We’ve Lost Two Awesome Songbirds In The Past Two

It is so sad that two of wonderful Australian singers have passed away, joining Helen Reddy in the place where songbirds go. The first Judith Durham made her name as lead singer of The Seekers. They had several hit songs but the one I remember most is “Georgie Girl”. It had a tune that was easy to remember or whistle and the lyrics encompassed the ideal swinging 60’s girl.

She sang with the Seekers for only five years before deciding to persue a solo career. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember any of her songs she did during her solo career but I remember Georgie Girl, or I’ll Never Find Another You. If you don’t know either tune, look up the Seekers on YouTube and enjoy the band.

The other woman who passed this week was much more well known and made her mark in a movie that is still fun to watch even today. Olivia Newton John had a musical career in Australia and the United Kingdom before she came to the United States. She won multiple grammy awards but she made her mark when she played Sandy in the movie Grease with John Travolta.

I’m currently in Australia and they are spending time commemorating her life. Through it, I learned that Olivia wasn’t sure she should do the movie as she was 29 at the time but they sent John to talk her into it. She auditioned and the rest is history. I loved it when the girls spruced her up so that she became the vamp as her character when she was the “nice” girl was rather insipid. When she became the vamp, she came alive and rocked.

She died of the side effects of cancer that she fought for multiple years. She was first diagnosed at 44 and continued fighting it to her death but in-between, she worked hard to create wellness centers for those who also suffered from cancer.

Olivia and Judith will be missed for their beautiful music and contributions to the music scene. Although they aged, they remained active in the music scene. May they rest in piece and may they make wonderful music in the place where songbirds go. Goodbye.