Little River Band
Encyclopedia
Little River Band is an Australia
n rock
band, formed in Melbourne
in early 1975.
The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victoria
n township of Little River
, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only Australia, but also in the United States
. During its career, the band sold more than 25 million records and achieved 13 U.S. Top 40 hits - to add to awards gained in Australia.
The band's original members were: lead vocals Glenn Shorrock
; acoustic guitar & vocals Graeham Goble
; rhythm guitar & vocals Beeb Birtles
; lead guitar Ric Formosa
; bass guitar Roger McLachlan; and drummer Derek Pellicci
. The music and lyrics for most of the group's compositions were contributed by Goble and Shorrock primarily — with contributions from Birtles and Briggs.
In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)
, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Cool Change
", written by Shorrock, as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
of all time. The 'classic line-up' of Birtles, Goble, Pellicci, Shorrock, guitarist David Briggs
and bass guitarist George McArdle, were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)
Hall of Fame
at the 18th Annual ARIA Music Awards of 2004
.
". Glenn Shorrock had been the lead singer of leading Australian 1960s pop band The Twilights
and highly regarded early 1970s country rock
band Axiom
. Beeb Birtles had been the bassist in the popular 1960s band Zoot
(which launched the career of singer-guitarist Rick Springfield
), and Goble had led Adelaide folk rock group Allison Gros before forming the harmony-country-rock band Mississippi
, which had enjoyed some chart success in Australia and built up a strong following on the concert and festival circuit; during 1971-72 the original members also recorded under the studio band
pseudonym Drummond, scoring a national #1 hit with a novelty cover of the song "Daddy Cool
".
LRB found immediate success in Australia, but individual members had greater ambitions. Like other Australian groups of the period, both Axiom and Mississippi had tried to break into the UK
record market without success. Axiom disbanded after moving to the UK, and Shorrock sang for a short period with the more progressive rock outfit Esperanto
before meeting and joining forces with Birtles, Goble & Pellicci in 1974. They agreed to meet back in their homeland by early 1975. Remembering the indifferent reaction they had received in the UK, they decided their new band would focus on establishing themselves in the United States
.
A key factor in their eventual success was a fellow Australian they had met while in England who became their manager, Glenn Wheatley
. Wheatley had been the bassist in the highly-regarded Australian rock band The Masters Apprentices
and his first-hand experiences of the rip-offs in the 1960s music scene, combined with his subsequent experience working in music management in Britain and the United States in the early 1970s, allowed him to help Little River Band become the first Australian group to enjoy consistent commercial and chart success in the United States.
Fuelled by a very successful Australian hit single "Curiosity Killed the Cat", the band began making promotional visits to the US inSeptember 1976. This resulted in a US hit single, "It's a Long Way There" (edited down from the album track, which ran over 8 minutes long). This broke into the US Top 30 and galvanised the commitment of the band members.
. At the same time, the group decided to replace bassist Roger McLachlan, who left to join Stars
and was replaced by George McArdle. However, Formosa remained in touch with his former bandmates and conducted and wrote string parts for several Little River Band songs after he officially left the band.
More concert performances in the U.S. followed and in 1977 "Help Is on Its Way
" (an Australian number one single) and "Happy Anniversary" both narrowly missed the US Top 10. From 1978 until 1981, Little River Band achieved one gold (Diamantina Cocktail, released in 1977) and two platinum (Sleeper Catcher in 1978 and First Under the Wire in 1979) plus six consecutive US Top 10 singles with "Reminiscing
" (#3, their biggest hit), "Lady" (#10), "Lonesome Loser" (#6), "Cool Change
" (#10), "The Night Owls" (#6) and "Take It Easy on Me" (#10). During their career the band has sold more than 25 million records and has scored 13 American Top 40 hits.
