JUDITH DURHAM TRIBUTE - Today (August 7, 2022)
Judith Durham Tribute - Today (August 7, 2022)
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00:00Tributes are pouring in this morning for one of the nation's finest singers Judith Durham the leading lady of the Seekers sadly passing away in
00:07Melbourne aged 79, but her legacy lives on the music scene here at home and around the world
00:14Judith Durham went from secretary to superstar in the 1960s. She was literally the voice of Australia
00:22At the age of 20 her life changed when she met Athol Guy, Keith Potker and Bruce Woodley
00:35forming the quartet that would become a trailblazer for Australian music the Seekers
00:40Now you guys really are like a family aren't you? Well I guess we're like Judith's three big
00:49brothers but you can imagine back in the 60s what a heck of a shock it must have been for her parents
00:55The Seekers sold more than 50 million records becoming our first international superstars
01:01the first Aussie group to be number one in both the US and the UK. We were outselling
01:07the Beatles and the Stones at the beginning of 1965. I'll never find another you sending
01:12them straight to the top. That was followed by Georgie Girl the year after
01:30In 1967 the band was named joint Australians of the Year the same year Judith went out to
01:37forge a solo career. In 1969 she married Ron Edgeworth who she would later lose to motor
01:44neuron disease. But it wasn't till 2013 that life began to slow down. Judith suffering a
01:51brain hemorrhage backstage at the end of a performance not enough to stop the Golden
01:56Jubilee farewell tour. Judith passed away at Melbourne's Alfred Hospital after a long battle
02:02with chronic lung disease. She will be forever remembered and loved by her family and friends.
02:22Ah they're poignant words aren't they? What a magnificent voice and what a beautiful lady she
02:27was. Yeah we'll never find another Judith Durham that's for sure. Well Australia is today mourning
02:33the loss of a national treasure. Judith Durham lead singer of the Seekers passing away in Melbourne
02:38after a long battle with health issues. Graham Simpson was Judith's manager for over 30 years
02:43and he was there at the end and he joins us on the phone this morning. Graham thank you for doing
02:49that we are so sad for your loss and what a gal. She really was a trailblazer wasn't she? I'm very
02:55proud of her many notable successes Graham. She was certainly very proud of them Richard but she
03:04was all through her life for those 30 years I knew her she's probably one of the most humble
03:11people I've ever known. Yeah and it wasn't all easy for her was it? You know she overcame many
03:17obstacles over the years. I always think of a song Richard that Neil Sadaka wrote called One More
03:26Mountain to Climb and one more mountain to climb one more river to cross and she certainly had to
03:32climb a lot of mountains and crossed a lot of rivers but this latest mountain she couldn't
03:41climb over. Yeah well she lost her hubby, there was that car accident, there was the brain trauma
03:49I mean it you know there was a lot of stuff that she had to get over wasn't there? Well from the
03:54age of four of course a bout of measles left her with bronchiectasis which is a degenerative lung
04:04condition that played her right till the end. Yeah how was she at the very end? Well when we
04:16were in the hospital on Friday she was not really conscious she was heavily sedated and
04:32my daughter Malia and I went in first we were given a half an hour with her so we sat on the
04:40side of her bed the held hand each and we talked to her we had a nurse explain that she could hear
04:47us but of course couldn't respond so we just chatted for half an hour and then when we left
04:53Judith's sister Beverly Sheehan and my music host colleague Rebecca Booth they spent a half an hour
05:01and it was while they were sitting with her that she passed away. I hope she knew how much she was
05:06loved Graham because she really was and and let's talk about some amazing stuff I mean the Seekers
05:11were the first international music superstars the songs those harmonies and that voice I mean they
05:18were huge they were unstoppable there weren't they? Well yes I mean and and how I'm not sure
05:25if absurd is the right word but it just seems unthinkable that given that the music industry
05:32was all beat music you know it was the Beatles and the Stones and the Kinks and the Animals and
05:39and whatever and this little folk band from Melbourne straight out of the coffee shop took
05:47them all on and knocked them off you know I mean they with the first three number ones that they
05:53had they knocked off the Kinks, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. She loved talking about that too didn't she?
06:01Yes I know I mean it just stunned her all her life she just really couldn't comprehend the level of success that they had.
06:11Judith was never a picture of health but when she opened her mouth to sing I mean it was the voice
06:18of a 16 year old it was just so pure and innocent and wonderful wasn't it? Oh yes you know that's
06:26that's the one thing that never failed her was her voice she had to be very very careful because of
06:32her lung condition she managed it mostly through diet and of course she never smoked she never
06:39drank alcohol so she did whatever she could to be able to sing because that's pretty much what
06:46she lived for. Yeah we knew and loved her for her music I knew her a little bit and I was immensely
06:52fond of her as you know but tell us about Judith away from the spotlight. Ah she was a very supportive
07:02person for the people around her very caring and she really didn't talk about her achievements much
07:13unless it was in response to an interview question or something but away from the spotlight I mean
07:20she had been to our house many many times for you know lunch or dinner or whatever and
07:28she would just you know sit and chat about our lives. How would she like to be remembered?
07:37For her music and her contribution to the Australian music industry as a solo performer
07:44and of course as a member of The Seekers so with Athol Keith and Bruce so that would be her wish.
07:52Well Graeme we we do appreciate your your time this morning it's obviously a difficult time
07:57sadly the carnival really is over and we send our condolences our love and respect to
08:03our condolences our love and respect to to you the family and um and all her many friends and
08:09fans. That's very very kind of you Richard and I will just um mention this I know I've told you
08:14this before but Judith had the greatest respect for you. Well gonna make me cry on national
08:22television now. That's my life's work is done. Thank you mate thank you we appreciate your time.
08:30Thank you. Great chat Dickie.