The distinctive jangling sound of the twelve string guitar and the rich harmonies embellishing their immaculate vocals have without doubt assured The Searchers of a lasting place the history of popular music throughout the world.

From it`s early beginnings in the late fifties as a skiffle group formed by John McNally and a bunch of friends, through the heady days of the sixties as the latest teenage idols they have comfortably settled into a position well deserved by a band whose sound has influenced some of the most important artistes of our generation. The Byrds. Tom Petty. Bruce Springsteen. Marshall Crenshaw. And so many others. They happily acknowledge their debt to The Searchers.

In 1962 lead singer Johnny Sandon, a country style vocalist with a deep booming Jim Reeves kind of voice, decided that his opportunity for greater success lay in joining forces with the respected Liverpool band The Remo Four. The Searchers, who by now consisted of John McNally, Chris Curtis, Mike Pender and Tony Jackson, decided to take their chances and continue as a four piece and promptly hit the trail to Hamburg and the prestigious Star Club like so many of their fellow musicians, The Beatles included.

At this converted cinema in the heart of the red light district they improved and extended their repertoire and learnt from the visiting American stars who performed there regularly. Stars like Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent. A host of other Liverpool bands such as Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Big Three and The Undertakers shared the long but exciting evenings playing to a wild German public who were more appreciative of the hard, blues based kind of music these brash ‘scousers’ delivered.

There would be bands from other parts of the U.K too and they particularly admired the London outfit Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers whose young bass player, Frank Allen, was to figure in their fortunes in the not too distant future.

When The Beatles took the nation, and finally the world, by storm the way was suddenly open for every other guitar twanging group to grab their chance and The Searchers, in a move that was both enterprising and precocious, took matters into their own hands by recording their own demonstration album on a primitive set up at The Iron Door Club. When it landed on the desk of PYE a& r man Tony Hatch he was mightily impressed. He invited them down to London and in a two-day session they recorded what was to be their first single, their first hit and their first album. Spontaneity was the order of the day in those early days of the beat boom.

Sweets For My Sweet, with Tony Jackson singing the lead vocals, shot to number one in the summer of 1963, quickly followed by Sugar & Spice and Needles & Pins. By the third hit the vocals had been taken over by Pender and Curtis causing dissension in their ranks. Tony, who also provided the vocal on their biggest U.S success Love Potion Number Nine, was not happy. The hits continued. Don’t Throw Your Love Away. Someday We’re Gonna Love Again. But the atmosphere had deteriorated somewhat and it was decided that Tony would be groomed for a solo career.

His replacement was to be Frank Allen, the bassist with The Rebel Rousers who they had hung around with back in the Hamburg days. When You Walk In The Room, his first single in his new position, proved to be one of their strongest and most enduring of hits. And the run continued with Goodbye My Love, What Have They Done To The Rain, He`s Got No Love, Take Me For What I’m Worth, Bumble Bee (in the U.S), Take It Or Leave It and a string of others.

When the hits finally failed to come The Searchers entered a period of hard work on the cabaret circuit which proved to be good training for a career that, although they had no idea at the time, would last for more than four decades. They learned how to put together a professional presentation with light and shade and with changes of pace that would keep an audience enthralled for an hour and more.

At the beginning of the eighties, after a couple of fairly humdrum periods on Liberty and RCA they were whisked into the studios by the American SIRE label to record two of the finest albums of their career. The Searchers and Play For Today didn`t bring any hits but it gave them lots of kudos in the pages of the music press and it was becoming obvious that their heritage was something that was very much valued by those who had followed.

Meanwhile there were changes. Chris Curtis, disillusioned by the failing singles, quit the group after a 1966 tour of Australia and the Far East to follow a career in production. Alas things did not work out well for the highly talented and respected Curtis and he eventually returned to his native Liverpool where he became a civil servant. John Blunt replaced Chris Curtis for a three-year period until Billy Adamson took over on drums.

At the end of 1985 Pender announced his decision to go solo. It was a shock to the others. What was more of a shock was his decision to use the group`s name in some capacity, thus resulting in a lot of bad blood and the necessity for the remaining three to take court action to protect themselves. The actions were successful and the court rulings meant that, in theory at least, their rights were established.

Pender’s replacement Spencer James, the one time vocalist with First Class who had charted with Beach Baby in the eighties, was a breath of fresh air. Not only did he bring a bright new look and a crystal clear and captivating voice but the band also acquired a whole new legion of younger fans, helped on by the excellent Hungry Hearts album which heralded a new era for them.

Somebody Told Me proved to be the standout track, one which earned the fans` vote as the most loved song of all The Searchers` recordings, and that includes the original hits. That’s saying something. The change also coincided with the revival of the package tours, which had long since disappeared for artistes of this era. Suddenly it was hip to be a sixties band again. And The Searchers were in the top strata of the groups touring on the circuit.

Never content with resting on their laurels The Searchers eventually introduced the concept of solo concerts. Over two hours of music. No support. A fairly comprehensive musical history of this most influential group spread over an entire evening. It was what the fans wanted. A chance to hear those rarities. The B-sides and the album tracks. The minor singles that struggled to find a place in a standard length set. Some acoustic material. Nothing was out of the question.

And with the arrival of Eddie Rothe, formerly of Liquid Gold and Mud, who replaced a departing Billy Adamson at the end of 1988, a fresh wave of enthusiasm spurred them on to constantly update and improve their performances. The last two decades have seen some of the most rewarding times for this much admired group. Two sell-out shows at Wembley Stadium with Cliff Richard as guests on the first knight of pop’s thirtieth anniversary celebration. And Millennium New Year’s Eve, again with Cliff, at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.

There have been sad moments. Johnny Sandon had disturbingly taken his own life quite a few years ago. And Tony Jackson, whose solo efforts had never worked out and who had gone through a lengthy period of ill health, passed away in August 2003. Poor health had also dogged Chris Curtis. It was with deep shock that John and Frank learned of his sudden death from a heart attack in 2005. All their troubles long since behind them they harboured nothing but good will for their former drummer and bass player.

Rock and roll is littered with casualties. But the remaining Searchers, John McNally and Frank Allen along with Spencer James and Eddie Rothe are thankfully in the rudest of health and eager to continue their life of constant touring. Have guitars (and drums), will travel is the motto. Indeed recent years have seen another dimension to their art in the extraordinarily popular ‘all-evening’ solo shows.

Finding their standard set a trifle too constricting and perhaps even a little unsatisfying to their hard core fans who have always known there is more to their favourite group than merely a bunch of hit records, they have over the last decade perfected a two-part concert consisting of their legendary hits, ‘B’ sides, favourite album tracks and a whole bunch of terrific new material they have collected along the way. Combined with anecdotes and reminiscences delivered in an intimate and personal way that is unique to the Searchers these shows have proved to be a triumph in musical entertainment and regularly pack theatres both at home and abroad.

Tours of Australia and New Zealand figure in their schedule and trips to The United States are pretty frequent these days. And if they’re not on a cruise somewhere they are probably in Bangkok of the Middle East. Europe is pretty much covered each year. Belgium, Norway and Denmark have recently taken them to their hearts once more and of course Germany is a country that they visit so often that a plane trip is like getting on a bus for these guys.

But it doesn’t stop there. Some countries are yet to be visited and others are just waiting to be rediscovered. If there is a venue to perform in The Searchers want to play there and they are just waiting to be asked. A career that has lasted this long is not an exercise in survival. It is really about doing what you love and being a part of something you have pride in. There is no doubt that The Searchers certainly are a group to be proud of.