From 1976 through 1985, the group maintained a constant touring schedule which kept it in the U.S. for long periods of time and may have contributed to much of the constant shuffling of personnel. For example: The band's schedule was so busy that when drummer Derek Pellicci was severely injured in a gas grill fire in May 1978, the band brought in a substitute drummer (Geoff Cox) rather than cancel shows. Drummer Cox remained with the group through the summer of 1978 and even played alongside Pellicci after he came back until he was healed enough to continue on his own. A keyboardist, Mal Logan
, was added in time for another U.S. tour in late 1978.
Bassist McArdle left in May 1978. He went on to take up Bible study, eventually pursuing a path as a minister. Barry Sullivan took over on bass until American Wayne Nelson
, currently the group's lead singer, joined in April 1980. In 1981, he provided lead vocals for their top-10 U.S. hit "Night Owls" the debut single from their Time Exposure album and shared duties with Shorrock on the next single "Take It Easy on Me". Time Exposure had been recorded in Monserrat with famed Beatles producer George Martin
. Guitarist Stephen Housden joined the band in August 1981 replacing David Briggs (who left after musical disagreements) right as Time Exposure was being released. Housden currently owns the rights to the name Little River Band. He co-wrote the band's last hit in Australia "Love Is a Bridge" in 1988.
of Bobby Darin
's "Dream Lover
". "Man on Your Mind" (the third single released from Time Exposure, featuring Shorrock on lead vocal) reached #14 in the U.S.
John Farnham
replaced Shorrock in February 1982 and the first single with Farnham, "The Other Guy" (one of two new offerings on their Greatest Hits album, released in November 1982), reached #11 in the U.S., while the next single "We Two", from their album The Net, released in May 1983, reached the peak of No. 22 in the U.S. That same year, "You're Driving Me Out of My Mind" became the group's last single to reach the U.S. Top 40. Subsequent singles were only minor charters. In Australia the band continued to be popular for a little while longer and songs such as "Down on the Border" and "Playing to Win" were major hits. At this point the band sought to move towards a more "80s style sound", so they added keyboardist David Hirschfelder
in September 1983.
The pressures of success and constant touring took their toll on LRB and other members gradually left. Birtles left at the conclusion of the band's U.S. tour in October 1983 because he did not like the harder, more progressive musical path the band was taking and he was not a fan of Farnham's vocal and performance style. Pellicci too was not entirely comfortable with the new direction and left in February 1984. Steve Prestwich
(formerly of Cold Chisel
) was brought in as new drummer while Birtles was not replaced.
Little River Band performed four songs for the 1985 Oz for Africa
concert (part of the global Live Aid
program) - "Don't Blame Me", "Full Circle", "Night Owls" and "Playing to Win". It was broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network
and Nine Network
) and on MTV
in the US. "Don't Blame Me" and "Night Owls" were also broadcast by American Broadcasting Company
during their Live Aid telecast ("Night Owls" was only partially transmitted).
Farnham left upon completion of the group's short Australian tour (which featured drummer Malcolm Wakeford
in Prestwich's place) in support of their album No Reins (May 1986). He continued to be managed by Glenn Wheatley and his solo career took off almost immediately with the release of the phenomenally successful Whispering Jack.
, who was now the head of MCA Records
and brought the band over to the label. With Shorrock and Pellicci back in the fold, along with remaining members Goble, Housden, and Nelson, the group released two LPs on MCA, Monsoon in June 1988 (from which the single "Love Is a Bridge" was a moderate Adult Contemporary radio hit in the U.S.) and Get Lucky (February 1990). (MCA released a compilation of tracks from those two LPs on their Curb Records
imprint in 1991 titled as Worldwide Love). Goble ceased touring with the group in 1989 and left altogether by 1992. Peter Beckett
(formerly of Player
) joined in 1989 to take Goble's place and the group went through a series of keyboard players: James Roche (a.k.a. Jamie Paddle) (1988–1990), Tony Sciuto (1990–1992, 1993–1997), Richard Bryant (ex-Doobie Brothers
) (1992–1993), Adrian Scott (ex-Air Supply
) (1998–1999), and Glenn Reither (1999–2004), before Chris Marion
arrived at the end of 2004.
