The Soul Searchers (also known as Eric Mercury & the Soul Searchers) were a Canadian soul group that became immensely popular in Canada in the late 1960s. Blending together the talents of William Daniel ‘Smitty’ Smith, Dianne Brooks, and Eric Mercury, the group toured all over Canada. William “Smitty” Smith began his music career once arrived in Toronto, via Virginia, as a professional songwriter and keyboardist. Dianne Brooks was born in New York City, gaining notoriety with the group, The Three Playmates, eventually moving to Toronto in the 1960s. Eric Mercury was Canadian born and raised, grew up surrounded by music and was known for forming the group, The Pharaohs.

The Soul Searchers would get together in the late 1960s, with both Mercury and Brooks as lead vocalists. The group was joined by Steve Kennedy on saxophone and Eric Johnson on the drums. They began performing first at teen clubs and then upgrading to licensed bars in Toronto. Their hit “Lonely Girl”, led them to tour all around the country and the U.S., in cities like, Toronto, Montreal, Buffalo, and Detroit. While they were a quick success, they were also quick to fade.

Brooks got a deal as a solo artist and became known as a prolific session singer, earning praise from Ray Charles himself. Mercury would go on to create one of the most sought out soul/rock fusion album of all time, The Electric Black Man, and work with greats like Stevie Wonder and Roberta Flack. Smith briefly joined Canadian legendary group The Motherlode and collaborated with musicians such as Tina Turner, Etta James, and The Pointer Sisters, to name a few.

Despite their split, the band is fondly remembered and its members went on to form lasting legacies.