Athol Guy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Athol Guy AO
The Seekers in 1965 – Guy at left
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Gisborne
In office 11 December 1971 – 5 March 1979
Preceded by	Julian Doyle
Succeeded by	Tom Reynolds
Personal details
Born	Athol George Guy (1940-01-05) 5 January 1940 (age 85) Colac, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Liberal
Occupation	Musician, politician
Website	atholguyandfriends.com
Musical career
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Folk pop
Instruments	Double bass, vocals
Years active	1960s–present
Associated acts	The Seekers

Athol George Guy, born on January 5, 1940, is a famous Australian musician and a former politician. He was a key member of the Australian folk-pop music group called The Seekers. In the band, he played the double bass and sang.

Athol Guy was easy to spot because of his black-framed glasses, similar to those worn by Buddy Holly. When The Seekers performed live, he often acted as the group's host, introducing songs and talking to the audience.

Early Life

Athol George Guy was born in Colac, Victoria, Australia. His father, George Francis Guy, was in the Royal Australian Navy. His mother was Doris Thelma Guy.

Athol went to Gardenvale Central School, where he was the school captain. Later, he attended Melbourne High School. There, he was a champion in athletics for younger age groups. He was also an officer in the school's cadet corps.

Music Career

The Seekers

Athol Guy started his first music group, the Ramblers, in 1958. This led him to work in performance, marketing, and production for TV stations. He worked at GTV9 and HSV7 before joining advertising companies.

In the 1960s, Athol Guy joined The Seekers. The band became very successful and had many hit songs. Some of their most famous songs include "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own", "The Carnival Is Over", and "Georgy Girl". These songs were written or co-written by Tom Springfield. Each of these hits sold so many copies that they earned a "gold disc" award. The Seekers have sold over 50 million records around the world!

The Seekers broke up in 1968 but have reunited many times since. Athol Guy has been part of these reunions, starting in 1993. He continued to tour with original members Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley until 2022.

Television Host

After The Seekers stopped performing together in 1968, Athol Guy became a TV host. He had his own variety show called A Guy Called Athol on Australia's Seven Network. Later, he hosted a quiz show called Big Nine on the Nine Network.

Politics

Athol Guy also had a career in politics. On December 11, 1971, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly. He represented the area of Gisborne as a member of the Liberal Party.

He was one of the youngest members of the assembly. He served three terms, winning more votes each time. He left politics on March 5, 1979, due to health reasons. One of his achievements in government was helping the state buy and develop Werribee Park.

Business and Community Work

After his time in politics, Athol Guy returned to the business world. He worked as a general manager for an advertising group from 1979 to 1989. In the 1990s, he worked in marketing for St George Bank and then for a financial planning group.

He helped the Murdoch Institute start a genetics education course in Victorian schools. This was done with help from the St George foundation. Even with his business roles, he still found time for hundreds of reunion concerts with The Seekers.

Athol Guy has also been involved in many community roles. He is a patron for groups like Kids Under Cover, Riding For the Disabled, and Sing Australia. He is also an ambassador for Heart Kids – RCH.

Famous Performances

• In 1965, The Seekers won the Best New Group award. They performed at the Wembley Empire Pool in London. Other famous groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were also there.
• In June 1965, The Seekers performed in the United States on The Ed Sullivan Show. They sang "A World of Our Own" and "You Can Tell The World".
• In November 1966, The Seekers performed for the Queen Mother at a special Royal Command Performance in London.
• In 1967, The Seekers appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show again, singing "Georgy Girl".
• Also in 1967, The Seekers represented Australia at Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada. Their performance was shown on TV in Australia through the first satellite broadcast from the United States.
• On March 12, 1967, The Seekers played a huge concert in Melbourne at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. About 200,000 people watched them perform.

Television Specials

The Seekers starred in several TV specials:

• 1965 – An Evening with The Seekers
• 1966 – The Seekers at Home
• 1967 – The Seekers Down Under and The World of The Seekers
• Four mini-specials called A Date with the Seekers
• 1968 – 1968 BBC Farewell Spectacular
• 2019 – ABC Television's Australian Story
• 2019 – SBS Television screens the Decca DVD Farewell Album

Awards and Honours

Athol Guy and The Seekers have received many awards:

• In 1966, they won the Carl Alan Award for Best New Group in London.
• In 1968, all members of The Seekers were named Australians of the Year for 1967. This is a very high honour in Australia.
• In 1995, Athol Guy and the other members received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
• In 2006, they were given the Key to the City by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne.
• In 2012, Australia Post honoured The Seekers with a special postage stamp as "Legends Of Australian Music".
• In 2014, Athol Guy and the other members were given an even higher honour, becoming an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

Discography

Albums

Live Albums

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Athol Guy para niños