Judith Durham (born Judith Mavis Cock; 3 July 1943 – 5 August 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

group

the Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk music, folk-influenced pop music, pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the Un ...

in 1963. The group became the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States and have sold over 50 million records worldwide. Durham left the group in mid-1968 to pursue her solo career. In 1993, Durham began to make sporadic recordings and performances with the Seekers, though she remained primarily a solo performer. On 1 July 2015, she was named Victorian of the Year for her services to music and a range of charities.

Early life

Durham was born Judith Mavis Cock on 3 July 1943 in

Essendon, Victoria Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Essendon recorded a population of 21,240 at the 2021 census. Essen ...

, to William Alexander Cock, a navigator and World War II pathfinder, and his wife, Hazel (''née'' Durham). From her birth until 1949, she lived on Mount Alexander Road, Essendon.She spent summer holidays at her family's weatherboard house (which since has been demolished) on the west side of Durham Place in Rosebud. Her father accepted work in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1949. From early 1950, the family lived in

Taroona Taroona is a major residential suburb approximately 15 minutes drive from the centre of Hobart, Tasmania on the scenic route between Hobart and Kingston. Although on the edges of the City of Hobart, Taroona is actually part of the municipality ...

, a suburb of Hobart, where Durham attended

the Fahan School Fahan School is an independent school for girls located in Sandy Bay, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is a non-denominational school with a Christian ethos. The School was established in 1935 by Isobel Travers and Audrey Morph ...

before moving back to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

, residing in Georgian Court, Balwyn, in 1956. She was educated at

Ruyton Girls' School , motto_translation = Upright and Faithful , established = 1878 , type = Independent, single-sex, day school , denomination = Non-denominational , key_people = , chairman ...

Kew and then enrolled at RMIT. Durham at first planned to be a pianist and gained the qualification of Associate in Music, Australia ( AMusA), in classical piano at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

Conservatorium. She had some professional engagements playing piano and also had classical vocal training and performed blues, gospel and jazz pieces. Her singing career began one night at the age of 18 when she asked Nicholas Ribush, leader of the Melbourne University Jazz Band, at the Memphis Jazz Club in Malvern, whether she could sing with the band. In 1963, she began performing at the same club with

Frank Traynor Frank Traynor (8 August 192722 February 1985) was an Australian jazz musician, trombonist and entrepreneur based in Melbourne. He led Australia’s longest continuously running jazz band, the Jazz Preachers, from 1956 until his death in 1985. H ...

's Jazz Preachers, using her mother's maiden name of Durham. In that year she also recorded her first EP, ''Judy Durham'', with Frank Traynor's Jazz Preachers for

W&G Records W&G Records was an Australian recording company that operated from the early 1950s to the 1970s. It was a subsidiary of the Melbourne precision engineering company White & Gillespie. W&G released many significant recordings by Australian popular a ...

The Seekers

The Seekers consisted of Durham, Athol Guy,

Bruce Woodley Bruce William Woodley (born 25 July 1942) is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the successful folk-pop group The Seekers, and co-composer of the songs " I Am Australian," " Red Rubber Ball," and Simon & ...

and Keith Potger, an ABC radio producer. Through Potger's position the three were able to make a demo tape in their spare time. This was given to W&G Records, which wanted another sample of Durham's voice before agreeing to record a Jazz Preachers' album. W&G instead signed the Seekers for an album, '' Introducing the Seekers'', in 1963. Durham, however, recorded two other songs with the Jazz Preachers, "Muddy Water" (which appeared on their album ''Jazz from the Pulpit'') and "Trombone Frankie" (an adapted version of

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock an ...

's "Trombone Cholly"). In early 1964, the Seekers sailed to the United Kingdom on SS ''Fairsky'' on which the group provided the musical entertainment. Originally they had planned to return after ten weeks, but they received a steady stream of bookings through the Grade Agency because they had sent the agency a copy of their first album. On 4 November 1964 at EMI's Abbey Road Studios, the Seekers recorded "

I'll Never Find Another You "I'll Never Find Another You" is a 1964 single by The Seekers, which reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom in February 1965. It was The Seekers' first UK-released single, and it was the second-best-selling of 1965 in the UK. The song was also popu ...

". In February 1965, the song reached number one in the UK and Australia. The group had further Top 10 hits with "

A World of Our Own "A World of Our Own" is a 1965 single written by Tom Springfield and was an international hit for the Seekers. The single peaked at number 19 on the Hot 100 and number 2 on the Easy Listening charts. It reached number 3 in the U.K. and number 2 i ...

