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
Jambalaya
The Searchers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we'll have good fun on the bayou
[Chorus]
Jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and-a file gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
Thibodeaux, Fontainbleau, the place is buzzin'
Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
Dress in style, go hog wild, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
[Chorus]
Jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and-a fillet gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
The Searchers' song Jambalaya is a joyous ode to a festive night spent in the bayou with loved ones. The lyrics speak of bidding farewell to Joe and heading out to pole a pirogue down the bayou with the singer's sweetheart Yvonne. The chorus mentions the mouth-watering Cajun dishes of jambalaya, crawfish pie, and file gumbo, and the singer's excitement to see his "ma cher amio" (French for "my dear friend") and fill his fruit jar. The verses describe the lively atmosphere of Thibodeaux and Fontainbleau, with kinfolk coming to see Yvonne dressed in their finest attire.
The song captures the essence of Cajun culture, from food to music and celebrations. Jambalaya, crawfish pie, and file gumbo are all famous Cajun dishes, and the verse about picking a guitar and filling a fruit jar references the tradition of music and drinking in the culture. The lines "me oh my oh" and "be gay-oh" add to the festive mood and rhythm of the song, and the repetition of "son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou" emphasizes the joyous atmosphere of the gathering.
Overall, Jambalaya is a catchy and upbeat song that celebrates the spirit of Cajun culture and the joy of spending time with loved ones in a festive setting.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye Joe, me gotta go, me oh my oh
Farewell Joe, I have to leave, my goodness
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou
I have to go row my boat down the river
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh
My Yvonne, the most pleasant one
Son of a gun, we'll have good fun on the bayou
We will have great enjoyment on the river
Chorus
Refrain
Jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and-a file gumbo
Jambalaya, made of crawfish pie and file gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Because tonight, I will see my beloved friend
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh
Play guitar, fill the jar with fruit and be happy
Thibodeaux, Fontainbleau, the place is buzzin'
Thibodeaux, Fontainbleau, the area is bustling
Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
Relatives come to see Yvonne in large numbers
Dress in style, go hog wild, me oh my oh
Dress fashionably, go wildly, my goodness
Chorus
Refrain
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
We will have a lot of fun on the river.
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
We will have a lot of fun on the river.
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
We will have a lot of fun on the river.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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