Tony Jackson of the Searchers Dies at 63

Tony Jackson of the Searchers Dies at 63
Thu Aug 21, 1:30 PM ET

LONDON - Tony Jackson, bass player for The Searchers, a Liverpool band best known for the 1964 song "Needles and Pins," has died. He was 63.



Jackson died Monday in a hospital in Nottingham, central England, several newspapers and The Searchers' Web site reported. He had been ill for some time with ailments including arthritis and cirrhosis of the liver.

Jackson sang and played bass for The Searchers, a Liverpool band that briefly rivaled The Beatles for popularity in the early 1960s. "Needles and Pins" made the top 20 in the United States after it was released in 1964.

Like contemporaries including John Lennon (news) and George Harrison (news), Jackson was inspired first by the uniquely British sound of "skiffle king" Lonnie Donegan, and then by Buddy Holly (news) and other American rock imports.

The Searchers honed their skills in Liverpool's nightclubs and — like The Beatles — in the tough beer bars of Hamburg, Germany. After The Beatles' success drew attention to the Liverpool music scene, The Searchers were signed by Pye Records.

Jackson was lead singer on the band's first two British hits, "Sweets for My Sweet" and "Sugar and Spice," but played bass only on the enduring "Needles and Pins" and "Don't Throw Your Love Away."

In 1964 the band toured the United States, appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Feeling sidelined, Jackson quit the group the same year. His follow-up band, Tony Jackson and the Vibrations, failed to score and he drifted out of the music business.

In later years he tried to set up a Searchers revival band, but the field was crowded, with two others already in existence.

He served time in jail in the 1990s after threatening a woman with an air pistol.

There was no immediate word on survivors or funeral details.

heaven is sure going have a great band. i loved needles and pins and when you walk in the room.they were a good group.always thought they had a good sound.

Since the focus of this story is on the Searchers, I'm going to move this to Not Only a Northern Song.

Sorry everyone - my first double-post (if you could get rid of this please moderator...) [img]graemlins/wink3.gif[/img]

[size="1"][ Aug 23, 2003, 03:45 PM: Message Edited By: Paolo Meccano ][/size]

I heard the sad news this week. It just goes to show what a great band the Searchers were that they could lose the member who was effectively their lead singer and still go on to have a great career - if only they'd been able to write their own material, who knows what might have happened..? [img]graemlins/wink3.gif[/img] *

PS: You can pay condolences at The Searchers

[size="1"][ Aug 23, 2003, 03:39 PM: Message Edited By: Paolo Meccano ][/size]

[img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] *oh I am so sorry to hear about Tony's death, one of my favorite british invasion songs has to be "Needles And Pins" what an alive song. Such a young person too still.

Aww, this is so sad. The Searchers were such a great band. All these terrific musicians from the sixties are dying so young. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

Here's the obituary from the October issue of 'Record Collector' magazine:-

'Tony Jackson, lead vocalist on the Searchers' early singles 'Sweets For My Sweet' and 'Sugar and Spice' died in August, aged 63, after a long battle with chronic arthritis and liver cirrhosis. After success with the band - he sang on their biggest US hit, 'Love Potion Number Nine', but only played bass on 'Needles and Pins' - he went solo, scoring a minor hit with 'Bye Bye Baby'. He fronted the Tony Jackson Group, prior to all but washing his hands of showbusiness in 1968. He resurfaced on the nostalgia circuit in 1991, earning ovations with versions of Searchers hits delivered in a voice darker and shorn of early ingenuity, but retaining the tidy harmonies and unique fretboard interaction that would influence later acts, notably the Byrds. At the time of his death, he was writing his autobiography.

Alan Clayson (copyright 'Record Collector' 2003)

That is so sad, The Searchers had this very "British Pop" sound with the guitars, the easy songs and the clear vocals ..