New Seekers head to Rotorua

She may not be a household name today, but Eve Graham's work is easily recognisable - she is the voice of the world-wide No1 hit I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing.

About four decades after Graham, who was the voice of the New Seekers, had huge successes, she and her band are heading on tour with Rotorua as one of the stops.

Graham and the New Seekers hits include Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma, Nickel Song, Beautiful People, Circles, Never Ending Song of Love, The Greatest Song I've Ever Heard, It's So Nice, I Wanna Go Back and many more.

The group had immediate success in Europe with their first release, on which Graham sang lead vocal, so it was evident to the record company she should take the role of lead singer, and with the release of What Have They Done To My Song, Ma, that decision led to a string of hits.

Over the next few years, there was sell-out tours and regular television appearances in all of the world's major territories. When Coca-Cola made the commercial featuring I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, which is to this day its most successful, the company asked that the New Seekers should perform the sound track, using Graham's distinctive voice on the lead vocal.

She is looking forward to getting on stage in Rotorua and is promising a "high energy" '70s style performance.

"Most of it is very up tempo. I won't be sitting down," the nearly 70-year-old said.

Graham and the New Seekers will perform in Rotorua as part of Smash Hits 70s: The Greatest Hits of the New Seekers and Paper Lace on May 2.

The concert will be held at the Civic Theatre, with tickets available from Ticketmaster.

The tour will start in Hamilton on April 28 before travelling to Auckland, Tauranga, Rotorua, Hastings, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Wellington, Greymouth, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill.

Graham says the tour is a real nostalgia event and is expecting fans to come to the concert and reminisce about the '70s.

"It's going to be nostalgia made up of the hits from the '70s.

"The audience will know what to expect and they're not going to be disappointed."

Graham has had a music career which has lasted more than 50 years. Her message for anyone wanting to get into the music industry is to do it because you love it, not because you want to be famous.