The 1960s are still being brought to life in a touring show which features, amongst other greats, The Searchers. Viv Hardwick asks founder member John McNally how much longer the band will go on.

THE Searchers - the Liverpool band named after the John Wayne Western about a tough guy hunting for a child kidnapped by native Americans - has had a journey every bit as eventful as anything conjured up by Hollywood.

The Searchers, who appear in The Solid Silver 60s Show at Darlington Civic Theatre later this month, hit the headlines again this month when former lead singer and drummer Chris Curtis died at the age of 63.

That makes founder member John McNally (vocalist and guitarist), just four days younger than Curtis, slightly reflective about the 44-year journey with the music business.

He also reveals that on the day Curtis (born Chris Crummy) died he was actually trying to contact his old friend for a reunion with himself and the current line-up of Spencer James (who replaced lead guitar Mike Pender in 1985), Frank Allen (who took over as bassist from Tony Jackson in 1964) and current drummer Eddie Rothe (who sat in for Billy Adamson after his 1969-97 stint with The Searchers).

"We'd just got back from Australia and I got an email saying that Chris was in ill health and I decided to contact him and invite him to meet us at the Southport Theatre or Liverpool Empire gigs. Sadly, the phone number I was given was wrong, but the following morning I rang his old number and spoke to his niece and Chris's sister Rosie, who said he'd died."

History has Curtis joining The Searchers because their drummer in 1962, Norman Sandon, left to join Rory Storme & The Hurricanes - a certain Ringo Starr having departed to become a pop legend with The Beatles.

McNally recalls Curtis with great affection: "I remember him turning up for an audition in leather jacket and trousers and walking around like that way before it was fashionable. He was as cool as Gene Vincent. On stage, he would sing and bounce around and was so keen to entertain he would play the drums standing up."

Curtis's career with The Searchers was short-lived but hugely successful. After four years of performing hits like Sweets For My Sweet, Needles And Pins, Don't Throw Your Love Away and When You Walk In The Room, he was replaced by John Blunt - who handed over the sticks to Adamson in 1969.

McNally is a little baffled about newspaper obituary claims that Curtis was linked to Flowerpot Men hit Let's Go To San Francisco.

"I don't remember him being the drummer for the Flowerpot Men, but he did go on to form a band called Roundabout which was the embryonic basis for Deep Purple. Sadly, by the time that happened his health and nerves had meant that the band had parted company with Chris," adds McNally, who sadly recalls tearful phone calls over the years from Curtis as his former bandmate reminisced about former glories.

Liverpool-based McNally, a father of two, says it was actually an army mate called Tony West who started The Searchers with him back in the late 1950s and that Mike Pender arrived on the scene in 1961. This may have something to do with a McNally-Pender rift that's lasted almost 20 years.

Pender split from The Searchers in 1985 and launched Mike Pender's Searchers. "Suddenly, as the business organiser, I was being contacted about what had happened to The Searchers," explains the performer, who launched a series of successful legal actions against Pender.

"I called him up to ask for an explanation and he put the phone down on me... we haven't spoken since," says McNally who reckons that legal fees of about £30,000 were awarded in his band's favour.

Around that time, The Searchers, Gerry And The Pacemakers and Peter Sarstedt, backed by Flying Music company boss Derek Nicholl, launched the first Solid 60s Silver UK tour.

"It's the best thing we could have done. Every gig sold out and it's been going on like that ever since," adds McNally, who is intensely proud of the fact he's never moved away from the city which created the Merseybeat.

The death of Chris Curtis and other stars of this era had got the current touring hit-makers of the Sixties contemplating their futures.

"Gerry Marsden and ourselves have discussed how much longer that this can go on... but the Stones keep going, so why can't we?" he says.

Apparently, drummer Billy Adamson stopped touring after he got married and, according to McNally, "his wife may have suggested it was time to give up the Sixties lifestyle".

The rest of them, like John Wayne's cowboy heroes, may die with their boots on.