Mike Pender
Encyclopedia
Mike Pender was an original founding member of Merseybeat group The Searchers
. He is best known as the lead vocalist on many hit singles by The Searchers, including the song "Needles and Pins". He pursued a solo career after leaving The Searchers and released one solo single before forming his current band, Mike Pender's Searchers
who perform songs from his many years with The Searchers in addition to all-new material and a blend of popular rock standards by classic artists such as Buddy Holly
, The Drifters
and Roy Orbison
.
In his early years, Pender worked at a guitar
shop as a day job in between playing nightly gigs with The Searchers. According to Pender, he is responsible for choosing the band name for The Searchers. "The Band was founded by myself and John McNally. In 1957 John and I went to see the movie The Searchers
starring John Wayne
. I was an ardent Western Fan and so I dragged John along with me to see it. I take the credit for choosing the name 'The Searchers' and for co-founding the Band in its original form." Some years ago, Mike Pender claimed to be a member of two fictitious groups he played in before his years with The Searchers. Hoping to build more credibility as a musician, Pender claimed to have played in early groups, The Wreckers and The Confederates.
Over the years, some of Pender's personal guitars have included his Gibson ES-345 with sunburst finish, the Burns
Tri-Sonic in the colour of red with three pickups and the twelve-string Rickenbacker
Rose Morris model 1993
coloured in a fireglo finish with deluxe features including the f-hole rather than the slash sound hole. Other guitars he has played include the Aria twelve-string guitar, his Danelectro
Bellzouki twelve-string made from wood and hardboard, and the solid Rickenbacker 450/12 in an elegant mapleglo finish, which had a converter comb, which allowed it to be converted into either a 6-string or 12-string guitar. Pender's Rose Morris model 1993 was stolen several years ago; it had been used on many of The Searchers' studio recordings in addition to numerous live performances.
After The Searchers recorded the singles "Sweets for My Sweet
" and "Sugar and Spice
", Pender took over lead vocal duties from Tony Jackson
. During the late 1970s, The Searchers
were signed by Seymour Stein
's Sire Records
and recorded two modernised albums, including "The Searchers" and "Play for Today," which was retitled "Love's Melodies" outside the United Kingdom
. The Searchers recorded what would become the final single with Pender, I Don't Want to Be the One.
Pender left The Searchers in 1985 to pursue a solo career and in the 1980s, joined an all-star rock band known as The Corporation AKA "The Traveling Wrinklies", whose name was a parody of the popular rock group Traveling Wilburys
. That band included Pender, Brian Poole
, Clem Curtis
, Tony Crane
and Reg Presley
, lead singer of The Troggs
. With The Searchers continuing to perform, Pender was replaced by a new vocalist, Spencer James.
Selecting a group of talented musicians, Pender sought to re–create the unique sound that popularised The Searchers. Forming the band "Mike Pender's Searchers", they began touring in the late 1980s and re-recorded The Searchers hits plus 4 new tracks.Various CDs,featuring these new tracks and the re-recordings have been released in various countries around the world. Mike Pender's Searchers continue to book new shows and tour, targeting Britain
, Australia
, U.S.A., the Netherlands
, Germany
, Belgium
, Sweden
, Denmark
and The United Arab Emirates
. In 1994 Mike Pender's Searchers were the very first 1960's band to be invited to play on board the QE2
as part of the world famous liner's 25th anniversary celebrations. During live performances, Mike Pender's Searchers use their own custom built lighting and sound equipment and Mike Pender uses several different guitars including his famous 12-string Rickenbacker
.
, Wayne Fontana
, The Troggs
, Freddie and the Dreamers
, Gerry & The Pacemakers
, Billy J Kramer, Eric Burdon
Back To The Future - recordings of 90's songs by 60's artists Mike Pender performs Weather With You (Crowded House)
The Searchers (band)
The Searchers are an English beat group, who emerged as part of the 1960s Merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry & The Pacemakers....