Shorrock left again in 1996 and was offered the option to buy out the remaining members (he took a payment instead). Wayne Nelson also left in 1996. Hal Tupea then came in as bassist, as new frontman Steve Wade
was also recruited. This lineup lasted until late 1997. At that point everyone, except Wade, was let go and Derek Pellicci left again in early 1998, leaving Housden as sole owner of the band's trademark.
), and brought back Roger McLachlan, the group's original bass player, who made a surprise return after 22 years. But McLachlan's second tenure was short lived. Both he and Scott departed after a year, not accustomed to the band's heavy touring schedule abroad. Wayne Nelson then returned(in early 1999) and Glenn Reither joined as keyboardist. But the revolving door of personnel continued as Wade and Gildea were next to leave in early 2000. Greg Hind (vocals, guitars) then jumped aboard as Nelson took over most of the lead singing from this point on. The lineup of Housden, Nelson, Hind, Murphy, & Reither was stable for almost five years and appeared on three releases: Where We Started From (2000), One Night in Mississippi (2002) and Test of Time (2004).
At the end of 2004, Glenn Reither and Kevin Murphy left the band after more than six years. Chris Marion
took over keyboards while Kip Raines took over drumming duties temporarily until Billy Thomas
joined in early 2005. Housden left the touring band in 2006, though he retained ownership of the band's name. Rich Herring took over lead guitar on tour and Mel Watts replaced Thomas on drums in 2007 after Thomas suffered a shoulder injury.
Three founding members, Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock and Graeham Goble, went on to perform reunion concerts(in 2002-2007), but because they lost the rights to the name Little River Band, they appeared under the name Birtles Shorrock Goble
. As the trademark owner, Housden has effectively stopped Birtles, Shorrock, and Goble from using references to their LRB past. He and the musicians that have since toured under the name Little River Band have continued playing songs written by Birtles, Shorrock and Goble, even though, since 2006, as Housden himself also no longer tours with the band, the band's performance legacy is in the hands of Wayne Nelson.
The current version of Little River Band continues to work in the U.S. and performs around 100 shows every year.
, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Cool Change" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
of all time. The "classic lineup" of the band (Birtles, Shorrock, Goble, Pellicci, Briggs, and McArdle) were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)
Hall of Fame
at the 18th Annual ARIA Music Awards of 2004
. They performed "Help Is On Its Way" at the induction ceremony in Australia on 17 October 2004. Shorrock, who wrote "Cool Change", had previously been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1991.
"Reminiscing", written by Goble, was recognised by BMI
as one of the most frequently played songs in the history of American radio, with more than four million plays to its credit. "Lady" has also accumulated more than three million plays, and Goble is the only Australian songwriter ever to win a Four "Million Air" award from BMI. According to Albert Goldman
's biography, John Lennon
named "Reminiscing" as one of his favorite songs.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, formed in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in early 1975.
The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
n township of Little River
Little River, Victoria
Little River is a town in Victoria, Australia, 51 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Wyndham and Greater Geelong. At the 2006 Census, Little River had a population of 375.-History:...
, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only Australia, but also in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. During its career, the band sold more than 25 million records and achieved 13 U.S. Top 40 hits - to add to awards gained in Australia.
The band's original members were: lead vocals Glenn Shorrock
Glenn Shorrock
Glenn Barrie Shorrock is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of pop groups The Twilights, Axiom and Little River Band as well as being a solo performer....
; acoustic guitar & vocals Graeham Goble
Graeham Goble
Graeham George Goble is a musician, singer/songwriter and record producer, best known as a founding member of rock performers Little River Band ....
; rhythm guitar & vocals Beeb Birtles
Beeb Birtles
Beeb Birtles , is a Dutch / Australian musician, one of the founding members of the Little River Band....
; lead guitar Ric Formosa
Ric Formosa
-External links:...
; bass guitar Roger McLachlan; and drummer Derek Pellicci
Derek Pellicci
Derek Allan Pellicci is an Australian pop music drummer. He is best known as a founding member of Little River Band...
