Here is the Australian group The Seekers recording at the famous Abbey Road studios in London their first hit single I’ll Never Find Another You. The group then had one massive hit after another during the 1960s, often beating out the likes of the Beatles and the Rolling stones, before they broke up in 1968. The group was easily recognizable because they featured the rich sound of a 12-string guitar and exquisite vocal harmonies around the gorgeous voice of Judith Durham.

The Seekers re-formed in 1993 and their full 25-year reunion concert that lasts 78 minutes is online.

In 2012, The Seekers did a 50th anniversary tour and 60 Minutes did a segment that year reviewing the group’s origins, meteoric rise, break up, and reconstitution.

When I was a student in Sri Lanka The Seekers inspired me to buy a 12-string guitar in the hope that it would make my playing sound like theirs. Alas, I quickly discovered that sounding that good also required musical talent and skill. Fortunately, I had a good friend who was an excellent guitarist and he played the guitar during the singing sessions that would spontaneously occur amongst us (in those days before the internet when Sri Lanka did not even have TV, we had to create our own entertainment) so it was not totally wasted. When I came to the US I regretfully gave away my guitar to a friend.

In the last year when I decided to see if I could learn to play the guitar properly and raise my level from atrocious to at least mediocre, it should be no surprise that I chose a set of Seekers songs to practice on because they are just wonderful. But I am using a regular 6-string guitar. I know my limits.