. He is best known as the lead vocalist on many hit singles by The Searchers, including the song "Needles and Pins". He pursued a solo career after leaving The Searchers and released one solo single before forming his current band, Mike Pender's Searchers
Mike Pender's Searchers
Mike Pender's Searchers contains lead singer and guitarist Mike Pender formerly of The Searchers. Pender left The Searchers in December 1985 hoping to explore new musical directions while preserving the classic 12-string guitar style that he helped to popularise...
who perform songs from his many years with The Searchers in addition to all-new material and a blend of popular rock standards by classic artists such as Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, The Drifters
The Drifters
The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
and Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
.
In his early years, Pender worked at a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
shop as a day job in between playing nightly gigs with The Searchers. According to Pender, he is responsible for choosing the band name for The Searchers. "The Band was founded by myself and John McNally. In 1957 John and I went to see the movie The Searchers
The Searchers (film)
The Searchers is a 1956 American Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, and set during the Texas–Indian Wars...
starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
. I was an ardent Western Fan and so I dragged John along with me to see it. I take the credit for choosing the name 'The Searchers' and for co-founding the Band in its original form." Some years ago, Mike Pender claimed to be a member of two fictitious groups he played in before his years with The Searchers. Hoping to build more credibility as a musician, Pender claimed to have played in early groups, The Wreckers and The Confederates.
Over the years, some of Pender's personal guitars have included his Gibson ES-345 with sunburst finish, the Burns
Burns London
Burns London is a guitar-making company originally formed in 1960 as Ormston Burns Ltd. It was founded by James Ormston Burns , who has been described as the British Leo Fender...
Tri-Sonic in the colour of red with three pickups and the twelve-string Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
Rose Morris model 1993
Rickenbacker 360/12
The Rickenbacker 360/12 is an electric guitar made by the Rickenbacker company; it was among the first electric twelve-string guitars. This instrument is visually similar to the Rickenbacker 360...
coloured in a fireglo finish with deluxe features including the f-hole rather than the slash sound hole. Other guitars he has played include the Aria twelve-string guitar, his Danelectro
Danelectro
Danelectro is an American manufacturer of musical instruments and accessories, specializing in rock instruments such as guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers and effects units.-History:...
Bellzouki twelve-string made from wood and hardboard, and the solid Rickenbacker 450/12 in an elegant mapleglo finish, which had a converter comb, which allowed it to be converted into either a 6-string or 12-string guitar. Pender's Rose Morris model 1993 was stolen several years ago; it had been used on many of The Searchers' studio recordings in addition to numerous live performances.
After The Searchers recorded the singles "Sweets for My Sweet
Sweets for My Sweet
"Sweets for My Sweet" is a song written by the songwriting team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, originally recorded by The Drifters. The group's first single featuring Charlie Thomas on lead vocal, "Sweets for My Sweet" reached #16 in October 1961. This was one of the few post-1958 Drifters singles...
" and "Sugar and Spice
Sugar and Spice (song)
"Sugar and Spice" is a 1963 song by Merseybeat band The Searchers written by Tony Hatch under the pseudonym Fred Nightingale. It made number two on the UK charts and number 44 in the USA charts....
", Pender took over lead vocal duties from Tony Jackson
Tony Jackson (bass player)
Tony Jackson was an English bass guitar player and singer who was a member of The Searchers.-Biography:...
. During the late 1970s, The Searchers
The Searchers (band)
The Searchers are an English beat group, who emerged as part of the 1960s Merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry & The Pacemakers....
were signed by Seymour Stein
Seymour Stein
Seymour Stein is an entrepreneur in the music industry who has been a part of the business since getting his first job as a clerk for Billboard magazine in 1958. Stein is a vice president of Warner Bros...
's Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
and recorded two modernised albums, including "The Searchers" and "Play for Today," which was retitled "Love's Melodies" outside the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The Searchers recorded what would become the final single with Pender, I Don't Want to Be the One.
Pender left The Searchers in 1985 to pursue a solo career and in the 1980s, joined an all-star rock band known as The Corporation AKA "The Traveling Wrinklies", whose name was a parody of the popular rock group Traveling Wilburys
Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys were an English–American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, accompanied by drummer Jim Keltner...
. That band included Pender, Brian Poole
The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, Essex, and still active today.-Career:They formed as Brian Poole and the Tremoloes influenced by Buddy Holly and The Crickets...
, Clem Curtis
Clem Curtis
Clem Curtis is a singer and former lead vocalist of sixties British soul group The Foundations.-Early years:...
