Original lead singer of The Searchers dies aged 84
Ronnie "Shorty Rogers" Woodbridge was the original lead singer of The Searchers, who were one of the earliest success stories of Liverpool's booming music scene
The Searchers guitarist and singer Mike Pender and Ronnie Woodbridge
(Image: Mike Pender facebook )
A trailblazer of the Merseybeat era, Ronnie "Shorty Rogers" Woodbridge, who played a pivotal role in shaping Liverpool's thriving music scene in the 1960s and 70s, has sadly passed away.
Woodbridge was the original lead vocalist of the iconic band, The Searchers, one of the pioneering groups to achieve widespread success. The rock legend, 84, left an enduring legacy that spanned over six decades, from performances at The Olympia to Edinburgh's dance halls. Norman Stevens, an 87 year old veteran of Merseybeat and a member of the band Duke Duval, shared a memorable encounter with Ronnie: "One night we were playing at the Holyoake Hall on Smithdown Road, and this lanky tall guy came up and said 'can I do a couple of numbers lads?', and we said yeah.
"We called him on and he rocked the place. You couldn't hear what we were playing for him. He was throwing himself all over the place, he had all the actions going."
As one of the founding members of the band that would become The Searchers, Ronnie contributed to the group's early success, belting out hits such as "Sweets for My Sweet", "Love Potion No. 9", and "Hippy Hippy Shake" throughout the 1960s.
The news of his passing comes on the heels of The Searchers' farewell performance on Glastonbury's Acoustic Stage on Friday night. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter .
Although Ronnie left the band before its meteoric rise to international stardom (becoming the second Liverpool group, after The Beatles, to conquer America), he forged a remarkable music career in his own right.
Article continues below
After rising to prominence as the lead vocalist with the Nat Allen Orchestra and charming crowds at the Locarno Ballroom in West Derby, which is today known as The Olympia, he uprooted to Edinburgh in 1960 and took a gig at the Palais de Danse in Fountainbridge, reports the Liverpool Echo.
He humorously donned the stage name "Shorty Rogers", a witty nod to his considerable stature, entertaining audiences six nights a week.
When the dance hall era waned, he pressed on with his solo ventures across rock and roll, country music, and comedy, gracing various stages throughout Scotland.
Norman reminisced: "He was at the start of The Searchers, in fact it was him who gave them the name The Searchers from the John Wayne film of the same name. He was a nice guy too, a real Liverpool bloke we should all be proud of.
"When Duke Duval finished we became the resident band at the Empress Jazz Club on Victoria Road in New Brighton and Ronnie used to come and sing with us from time to time.
"He was spotted by someone from a large orchestra from Edinburgh along with this lad called Johnny, who was what we called 'the Liverpool Elvis Presley'. Him and Ronnie Wood were invited to join the large orchestra in Edinburgh and off they went, and good luck to them.
"It was an absolutely marvellous time because it was all new, all raw, all against everything that our parents had stood for. They all still wore suits and ties, and we said 'bugger that we want to do what we want to do!' and off it went. We broke new ground and it echoed all over the country, bands springing up, it was all going on."
Ronnie was born in January 1941 and raised in Anfield by his father and stepmother, alongside three siblings.
In 1962, Ronnie and his wife Frances tied the knot, and their two sons followed in their father's musical footsteps.
Article continues below
Mike Pender, the renowned guitarist and vocalist of The Searchers, paid homage to his late friend, remarking: "I was saddened to learn of the passing of Ron Woodbridge.
"Ron was with me the day we watched John Wayne give us the unforgettable name still famous today! Goodbye Ron. Gone but not forgotten."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
Hundreds celebrate Sutton Hoo burial ship's 1400th anniversary
Hundreds of people visited the site of where an Anglo-Saxon ship was buried to celebrate its 1400th Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, is famous for the excavation that revealed the ship in 1939, considered to be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all celebrate the anniversary of the ship's burial in 625 AD, reenactment actors from across the world came together to recreate the burial Musson, the event's organiser who is part of the group Wulfheodenas which celebrates the 6th and 7th Centuries, said it had been "a big task" to orchestrate. "Sutton Hoo and the burial here, the finds and treasures, have huge significance for Britain," she explained."When I realised it was the 1400 year anniversary, I hadn't heard anything about it being celebrated and I thought it needed to be done."I think it is the biggest gathering of living historians that we've had on the site so I'm quite pleased about that." Historians believe the ship was for the ruler King Raedwald of East Anglia, but they will never be sure as when the ship was found any bodily remains were claimed by the acidic local soil and only the treasures inside remained. Ms Musson described Sutton Hoo as the "jewel in the crown of Suffolk" and believed it should be celebrated the weekend 80 living historians were also on site while actors portrayed what life was like during this was also a recreation of the ship's burial complete with music and readings. Colin Steenbergen is a reenactor from the Netherlands, but has lived in Switzerland for past 20 travelled close to nine hours to get to Sutton Hoo after being invited by other Steenbergen said he had been "awestruck" when he saw other well-known reenactors on the site and had met some of his heroes. "In my opinion it might be one of the most important archaeological finds in western Europe," Mr Steenbergen said of Sutton Hoo."I do think it carries with it an extreme importance and weight which connects people to this day because it is a bit of heritage that we should truly treasure in my opinion," he added. National Trust customer experience director, Josh Ward, said it had been "the most incredible spectacle" to see so many people come from all over the world to celebrate the site."Sutton Hoo is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world and people do come from all over the place to see it," he said."We've got living history experts not just from across England, we've got people from Switzerland, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, it's a real international gathering and the biggest living history event we've ever had at Sutton Hoo." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Wales Online
