Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

_FOR ALL THE KNOWLEGABLE MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD ;

WHO WAS THE BEST LEAD SINGER THE SEARCHERS EVER

HAD ?

_I WILL GIVE MY VOTE TO TONY JACKSON .

While I have enjoyed many songs sung by different Searchers over the years, from the beginning I preferred the songs sung by Chris Curtis. Chris had great vocal range and terrific expression particularly when he sang his own compositions such as "I Pretend I'm With You" and No One Else Could Love Me".

He also did well with his covers of "This Empty Place" and "Stand By Me." His high falsetto background vocals also became a group trademark in my view. Not withstanding his emotional difficulties, had he stayed it is likely that his compositions would have led to much greater popularity for the group.



It was the scarcity of original material that had The Searchers eventually falling behind other Liverpool groups.

While I think both Chris and Tony made significant and unique vocal contributions, my vote goes to Mike Pender. He put the Searchers on the international map with "Needles and Pins", carried the ball through all the followup hits, with highpoints at "When You Walk in the Room", "Goodbye My Love", and the rest, and did the vocals on almost all the Sire stuff. He IS the voice of the Searchers.

No dispute there John. His is indeed the most classic voice of The Searchers.

nice one john---yes after tony and chris left mike sung lead vocal and of course still does
with his own band MIKE PENDERS SEARCHERS

Although Mike is probably the most remembered voice of The Searchers, one of the group's main assets in their early days was their ability to to be able to change lead vocalist to suit the song. Even John McNally would get a look in.

Although Spencer James may be the Lead vocalist in The Searchers today, Frank Allen and John McNally take their turns. John's voice is heard to best effect on his own composition, the beautiful "Till I Met You", and on "The Tennessee Stud". And all of them, including drummer Eddie Roth contribute marvellously to the groups' harmonies.

And what marvellous harmonies they are. When listening to their music, song after song, there is consistent and creative harmony throughout. For me this is one of the reasons they are admired by audiences throught the world. A high quality performance to be sure. I understand that the addition of a fourth voice, Eddie's, makes their music all the more interesting.