Bruce William Woodley (born 25 July 1942) is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the successful folk-pop group the Seekers,
Early life
Bruce Woodley was born on 25 July 1942 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He attended Melbourne High School with fellow Seekers, Athol Guy and Keith Potger.—later a Top Five hit for US group The Cyrkle.;
Other work
Woodley's non-musical work includes public speaking through the Saxton Speakers Bureau, and he is the patron of various organisations such as the NIYPAA (National Institute of Youth Performing Arts Australia). He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the organisation TLC for Kids, and was for a time, beginning in 1997, the chairman of the Victorian branch of the Variety Club.
Woodley and his wife, Sally have two children, Claire and a son, Dan. Claire has collaborated with her father, several times.
Notable performances
- 1965 – The Seekers won the Best New Group in the New Musical Express Poll Winners Awards and performed on 11 April at the Wembley Empire Pool, on a bill that included the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard and Dusty Springfield. Archive footage from this show was included in the Seekers' 2014 50th anniversary tour.
- 1965 – In June the Seekers performed in the United States on The Ed Sullivan Show singing "A World of Our Own" and "You Can Tell The World".
- 1966 – In November the Seekers performed at a Royal Command Performance at the London Palladium before the Queen Mother.
- 1967 – The Seekers made another appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show singing "Georgy Girl".
- 1967 – The Seekers represented Australia at Expo 67 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (when they appeared on television in Australia via the first satellite transmission from the United States to Australia).
- 1967 – Melbourne, 12 March, Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The Seekers played to an estimated 200,000 people in a televised concert celebrating their overseas success.
Television specials
- 1965 – An Evening with The Seekers
- 1966 – The Seekers at Home
- 1967 – The Seekers Down Under and The World of The Seekers
- Four television mini-specials titled A Date with the Seekers
- 1968 – 1968 BBC Farewell Spectacular
- 2019 – ABC Television's Australian Story
- 2019 – SBS Television screens the Decca DVD Farewell Album
Honours and awards
- In 1966, the Seekers received the Carl Alan Award for Best New Group at the Top Of The Pops Awards, in London.
- In 1968, Guy and the other members of The Seekers were named jointly and severally Australians of the Year 1967.
- In the 1995 Australia Day Honours, Guy, along with the other members of The Seekers, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
- In 2006, Guy and the other members of The Seekers were presented with the Key to the City by Melbourne's Lord Mayor, John So.
- In 2012, Guy and the other members of the Seekers were honoured by Australia Post with a special Legends Of Australian Music postage stamp.
- In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, Guy, along with the other members of The Seekers, was advanced as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).
Discography
Albums
{| class="wikitable"
!Title
!Album details
|-
!Introducing the Seekers
|
- Released: 1963
- Label: W&G
|-
!The Seekers
|
- Released: 1964
- Label: W&G
|-
!Hide & Seekers
|
- Released: 1964
- Label: W&G
|-
!A World of Our Own
|
- Released: 1965
- Label: Columbia, EMI Music Australia
|-
!Come the Day
|
- Released: September 1966
- Label: Columbia, EMI
|-
!Seekers Seen in Green
|
- Released: November 1967
- Label: Columbia, EMi
|-
!The Seekers
|
- Released: 1975
- Label: Astor, Polydor
|-
!Giving and Taking
|
- Released: July 1976
- Label: Astor, Polydor
|-
!Live On
|
- Released: March 1989
- Label: Polydor Records
|-
!Future Road
|
- Released: October 1997
- Label: EMI Music Australia
|-
!Morningtown Ride to Christmas
|
- Released: November 2001
- Label: Sony Music Australia
|-
!Back to Our Roots
|
- Released: June 2019
- Label: Sony Music Australia
|}
Live Albums
{| class="wikitable"
!Title
!Album details
|-
!Live at the Talk of the Town
|
- Released: July 1968
- Label: Columbia, EMI
|-
!25 Year Reunion Celebration
|
- Released: November 1993
- Label: EMI Music Australia
|-
!1968 BBC Farewell Spectacular
|
- Released: November 1999
- Label: Mushroom
|-
!Night of Nights... Live!