. The music and lyrics for most of the group's compositions were contributed by Goble and Shorrock primarily — with contributions from Birtles and Briggs.
In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Cool Change
Cool Change (song)
"Cool Change" is a song by Australian rock group Little River Band, which was the second single from their sixth album, First Under the Wire. Released in August 1979, "Cool Change", did not reach the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart top 50...
", written by Shorrock, as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time. The 'classic line-up' of Birtles, Goble, Pellicci, Shorrock, guitarist David Briggs
David Briggs (Australian musician)
David Briggs is an Australian musician and record producer, educated at Wesley College, Melbourne best known for his time as a guitarist in the rock band, Little River Band between 1976 and 1981.In 1976 he joined Little River Band. He wrote their hit single "Lonesome Loser", as well as "Happy...
and bass guitarist George McArdle, were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
at the 18th Annual ARIA Music Awards of 2004
ARIA Music Awards of 2004
The 18th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 17 October 2004 at the Sydney Superdome within the Sydney Olympic Complex...
.
Early years 1970s
In Australian terms, the original lineup of LRB can be considered a "supergroupSupergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
". Glenn Shorrock had been the lead singer of leading Australian 1960s pop band The Twilights
The Twilights (band)
The Twilights were an Australian rock music group of the mid to late 1960s. Alongside their own career successes, The Twilights are also notable for the inclusion of vocalist Glenn Shorrock, who later fronted Axiom, Esperanto and Little River Band, and guitarist Terry Britten who went on to become...
and highly regarded early 1970s country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
band Axiom
Axiom (Australian band)
Axiom were a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1969 and included musicians Glenn Shorrock and Brian Cadd.-Biography:Axiom's formation was a by-product of the annual Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds in which the top Australian bands of the day performed in front of judges for the prize of a...
. Beeb Birtles had been the bassist in the popular 1960s band Zoot
Zoot (band)
Zoot are a pop/rock band formed in Adelaide, South Australia in 1965 as Down the Line. They changed their name to Zoot in 1967 and by 1968 had relocated to Melbourne...
(which launched the career of singer-guitarist Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
), and Goble had led Adelaide folk rock group Allison Gros before forming the harmony-country-rock band Mississippi
Mississippi (band)
Mississippi was an Australian band , which featured some big names in Australian rock music, Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles and Kerryn Tolhurst...
, which had enjoyed some chart success in Australia and built up a strong following on the concert and festival circuit; during 1971-72 the original members also recorded under the studio band
Studio band
A studio band is a musical band that is in regular employment of a Music Recording business for the purpose of playing music on recordings featuring a separate performer. The term may also refer to a band that does not perform live....
pseudonym Drummond, scoring a national #1 hit with a novelty cover of the song "Daddy Cool
Daddy Cool (The Rays song)
"Daddy Cool" was a song by US doo-wop group, The Rays and was released on Cameo Records as the B-side of their 1957 single "Silhouettes". It became a #3 hit on the Billboard Pop singles chart. The song was written by Bob Crewe and Frank Slay, who had also written the A-side, "Silhouettes"...
".
LRB found immediate success in Australia, but individual members had greater ambitions. Like other Australian groups of the period, both Axiom and Mississippi had tried to break into the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
record market without success. Axiom disbanded after moving to the UK, and Shorrock sang for a short period with the more progressive rock outfit Esperanto
Esperanto (progressive rock band)
Esperanto was a Belgo-English rock band which had a short career at the beginning of the 70s.-Band members:*Raymond Vincent, a Belgian violinist/songwriter who played in Wallace Collection ....
before meeting and joining forces with Birtles, Goble & Pellicci in 1974. They agreed to meet back in their homeland by early 1975. Remembering the indifferent reaction they had received in the UK, they decided their new band would focus on establishing themselves in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
A key factor in their eventual success was a fellow Australian they had met while in England who became their manager, Glenn Wheatley
Glenn Wheatley
Glenn Dawson Wheatley is an Australian artist manager and entertainment industry executive.Wheatley began his career as a musician in Brisbane in the mid-1960s and in the late 1960s became nationally famous as a member of leading pop-rock band The Masters Apprentices...