, Tony Crane
Tony Crane
Anthony Steven "Tony" Crane is a former English footballer. He notably played as a professional for Sheffield Wednesday and Grimsby Town and was active between 1999 and 2009. His original position was in the centre of midfield, but he later became utilised as a defender. During his time with...
and Reg Presley
Reg Presley
Reg Presley is an English singer-songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer with prominent 1960s rock and roll band The Troggs, whose best known hit was "Wild Thing", though their only UK number one single was "With A Girl Like You"...
, lead singer of The Troggs
The Troggs
The Troggs are an English rock band from the 1960s that had a number of hits in UK and the US. Their most famous songs include, "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You", and "Love Is All Around"...
. With The Searchers continuing to perform, Pender was replaced by a new vocalist, Spencer James.
Selecting a group of talented musicians, Pender sought to re–create the unique sound that popularised The Searchers. Forming the band "Mike Pender's Searchers", they began touring in the late 1980s and re-recorded The Searchers hits plus 4 new tracks.Various CDs,featuring these new tracks and the re-recordings have been released in various countries around the world. Mike Pender's Searchers continue to book new shows and tour, targeting Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, U.S.A., the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and The United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. In 1994 Mike Pender's Searchers were the very first 1960's band to be invited to play on board the QE2
RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as the QE2, is an ocean liner that was operated by Cunard from 1969 to 2008. Following her retirement from cruising, she is now owned by Istithmar...
as part of the world famous liner's 25th anniversary celebrations. During live performances, Mike Pender's Searchers use their own custom built lighting and sound equipment and Mike Pender uses several different guitars including his famous 12-string Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
.
CD Albums
- That Was Then This Is Now
- Sweets for My Sweet
- Mike Pender's Searchers Live!
- Best Of Mike Pender's Searchers
- Needles & Pins
- The Best Of The Searchers (new versions of The Searchers' classic hits)
- Fab 60s
- Rock N' Roll Reunion: 1964
DVDs
The British Invasion Returns with Mike Pender's Searchers, Peter NoonePeter Noone
Peter Noone is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor, best known as "Herman" of the successful 1960s rock group Herman's Hermits.-Early life:...
, Wayne Fontana
Wayne Fontana
Wayne Fontana is an English pop singer. In 1962, he formed his backing group, the Mindbenders and got a recording contract.-Biography:...
, The Troggs
The Troggs
The Troggs are an English rock band from the 1960s that had a number of hits in UK and the US. Their most famous songs include, "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You", and "Love Is All Around"...
, Freddie and the Dreamers
Freddie and the Dreamers
Freddie and the Dreamers were an English band who had a number of hit records between May 1963 and November 1965. Their stage act was based around the comic antics of the 5-foot-3-inch-tall Freddie Garrity, who would bounce around the stage with arms and legs flying. The group remained active...
, Gerry & The Pacemakers
Gerry & the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with...
, Billy J Kramer, Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
CD Compilations (various artists)
- Rolling Back the Years: The 60s
- Top Ten Hits of the Sixties: Your Favourite Sixties Supergroups
- UK No. 1 Hits Of The 60s CD
- Merseybeat - Mike Pender's Searchers with Billy J Kramer and Fourmost (1CD)
- The Greatest Hits Of Tug Boat Records
- The British 60s Volume 3
- Rolling Back The Years The 60s
- The Best of the Love Songs
- Hits Of The 60s
- Dreamtime: Volume 2
- Fab Sixties Boxed set
- Hits of the 60's
- Class Of 64 (One Track Falling Apart At The Seams features Mike Pender)
- Hits of The Searchers/Gerry & the Pacemakers - British 60's CD featuring 10 cuts from Mike Pender's Searchers and 10 cuts from Gerry Marsden
- The Corporation - Ain't Nothing But A House Party 7" and 12" single with Mike Pender, (of The Searchers),Brian Poole (of Brian Poole & The Tremeloes),Clem Curtis (of The Foundations),Tony Crane (of The Merseybeats/The Merseys) and Reg Presley (of The Troggs)
Back To The Future - recordings of 90's songs by 60's artists Mike Pender performs Weather With You (Crowded House)