in the Far East in 1966, but their string of hit songs began to fade. Musical tastes were beginning to change (the Beatles had recorded “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver”), but the Searchers stayed with their original sound and their popularity began to wane. They continued to record for Liberty Records and RCA and had a minor US hit in 1971 with “Desdemona”.
The Searchers continued to tour through the 1970s and in 1979, they signed with Sire Records. They released two albums: “The Searchers” and “Play for Today” (retitled “Love’s Melodies” outside the UK). While both recordings won critical acclaim, neither one was a hit.
Sire dropped the Searchers, and in 1981, they signed to PRT Records (an offshoot of Pye, their original label) and began recording an album. Soon after the PRT release, founder Mike Pender left the group and now tours as Mike Pender’s Searchers.
In 1988, Coconut Records signed the Searchers and released the “Hungry Hearts” album. It featured new versions of “Needles and Pins” and “Sweets For My Sweet” While the album was not a major hit, it did keep the group in the public eye.
In the summer of 1989, the Searchers played to their biggest audiences ever – more than 75,000 people at London’s Wembley Stadium. In 1998 they headlined a major nationwide UK tour with The Swinging Blue Jeans and Helen Shapiro; then returned briefly to the US, to play at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut and give their fans a private show at the fourth Searchers Appreciation Society Convention.
In 2003, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Searchers’ first number-one hit, they headlined another very successful “Solid Silver 60s Tour”, along with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, Wayne Fontana, the Dakotas and Barry Ryan.
Where are They Now?
More than 50 years after they began, the Searchers continue to tour, including electric performances with an acoustic set. Today’s lineup features founding member John McNally (lead guitar, 12-string guitar, vocals), Frank Allen (bass and vocals), Spencer James (lead vocals and guitar) and Scott Ottaway (drums).To confuse matters, the original group’s former lead singer Mike Pender also tours with his own band, Mike Pender’s Searchers, performing old Searchers’ hits, in addition to some new material.
Searchers Video
A live (not lip-synched) performance of their first hit, “Sweets for My Sweet,” from 1964.
Fast forward 43 years: The Searchers perform a medley of their greatest hits in Queensland, Australia, in 2007.
The Searchers Hit Singles
Release Date — Title — UK Top chart position — US Top chart Position
1963 “Sweets for My Sweet” #1 -
1963 “Sweet Nothins” #48 -
1963 “Sugar and Spice” #2 #44
1964 “Needles and Pins” #1 #13
1964 “Ain’t That Just Like Me” – #61
1964 “Don’t Throw Your Love Away” #1 #16
1964 “Some Day We’re Gonna Love Again” #11 #34
1964 “When You Walk in the Room” #3 #35
1964 “Love Potion No. 9″ – #3
1964 “What Have They Done to the Rain” #13 #29
1965 “Bumble Bee” – #21
1965 “Goodbye My Love” #4 #52
1965 “He’s Got No Love” #12 #79
1965 “When I Get Home” #35 -
1965 “Take Me For What I’m Worth” #20 #76
1966 “Take It Or Leave It” #31 -
1966 “Have You Ever Loved Somebody?” #48 #94
1967 “Popcorn Double Feature” – -
1967 “Western Union” – #115
1967 “Second Hand Dealer” – -
1968 “Umbrella Man” – -
1971 “Desdemona” – #94
Click here to visit the Searchers website.