|
- Released: 2002
- Label: Mushroom
|-
!Farewell
|
- Released: 12 April 2019
- Label: Decca
|-
!The Carnival of Hits Tour 2000
|
- Released: 23 August 2019
- Label: Decca
|-
!Live in the UK
|
- Released: 2 July 2021
- Label: Decca
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable"
!Title
!Year
|-
!"Kumbaya"
| rowspan="2" |1963
|-
!"Waltzing Matilda"
|-
!"Myra"
| rowspan="2" |1964
|-
!"I'll Never Find Another You"
|-
!"What Have They Done to the Rain"
| rowspan="7" |1965
|-
!"A World of Our Own"
|-
!"Chilly Winds"
|-
!"Morningtown Ride"
|-
!"Cotton Fields"
|-
!"The Carnival Is Over"
|-
!"Lady Mary"
|-
!"Someday, One Day"
| rowspan="4" |1966
|-
!"Walk with Me"
|-
!"Georgy Girl"
|-
!"Isa Lei"
|-
!"Myra (Shake Up the Party)"
| rowspan="4" |1967
|-
!"On the Other Side"
|-
!"When Will the Good Apples Fall"
|-
!"Emerald City"
|-
!"Love Is Kind, Love Is Wine"
| rowspan="4" |1968
|-
!"Days of My Life"
|-
!"With My Swag All on My Shoulder"
|-
!"Island of Dreams"
|-
!"Children Go Where I Send You"
| rowspan="2" |1969
|-
!"Colours of My Life"
|-
!"Sparrow Song"
| rowspan="3" |1975
|-
!"Love Isn't Love Until You Give It Away"
|-
!"Reunion"
|-
!"Break These Chains"
| rowspan="4" |1976
|-
!"A Part of You"
|-
!"Where in the World"
|-
!"Giving and Taking"
|-
!"Vagabond"
|1977
|-
!"How Can a Love So Wrong Be So Right"
|1988
|-
!"Building Bridges"
|1989
|-
!"Keep a Dream in Your Pocket"
|1993
|-
!"A World of Our Own" <small>(re-recording)</small>
| rowspan="2" |1994
|-
!"Georgy Girl" <small>(re-recording)</small>
|-
!"Calling Me Home"
|1997
|-
!"Carry Me"
|2022
|}
Songwriter and performer
- 1964 The Seekers: "Myra" (Durham/Guy/Potger/Woodley)
- 1965 The Seekers: "Two Summers" (Woodley)
- 1965 The Seekers: "Don't Tell Me My Mind" (Woodley)
- 1966 The Seekers: "Come the Day" (Woodley)
- 1966 The Seekers: "Red Rubber Ball" (Woodley/Simon)
- 1966 The Seekers: "I Wish You Could Be Here" (Woodley/Simon)
- 1967 The Seekers: "Love is Kind, Love is Wine" (Woodley)
- 1967 The Seekers: "The Sad Cloud" (Woodley/Westlake)
- 1967 The Seekers: "Chase a Rainbow (Follow Your Dream)" (Woodley)
- 1967 The Seekers: "Angeline is Always Friday" (Tom Paxton/Woodley)
- 1967 The Seekers: "Cloudy" (Woodley/Simon)
- 1967 The Seekers: "Rattler" (Woodley)
- 1969 Bruce Woodley: "Friday Street Fantasy" [EP] ("Friday Man/Little One/Little Miss Sorrow/Captain Grumblepeg")
- 1969 "Friday Man/Captain Grumblepeg" [45]
- 1971 "Just Good Friends" [lp]
- 1971 "Friends/Rattler" [45]
- 1974 "The Roaring Days Vol. 1" [lp]
- 1987 "I am Australian" [box set: 2lp, book, cassette] (Woodley/Dobe Newton)
- 1997 The Seekers: "The Bush Girl" (Woodley/Lawson)
- 1997 The Seekers: "The Shores of Avalon" (Arrangement and original lyrics: Durham/Guy/Kovac/Potger/Woodley)
- 1997 The Seekers: "Amazing" (Woodley/Cristian)
- 1997 The Seekers "Gotta Love Someone" (Woodley/Cristian)
- [ND] Bruce Woodley: "Can We Learn to Get Along" [45]
- [ND] "The ANZ Bank Travelling Man" [promo 45]
- [ND] "The Colours of Your Days" [45]
Songwriter only
- 1966 Simon and Garfunkel: "Cloudy", (Woodley/Simon) on the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme US #4 album (Woodley co-writing credit omitted)
- 1967 The Cyrkle: "Red Rubber Ball" (Woodley/Simon) US #2
- 1967 The Cyrkle: "I Wish You Could Be Here" (Woodley/Simon) US #70
- 1967 Herman's Hermits: Little Miss Sorrow, Child of Tomorrow (Woodley) on the album There's a Kind of Hush all Over the World.
- 1967 Herman's Hermits: Rattler (Woodley) on the album There's a Kind of Hush all Over the World.
- 1967 Lulu: Rattler (Woodley) on the album Love Loves to Love Lulu (To Sir, with Love)
- Hans Poulsen: "Boom Sha La La Lo" (Poulsen/Woodley)
- 1969 Zoot: "Monty & Me" (Poulsen/Woodley)
- 1969 The Strangers "Lady Scorpio" (Poulsen /Woodley)
References
;General
:Books
- Kruger, Debbie; Songwriters Speak, Limelight Press, Australia, August 2005.
- Simpson, Graham; Colours of my life : the Judith Durham Story, Random House, Australia, 1994, 1998, 2005.
- Woodley, Bruce; Friday Street Fantasy and Other Stories, Paul Hamlyn & Pennywheel, Australia, 1969.
- Woodley, Bruce; I am Australian Songbook, Australia: np., 1987.
:Articles
- The Weekend Australian, The Australian magazine, 11–12 April 1992. pp. 32–35 and cover. – Bruce's involvement with IAA (I am Australian) Foundation
- The Age, Property, 14 August 1982. – Interview with Sally Woodley about sale of Brighton residence
;Specific
External links
- "I am Australian" lyrics with REAL AUDIO featuring Bruce Woodley and daughter Claire Woodley at Aussie Connection
- The Seekers at MILESAGO
- Songwriters Speak – Official website