5 days ago
- Wales Online
The Walking Dead star Kelley Mack dies aged 33 as tributes paid
The Walking Dead star Kelley Mack dies aged 33 as tributes paid The Walking Dead star Kelley Mack has passed away at the age of 33 after battling glioma of the central nervous system, a cancerous tumour, her family have confirmed Kelley Mack appeared in The Walking Dead, Chicago Med, 9-1-1 and more (Image: BANG Showbiz) The Walking Dead actress Kelley Mack has tragically died at the age of 33. The star, whose real name was Kelly Klebenow, died on 2 August after a battle with glioma of the central nervous system, a type of cancerous tumour, her heartbroken family have revealed. Read here about the actors who have died in 2025 Her sister shared the sad news on Kelley's Instagram account, writing: "It is with indelible sadness that we are announcing the passing of our dear Kelley. Such a bright, fervent light has transitioned to the beyond, where we all eventually must go." Read here about Ozzy Osbourne's official cause of death The post on social media added: "Kelley passed peacefully on Saturday evening with her loving mother Kristen and steadfast aunt Karen present. Kelley has already come to many of her loved ones in the form of various butterflies [butterfly and heart emojis]. "She will be missed by so many to depths that words cannot express." For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter "Kelley's Caringbridge link in her bio includes the 2-page formal announcement with information on her upcoming life celebration in Ohio on August 16th. She would want you all to know how much she loves you. "And as her sister, I want you all to know how brave that tough [***] was, especially when she decided to make the leap to be reunited with God. "I'm so f****** proud of her." The actress was best known for her role as Addy in season 9 of The Walking Dead, and several of her former colleagues paid tribute to her in the comments of the post. Director Michael E. Satrazemis wrote: "I was lucky enough to create with Kelley on TWD. "A bright light on every level. All my love to those who love her." Actor Anthony Michael Lopez expressed: "My deepest condolences, Kelley was such a sweet and happy soul and I'm happy to have met her. She fought so hard. "Sending her and your family lots of light and love. Rest easy Kelley." Actress Alanna Masterson shared: "What an incredible human. So proud to have fought alongside her in our final episode together." Kelley also had roles in Chicago Med and 9-1-1, and provided the voice match for Hailee Steinfeld's character, Gwen Stacy, in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The actress, who also featured in numerous adverts, will make her last appearance in the yet-to-be-released Universal film Ricky. Article continues below She leaves behind her parents Kristen and Lindsay Klebenow, younger siblings Kathryn and Parker, grandparents Lois and Larry, and her "dearest boyfriend," Logan.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Tragic way Kelley Mack's boyfriend helped Walking Dead star in brave final months
The Walking Dead star Kelley Mack, who played Addy in the popular zombie drama, has tragically passed away at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer The Walking Dead star Kelley Mack credited her boyfriend with "always being by my side" before her tragic death aged 33. The actress, who had a rare form of cancer, was best known for playing the role of Addy in the popular zombie drama. The sad news of her death was announced in a post on her Instagram page, which read: "It is with indelible sadness that we are announcing the passing of our dear Kelley. Such a bright, fervent light has transitioned to the beyond, where we all eventually must go." It comes after reports that James Whale said 'I'm happy to go now' just hours before his death. The statement continued: "Kelley passed peacefully on Saturday evening with her loving mother Kristen and steadfast aunt Karen present. Kelley has already come to many of her loved ones in the form of various butterflies. She will be missed by so many to depths that words cannot express." Kelley previously announced that she had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in September and was undergoing aggressive treatment as a result. Kelley played Addy in five episodes of The Walking Dead in 2018 but had also appeared in 9-1-1, Chicago Med and TV film Mr. Manhattan. The actress was in a relationship with Logan Lanier, first going public in a social media post in November 2023. While not much is known about Logan, Kelley revealed that the pair had moved in together just months before her tragic death. They celebrated the relationship milestone with a Halloween housewarming party a month later. She wrote in a post" "In September, I moved into a new apartment with my boyfriend, Logan. For a month after that, I had persistent lower back pain and thought I slipped a disc. A few weeks later, I had neuropathic itching in my right quad. "And then, the shooting pains in my legs and back began, which resulted in me having to sleep in a recliner for a month because laying down was too painful. On Thanksgiving Eve, I had emergency MRIs done at the hospital, which revealed an abnormal mass in my spinal cord." "Fast forward to now – I have been diagnosed with #diffusemidlineglioma, an extremely rare type of #astrocytoma #cancer. Due to the biopsy surgery on my spinal cord, I have lost the use of my right leg and most of my left leg, so I now get around with a walker and a wheelchair," she further wrote. "I am very grateful to have such a supportive and loving family and boyfriend, who have been with me every second of this process. It has been a very emotional and challenging time, truly testing my mental fortitude, faith, and physical strength." Kelley later shared a video of her walking up a staircase with Logan's help. "I've been up and down these stairs now 2x in the past few days," she wrote on Instagram in March. "It's a big deal for me. (Life has also had its ups and downs lately am I right lol)," she said. In March, the pair looked smitten on a date night to a golf simulator. Kelley captioned the snap: "My love, always by my side, practicing at an indoor golf simulator."
