Mike Pender's Searchers
Mike Pender's Searchers contains lead singer and guitarist Mike Pender formerly of The Searchers. Mike 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. Mike Pender's Searchers showcase the classic hits from Mike Pender's decades with The Searchers in addition to all-new material. Mike Pender's Searchers perform songs from Mike Pender's many years with The Searchers in addition to his all-new material and a blend of popular rock standards by classic artists such as Buddy Holly, The Drifters and Roy Orbison. Today, Mike Pender continues to captivate audiences around the world while retaining his smooth pop/rock voice, distinctive good looks and overall charm that made him a rock and roll sex symbol in the 1960s.
Mike Pender was born Michael John Prendergast on March 3, 1942 in Kirkdale, Liverpool, Lancashire. Mike Pender was an original founding member of British invasion rock group, The Searchers. He is best known as the lead vocalist on many hit singles by The Searchers, including the song Needles & Pins. From his humble beginnings performing alongside bands such as The Beatles in Liverpool, England, Mike Pender has been a recogniseable voice of rock and roll for more than 45 years. Most notably, Mike Pender forged the signature jangly 12-string guitar sound, which inspired other 1960s artists such as Roger McGuinn of The Byrds. Mike Pender has been active in music since the late 1950s when he was a teenager.
In his early years and before reaching fame, Mike Pender worked at a guitar shop as a day job in between playing nightly gigs with The Searchers. According to Mike 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," said Mike Pender in an interview.
Over the years, some of Mike Pender's personal guitars have included his Gibson ES345 with suburst 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 Mike Pender 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. Sadly, Mike Pender's Rickenbacker 360/12 1993 Model was stolen several years ago. This guitar was used on many of The Searchers' studio recordings in addition to numerous performances with Mike Pender.
After The Searchers recorded the singles Sweets For My Sweet and Sugar & Spice, Mike Pender traded lead vocal duties with Tony Jackson. Mike Pender fronted The Searchers on numerous chart-topping hits, which continued into the early 1970s in the United Kingdom and The United States. 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 three final singles with co-founding band member Mike Pender, including I Don't Want to Be the One, Hollywood and Innocent Victim.
Mike Pender left The Searchers in 1985 to pursue a career of his own, marking a new beginning. In the 1980s, Mike Pender 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 with Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and George Harrison. The Traveling Wrinklies contained Mike Pender, Brian Poole, Clem Curtis, Tony Crane and Reg Presley, lead singer of The Troggs. They released a 45 on the Corporation label: KORP 1 ,an updated version of The Showstoppers "Ain't Nothing But A House Party". With The Searchers continuing to perform, John McNally and Frank Allen replaced Mike Pender with a new vocalist named Spencer James.
Selecting a group of talented musicians, Mike 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. Between 1992 and 1995, Tony Jackson performed four times with Mike Pender's Searchers.
Mike Pender's Searchers recorded several new CDs, which 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. Mike Pender and his 12-string guitar are referenced in a recent book entitled "Electric Guitars, The Illustrated Encyclopedia" by author and guitar enthusiast Tony Bacon.
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