Originally founded as a skiffle group in Liverpool in 1959 by John McNally … Read Full Bio ↴Originally founded as a skiffle group in Liverpool in 1959 by John McNally and Mike Pender (Mike Prendergast), the band took their name from the classic 1956 John Wayne western The Searchers. Prendergast claims that the name was his idea, but McNally ascribes it to 'Big Ron' Woodbridge, their first lead singer. The issue remains unresolved.

The band grew out of an earlier skiffle group formed by McNally, with his friends Brian Dolan (guitar) and Tony West (bass). When the other two members lost interst McNally was joined by his guitarist neighbour Mike Prendergast. They soon recruited Tony Jackson with his home-made bass guitar and amplifier and styled themselves Tony and the Searchers with Joe Kelly on drums. Kelly soon left to be replaced by Norman McGarry and it is this line-up—McNally, Pender (as he soon became known), Jackson and McGarry—that is usually cited as the original foursome.

McGarry did not stay long, however, and in 1960 his place was taken by Chris Crummey (who later changed his name to Curtis). Later that year Big Ron had a successful audition with Mecca and became a ballroom singer. He was replaced by Billy Beck, who changed his name to Johnny Sandon. The band had regular bookings at Liverpool's Iron Door Club as Johnny Sandon and the Searchers.

Sandon left the band in late 1961 to join The Remo Four in February 1962. The group settled into a quartet sharing the vocal lead and billed simply as The Searchers. They continued to play at the Iron Door, The Cavern, and other Liverpool clubs. Like many similar acts they would do as many as three shows at different venues in one night. They negotiated a contract with the Star-Club in the St. Pauli district Hamburg for 128 days, with three one-hour performances a night, starting in July 1962.

The band returned to a residence, at the Iron Door Club and it was there that they tape recorded the sessions that led to a recording contract with Pye Records with Tony Hatch as producer.

Hatch played piano on some recordings and wrote "Sugar and Spice"—the band’s second number one record—under the pseudonym Fred Nightingale; a secret he kept from the band at the time.

After scoring their monumental hit "Needles and Pins", bassist Tony Jackson went solo and was replaced by Hamburg pal Frank Allen of Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers.

Chris Curtis left the band in 1966 and was replaced by the Needles and Pins-influenced John Blunt, who in turn was replaced by Billy Adamson in 1970.

As musical styles evolved, the Searchers could not keep up and as a result, the hits ran out and while they continued to record for Liberty Records and RCA Records, ended up on the British "Chicken in a Basket" circuit although they did score a minor US hit in 1971 with "Desdemona".

The group continued to tour through the 1970s and were rewarded in 1979 when Sire Records signed the band to a multi-record deal. Two albums were released by them, The Searchers and Play for Today (retitled Love's Melodies outside the UK). Both records garnered great critical acclaim but did not break into the charts. They did however revitalize the group's career. According to John McNally, the band were ready to head into the studio to record a third album for Sire when they were informed that due to label reorganization, their contract had been dropped.

In 1981, the band signed to PRT Records (formerly Pye, their original label) and began recording an album but only one single, "I Don't Want To Be The One" backed with "Hollywood", saw the light of day at that time. The rest of the tracks would be released as part of 2004's 40th Anniversary collection.

Soon after the PRT release, Mike Pender left the group amidst great acrimony and now tours as Hollywood. McNally and Allan recruited former First Class vocalist Spencer James to fill Pender's shoes.

In 1988, Coconut Records signed The Searchers and the album Hungry Hearts was the result. A very contemporary sounding release, it featured modern sounding remakes of "Needles and Pins" and "Sweets For My Sweets". While the album was not a major hit, it did keep the group in the public eye.

The band continues to tour with Eddie Rothe replacing Adamson on drums and is considered to be one of the most popular 1960s bands on the UK concert circuit.

for more info see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Searchers_%28band%29

I'll Be Doggone
The Searchers Lyrics

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Well, I'll Be Doggone if I would work all day
And I'll Be Doggone if I would bring you my pay
But if I ever caught you running around,
blowing my money all over this town
Then I wouldn't be doggone
Hey, Hey! I'd be long gone.
Then I wouldn't be doggone (Baby!)
I'd be long gone. mm mm

Now, hey, hey, hey!

