The Searchers are a British rock band who emerged as part of the 1960s merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

The band's hits included "Sweets for My Sweet," "Sugar and Spice," "Needles and Pins," and "Don't Throw Your Love Away", as well as a cover of The Clovers' "Love Potion No. 9". They were the second group from Liverpool after the Beatles to have a hit in America when "Needles and Pins" charted during the first week of March 1964.

Originally founded as a skiffle group in Liverpool in 1959 by John McNally and Mike Pender (Mike Prendergast), the band took their name from the classic 1956 John Wayne western The Searchers. Prendergast claims that the name was his idea, but McNally ascribes it to ‘Big Ron’ Woodbridge, their first lead singer. The issue remains unresolved. The band grew out of an earlier skiffle group formed by McNally, with his friends Brian Dolan (guitar) and Tony West (bass). When the other two members l