", "

Morningtown Ride "Morningtown Ride" is a lullaby, written and performed by Malvina Reynolds. It was covered by The Seekers and their recording reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song tells the comforting story of the journey through nighttime made by al ...

" and "

Someday, One Day This is a list of songs performed by the Australian pop / folk group The Seekers – on record and live in concert, 144 songs in total. The Seekers * Judith Durham – lead vocals, tambourine, maracas, piano, celeste, harpsichord, (autoharp - for ...

". " Georgy Girl" reached number two (''Billboard'' chart) and number one (''Cashbox'' chart) in the United States. " The Carnival Is Over" is still one of the top 50 best-selling singles in the UK. On 12 March 1967, the Seekers set an official all-time Australian record when more than 200,000 people (nearly one tenth of the city's entire population at that time) flocked to their performance at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia. Their TV special ''The Seekers Down Under'' scored the biggest TV audience ever (with a 67 rating), and early in 1968 they were all awarded the nation's top honour as " Australians of the Year 1967". On a tour of New Zealand in February 1968, Durham advised the group that she was leaving the Seekers and left in July 1968.

Solo career

Durham returned to Australia in August 1968 and her first solo television special, ''An Evening with Judith Durham'', screened on the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

in September. During her solo career, she released albums titled '' For Christmas with Love'', '' Gift of Song'' and '' Climb Ev'ry Mountain''. In 1970, she made the television special ''Meet Judith Durham'' in London, ending with her rendition of " When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day" by

Carrie Jacobs-Bond Carrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond (August 11, 1862 – December 28, 1946) was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter who composed some 175 pieces of popular music from the 1890s through the early 1940s. She is perhaps best remembered for writing t ...

(1862–1946). In 1975, Durham starred in an acting and singing role as Sarah Simmonds, a burlesque type performer in "The Golden Girl", an episode of the Australian television series ''Cash and Co.'' Set in the 1800s Australian goldfields, the episode also featured Durham's husband, Ron Edgeworth, on piano. She performed six songs; "Oh Susanna", "When Starlight Fades", "Maggie Mae", "Rock of Ages", "There's No Place Like Home" and "The Lord Is My Shepherd". Durham staged a series of concerts at The Troubadour, Melbourne in 1987 with Edgeworth, performing originals the two had written. They returned again the following year. Durham recorded ''

The Australian Cities Suite ''The Australian Cities Suite'' is an album by Australian recording artist Judith Durham with Orchestra Victoria. The album is a collection of songs she wrote about each capital city in Australia and was released in October 2008. The album was r ...

'' album with all proceeds to go to the charitable sector. The album was released April 2012. This project was to benefit charities working with the Lord Mayor's Charitable Fund, including Orchestra Victoria and the Motor Neurone Disease Association of Australia (Durham was national patron). In 2003, Durham toured the UK in "The Diamond Tour" celebrating her 60th birthday. The tour included the Royal Festival Hall and a CD and DVD of the concert was issued. In 2006, Durham started modernising the music and phrases of " Advance Australia Fair". the Australian National Anthem; the Aboriginal singer/songwriter

Kutcha Edwards Kutcha Edwards is an indigenous Australian singer and songwriter. He was born in Balranald, New South Wales, in 1965. A survivor of the Stolen Generations, he was removed from his parents at the age of 18 months. He is a Mutti Mutti man. He was ...

also contributed lyrics, Durham first performed it in May 2009 at Federation Hall, St Kilda Road. It was released as a CD single. On 13 February 2009, Durham made a surprise return to the Myer Music Bowl when she performed the closing number at the ''RocKwiz Salutes the Bowl – Sidney Myer Music Bowl 50th Anniversary'' with "The Carnival Is Over". On 23 May 2009, she performed a one-hour 'a cappella' concert in Melbourne as a launch for her album '' Up Close and Personal''. In October 2011, Durham signed an exclusive international deal with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

. George Ash, president of Universal Music Australasia, said that "It is an honour to have Judith Durham join Decca's wonderful roster of artists. When you think of the legends that have graced the Decca Records catalogue it is the perfect home to welcome Judith to, and we couldn't be more excited to work with Judith on not only her new recordings but her incredible catalogue as well." In June 2018, to celebrate Durham's 75th birthday, a collection of 14 previously unreleased songs was released on the album '' So Much More''.