I'll be Doggone if you ain't a pretty thing
And I'll be Doggone if you ain't warm as a breath of spring
And if we live to be a hundred year old,
if you ever let that spring turn cold
Then I wouldn't be doggone
Hey, Hey, Hey! I'd be long gone.
Oh, I wouldn't be doggone (Baby)
I'd be long gone. mm mm
Now, did you hear me?
Well, now, what I say oh, believe me.

Well, ev'ry woman should try to be whatever her man wants her to be.
And I don't want much, all I want from you is for you to be true to me.

I'll be Doggone if love ain't a man's best friend
Oh, baby, And I'll Be Doggone if you ain't the loving end
Though I know you make me feel like nobody could,
if I ever found out that you're no good
Then I wouldn't be doggone
Well, I wouldn't be doggone (Baby!)
I'd be long gone.
I wouldn't be doggone
(gonna catch me a train)
Naw, baby, I wouldn't be doggone

I wouldn't be doggone
(gonna catch me a plane)

Overall Meaning

The Searchers' song "I'll Be Doggone" is a classic example of a man setting his own boundaries and expressing his expectations in a relationship. The lyrics reveal a strong sense of independence, where the singer won't tolerate his lover taking advantage of him or wasting his hard-earned money. He proclaims, "I'll be Doggone if I would work all day, and I'll Be Doggone if I would bring you my pay." He values loyalty and honesty, and he is ready to move on if his significant other fails to abide by his standards.

The song's upbeat melody and the singer's passionate delivery are in perfect harmony, making this a signature tune of The Searchers. The chorus, "Then I wouldn't be doggone (Baby!) I'd be long gone," is a catchy and memorable line that typifies the song's overall mood of being assertive and self-assured, underpinned with a sense of energy and determination. The singer shows that he is not afraid to walk away if his relationship is not fulfilling him emotionally or financially.

The song "I'll Be Doggone" was first recorded by Marvin Gaye in 1965 and was a hit on the Motown label. The Searchers covered the song in 1966, and their version reached number 24 on the UK charts. The song was written by Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin, and Warren Moore. The music video for The Searchers' version of the song features the band performing on a television show, surrounded by a group of screaming audience members.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, I'll Be Doggone if I would work all day
I refuse to work all day long.

And I'll Be Doggone if I would bring you my pay
I'm not giving you my hard-earned money.

But if I ever caught you running around, blowing my money all over this town
If I catch you spending my money on someone else, I'll be angry.

Then I wouldn't be doggone Hey, Hey! I'd be long gone.
I would leave you if you cheated on me.

Now, hey, hey, hey!
Listen to me.

I'll be Doggone if you ain't a pretty thing
You are incredibly attractive.

And I'll be Doggone if you ain't warm as a breath of spring
You are kind and loving.

And if we live to be a hundred year old, if you ever let that spring turn cold
Even if we grow old, I expect you to remain devoted to me.

Then I wouldn't be doggone Hey, Hey, Hey! I'd be long gone.
I would leave if you betrayed my trust, even if we've been together for years.

Oh, I wouldn't be doggone (Baby) I'd be long gone. mm mm Now, did you hear me?
I want to make sure you understand my expectations, so I'm repeating myself.

Well, now, what I say oh, believe me.
You can trust me and my words.

Well, ev'ry woman should try to be whatever her man wants her to be.
I believe that women should please their partners.

And I don't want much, all I want from you is for you to be true to me.
My only requirement is that you stay faithful to me.

I'll be Doggone if love ain't a man's best friend Oh, baby, And I'll Be Doggone if you ain't the loving end
Love is a precious thing, and you are the person who completes me.

Though I know you make me feel like nobody could, if I ever found out that you're no good
You make me feel special, but if I discover that you're untrustworthy,

Then I wouldn't be doggone Well, I wouldn't be doggone (Baby!) I'd be long gone.
I'll leave you without a moment's hesitation.

I wouldn't be doggone (gonna catch me a train) Naw, baby, I wouldn't be doggone I wouldn't be doggone (gonna catch me a plane)
I'll go far away from you if you betray me.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: MARVIN TARPLIN, SMOKEY ROBINSON, WARREN MOORE, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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