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
Stand By Me
The Searchers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid
Oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
So darling, darling
Oh stand, stand by me
Stand by me
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
All the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darling, darling
Stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me
Stand by me
So darling, darling
Stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me
Oh stand by me, oh won't you stand now, stand
Stand by me
In the timeless classic "Stand By Me," The Searchers sings about the undying power of friendship and love. The song instantly hits you with its moody and atmospheric opening lines, "When the night has come and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we'll see." The imagery is powerful, setting the scene of a desolate, lonely night. However, the singer reassures the listener that they won't be afraid as long as their companion is by their side. This line encapsulates the entire theme of the song, emphasizing the power of friendship and solidarity.
The chorus of the song is perhaps one of the most recognizable lyrics in popular music. The way the singer repeats the phrase "stand by me" over and over again evokes a feeling of desperation, as if they're begging for their friend to stay close. The second verse starts with the haunting line "If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall," describing an apocalyptic scenario that echoes the feelings of dread and uncertainty that are present throughout the song. Again, the singer reassures their companion that they won't be scared as long as they're together.
Overall, "Stand By Me" is a song about the power of friendship and love. It's a message that transcends time and space, making it one of the most beloved songs of all time. The lyrics are universal and have touched the hearts of countless people around the world.
Line by Line Meaning
When the night has come
When darkness surrounds us
And the land is dark
And everything appears gloomy
And the moon is the only light we'll see
And the only light that shines is the moon
No I won't be afraid
I won't be scared
Oh, I won't be afraid
I won't be frightened
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
As long as you stand beside me for support
If the sky that we look upon
If the sky we gaze upon
Should tumble and fall
Falls apart and crumbles
All the mountains should crumble to the sea
Even if the mountains collapse into the ocean
I won't cry, I won't cry
I won't cry
No, I won't shed a tear
I won't cry at all
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
As long as you stand beside me for support
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me
If you're in any trouble, will you stand beside me for support?
Oh stand by me, oh won't you stand now, stand
Stand by me, could you stand beside me now?
Stand by me
Stand beside me for support
Writer(s): Ben E King, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Contributed by Lucy N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
TB96
Love this song when I was young.
Fabio Dean
I think this arrangement is brilliant... really nice
Oswin Towns
Brilliant version from there pye debut album August 1963 Chris Curtis on vocals i heard this version before the Ben E king version or release very good
Valery Lovitsky
Best version of a song of genius
Philip Long
Good version 😀
Thomas Morales
I like this
Silvio Brancaleone
Qui in Sicilia Messina gli Searchers sono come reggi!!!
Never surrender.
Thank you.
Robert Grudny
Chris Curtis... Yeach!
Ivan Vargas
Sii megusta videos ,👍😴😎