Personal life

On 21 November 1969, Durham married her musical director, British pianist Ron Edgeworth, at Scots' Church in

. Edgeworth had been with a group, The Trebletones, on the same tour. They chose not to have children. Durham and her husband were vegetarian; she became a vegan after 2015. She also avoided alcohol and caffeine. They lived in the UK and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

until the mid-1980s when they bought property in Nambour, Queensland. In 1990, Durham, Edgeworth and their tour manager, Peter Summers, were involved in a car accident on the Calder Freeway. The driver of the other car died at the scene and Durham sustained a fractured wrist and leg. The response from her fans made Durham consider getting back together with the other members of the Seekers for a silver jubilee show. During this reunion Edgeworth was diagnosed with motor neurone disease also known as ALS. He died on 10 December 1994 with Durham by his side. In the late 1990s, Durham was stalked by a former president of a Judith Durham fan club, a woman who sent her dozens of doormats through the post. The woman was subsequently prosecuted and was later imprisoned for other serial crimes. In 2000, Durham broke her hip and was unable to sing "The Carnival Is Over" at the closing ceremony of the

2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

in Sydney with the Seekers. However, she sang it from a wheelchair at the

2000 Paralympics The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was last time that the Summer Paralympics which were organized by two different ...

shortly thereafter. In May 2013, during the Seekers' Golden Jubilee tour, Durham suffered a

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

that diminished her ability to read and write—both visual language and musical scores. During her convalescence, she made progress to rebuild those skills. Her singing ability was not affected by the stroke.

Death

Durham was born with

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

and at age four she caught

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

, which left her with a life-long chronic lung disease,

bronchiectasis Bronchiectasis is a disease in which there is permanent enlargement of parts of the airways of the lung. Symptoms typically include a chronic cough with mucus production. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing up blood, and chest ...

. Durham died from that disease at

the Alfred Hospital The Alfred Hospital, also known as The Alfred or Alfred Hospital, is a leading tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the second oldest hospital in Victoria, and the oldest Melbourne hospital still operating on its original si ...

in Melbourne on 5 August 2022, at age 79. She was given a state memorial service by the state of Victoria on 6 September 2022 at Hamer Hall. Durham is interred with her husband Ron Edgeworth at Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Springvale.

Solo releases

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Charting singles

Honours and awards

* In 1966, the Seekers (Judith Durham, Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley, Keith Potger) received the Carl Alan Award for Best New Group (1965) at the Top Of The Pops Awards, in London. *In 1968, Durham and the other members of The Seekers were named jointly and severally Australians of the Year 1967. *In the 1995 Australia Day Honours, Durham, along with the other members of The Seekers, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). * In 2001, Durham was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

by the Governor-General for valued service to Australian society through music. *In 2003, Rotary International invested Durham as a Paul Harris Fellow, in recognition of her extensive work on behalf of charities. *In 2006, Durham and the other members of The Seekers were presented with the Key to the City by Melbourne's Lord Mayor, John So. *In 2012, Durham and the other members of the Seekers were honoured by Australia Post with a special Legends Of Australian Music postage stamp. *In the

2014 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2014 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...

, Durham, along with the other members of The Seekers, was advanced as an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

(AO). *In 2015, Durham was named 2015 Victorian of the Year.

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

are a set of annual ceremonies presented by

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987. At the 2022 ARIA Music Awards a special tribute in her honour will have "I'll Never Find Another You" performed by Casey Donovan and "The Carnival Is Over" by Dami Im. , - , 1995 , , Judith Durham (and the Seekers) , ,

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

, , , -

APRA Awards

These annual awards were established by

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

(APRA) in 1982 to honour the achievements of songwriters and music composers and to recognise their song writing skills, sales and airplay performance, by its members annually. , - ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, , Judith Durham (and the Seekers) , , Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music , , , -

Australian Women in Music Awards

The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the Australian Music Industry who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018. , - , 2019 , Judith Durham , AWMA Honour Roll ,

Music Victoria Awards

The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005. , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, , Judith Durham (and the Seekers) , , Hall of Fame , , , -

References

Sources

External links

Official website
*

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, Judith 1943 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Australian pianists 20th-century Australian women singers 21st-century pianists A&M Records artists Australian expatriates in Switzerland Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom Australian jazz singers Australian sopranos Australian women pianists Australian women pop singers Australian women singer-songwriters Columbia Records artists Deaths from lung disease Decca Records artists EMI Records artists Officers of the Order of Australia People educated at Ruyton Girls' School People from Essendon, Victoria Pye Records artists Recipients of the Centenary Medal Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia RMIT University alumni Singers from Melbourne Tambourine players The Seekers members University of Melbourne alumni University of Melbourne women 20th-century women pianists 21st-century women pianists Musicians from Melbourne