Judith Durham

At 80 years old, Judith Durham physical status not available right now. We will update Judith Durham's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Judith Mavis Cock, born 3 July 1943), is an Australian singer, songwriter, and singer who rose to the top of the Australian folk music band The Seekers' lead singer. The group later became the first Australian pop music company to achieve major chart and sales success, in the United Kingdom and the United States, and has sold over 50 million albums worldwide.

Durham resigned in mid-1968 to pursue her solo work.

Durham began to make sporadic recordings and appearances with The Seekers in 1993, but she remains mainly a solo performer.

On July 1, 2015, she was named Younger of the Year for her contributions to music and a number of charities.

Early life

Durham was born Judith Mavis Cock, a navigator and World War II routefinder, and his partner, Hazel (née Durham). She lived on Mount Alexander Road, Essendon, from her birth to 1949. She spent summer holidays at her family's weatherboard house (which later has been demolished) on the west side of Durham Place in Rosebud.

In 1949, her father accepted work in Hobart, Tasmania. The family lived in Taroona, a suburb of Hobart, where Durham attended the Fahan School before returning to Melbourne, where they resided in Georgian Court, Balwyn, 1956. She was educated at Ruyton Girls' School Kew and then enrolled at RMIT.

Durham first aspired to be a pianist, and gained the qualification of Associate in Music, Australia (AMusA), in classical piano at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium. She had some formal involvement in piano, classical vocal preparations, and performed blues, gospel, and jazz pieces. She asked Nicholas Ribush, the founding of the Melbourne University Jazz Band, whether she could perform with the band at the Memphis Jazz Club in Malvern, one night at the age of 18. She began performing with Frank Traynor's Jazz Preachers in 1963, using her mother's maiden name Durham. Judy Durham, Duke Durham of Frank Traynor's Jazz Preachers, released her first EP in that year.

Personal life

On November 21, 1969, Durham married British pianist Ron Edgeworth at Scot's Church in Melbourne. Edgeworth was on tour with The Trebletones, a Trebletone band. They did not want to have children because they did not have children. Durham and her husband were vegetarian; after 2015, she became a vegan. She also avoided alcohol and caffeine.

They lived in the United Kingdom and Switzerland until the mid-1980s, when they bought a house in Nambour, Queensland. Durham, Edgeworth, and their tour manager, Peter Summers, were injured in a car crash on the Calder Freeway in 1990. The other car's pilot died on the scene and Durham's leg fractured. Durham's fans pushed them to reunite with the other members of the Seekers for a silver jubilee exhibition. Edgeworth was diagnosed with motor neuron disorder (ALS) during this reunion. He died on December 10, 1994, with Durham by his side.

Durham was stalked by a former president of a Judith Durham fan club in the late 1990s, a woman who wrote hundreds of doormats through the mail. The woman was convicted and was later found guilty of other serial offenses.

Durham broke her hip in 2000 and was unable to perform "The Carnival Is Over" at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney with the Seekers. However, she performed it at the 2000 Paralympics shortly afterwards, in a wheelchair.

Durham suffered a stroke during the Seekers' Golden Jubilee tour in May 2013 that impaired her ability to read and write, both in terms of visual and musical scores. She made strides to re-invent those skills during her convalescence. The stroke did not have an effect on her singing ability.

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Solo career

Durham returned to Australia in August 1968 and her first solo television special, An Evening with Judith Durham, screened on the Nine Network in September. During her solo career, she released albums titled For Christmas with Love, Gift of Song and Climb Ev'ry Mountain. In 1970, she made the television special Meet Judith Durham in London, ending with her rendition of "When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day" by Carrie Jacobs-Bond (1862–1946).

In 1975, Durham starred in an acting and singing role as Sarah Simmonds, a burlesque type performer in "The Golden Girl", an episode of the Australian television series Cash and Co. Set in the 1800s Australian goldfields, the episode also featured Durham's husband, Ron Edgeworth, on piano. She performed six songs; "Oh Susanna", "When Starlight Fades", "Maggie Mae", "Rock of Ages", "There's No Place Like Home" and "The Lord Is My Shepherd".

Durham staged a series of concerts at The Troubadour, Melbourne in 1987 with Edgeworth, performing originals the two had written. They returned again the following year.

Durham recorded The Australian Cities Suite album with all proceeds to go to the charitable sector. The album was released April 2012. This project was to benefit charities working with the Lord Mayor's Charitable Fund, including Orchestra Victoria and the Motor Neurone Disease Association of Australia (Durham was national patron).

In 2003, Durham toured the UK in "The Diamond Tour" celebrating her 60th birthday. The tour included the Royal Festival Hall and a CD and DVD of the concert was issued.

In 2006, Durham started modernising the music and phrases of "Advance Australia Fair". the Australian National Anthem; the Aboriginal singer/songwriter Kutcha Edwards also contributed lyrics, Durham first performed it in May 2009 at Federation Hall, St Kilda Road. It was released as a CD single.

On 13 February 2009, Durham made a surprise return to the Myer Music Bowl when she performed the closing number at the RocKwiz Salutes the Bowl – Sidney Myer Music Bowl 50th Anniversary with "The Carnival Is Over". On 23 May 2009, she performed a one-hour 'a cappella' concert in Melbourne as a launch for her album Up Close and Personal.

In October 2011, Durham signed an exclusive international deal with Decca Records. George Ash, president of Universal Music Australasia, said that "It is an honour to have Judith Durham join Decca's wonderful roster of artists. When you think of the legends that have graced the Decca Records catalogue it is the perfect home to welcome Judith to, and we couldn't be more excited to work with Judith on not only her new recordings but her incredible catalogue as well."

In June 2018, to celebrate Durham's 75th birthday, a collection of 14 previously unreleased songs was released on the album So Much More.

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Honours and awards

• In 1966, the Seekers (Judith Durham, Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley, Keith Potger) received the Carl Alan Award for Best New Group (1965) at the Top Of The Pops Awards, in London.
• In 1968, Durham and the other members of The Seekers were named jointly and severally Australians of the Year 1967.
• In the 1995 Australia Day Honours, Durham, along with the other members of The Seekers, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
• In 2001, Durham was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Governor-General for valued service to Australian society through music.
• In 2003, Rotary International invested Durham as a Paul Harris Fellow, in recognition of her extensive work on behalf of charities.
• In 2006, Durham and the other members of The Seekers were presented with the Key to the City by Melbourne's Lord Mayor, John So.
• In 2012, Durham 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, Durham, along with the other members of The Seekers, was advanced as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).
• In 2015, Durham was named 2015 Victorian of the Year.