. Wheatley had been the bassist in the highly-regarded Australian rock band The Masters Apprentices
The Masters Apprentices
The Masters Apprentices were an Australian rock band fronted by mainstay Jim Keays on lead vocals, which formed in 1965 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne in February 1967 and attempted to break into the United Kingdom market from 1970, before disbanding in 1972...
and his first-hand experiences of the rip-offs in the 1960s music scene, combined with his subsequent experience working in music management in Britain and the United States in the early 1970s, allowed him to help Little River Band become the first Australian group to enjoy consistent commercial and chart success in the United States.
Fuelled by a very successful Australian hit single "Curiosity Killed the Cat", the band began making promotional visits to the US inSeptember 1976. This resulted in a US hit single, "It's a Long Way There" (edited down from the album track, which ran over 8 minutes long). This broke into the US Top 30 and galvanised the commitment of the band members.
Success and changes of personnel
Just before they began touring abroad, lead guitarist Ric Formosa, apparently not enthusiastic about touring outside of Australia, left the group to pursue other musical interests and was replaced by David BriggsDavid Briggs (Australian musician)
David Briggs is an Australian musician and record producer, educated at Wesley College, Melbourne best known for his time as a guitarist in the rock band, Little River Band between 1976 and 1981.In 1976 he joined Little River Band. He wrote their hit single "Lonesome Loser", as well as "Happy...
. At the same time, the group decided to replace bassist Roger McLachlan, who left to join Stars
Stars (Australian band)
-Other appearances:-Members:*Glyn Dowding – drums *Malcolm Eastick – guitar, vocals *Mick Pealing – vocals *Graham Thompson – bass guitar *Andrew Durant – guitar...
and was replaced by George McArdle. However, Formosa remained in touch with his former bandmates and conducted and wrote string parts for several Little River Band songs after he officially left the band.
More concert performances in the U.S. followed and in 1977 "Help Is on Its Way
Help Is on Its Way
"Help Is on Its Way" was written by Glenn Shorrock and was a hit single by the Australian group Little River Band in 1977. It was featured on the album Diamantina Cocktail. The song went to number one in Australia on the Kent Music Report singles chart. The song was the fourth highest selling...
" (an Australian number one single) and "Happy Anniversary" both narrowly missed the US Top 10. From 1978 until 1981, Little River Band achieved one gold (Diamantina Cocktail, released in 1977) and two platinum (Sleeper Catcher in 1978 and First Under the Wire in 1979) plus six consecutive US Top 10 singles with "Reminiscing
Reminiscing
"Reminiscing" is a 1978 song written by Graeham Goble, and performed by Australian rock music group Little River Band. It remains their greatest success in the United States, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year. The song is about a couple reminiscing about the past, with...
" (#3, their biggest hit), "Lady" (#10), "Lonesome Loser" (#6), "Cool Change
Cool Change (song)
"Cool Change" is a song by Australian rock group Little River Band, which was the second single from their sixth album, First Under the Wire. Released in August 1979, "Cool Change", did not reach the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart top 50...
" (#10), "The Night Owls" (#6) and "Take It Easy on Me" (#10). During their career the band has sold more than 25 million records and has scored 13 American Top 40 hits.
From 1976 through 1985, the group maintained a constant touring schedule which kept it in the U.S. for long periods of time and may have contributed to much of the constant shuffling of personnel. For example: The band's schedule was so busy that when drummer Derek Pellicci was severely injured in a gas grill fire in May 1978, the band brought in a substitute drummer (Geoff Cox) rather than cancel shows. Drummer Cox remained with the group through the summer of 1978 and even played alongside Pellicci after he came back until he was healed enough to continue on his own. A keyboardist, Mal Logan
Mal Logan
Malcolm Ian Logan, AC is an Australian geographer and university administrator. He was Vice-Chancellor of Monash University from 1987-1996.Logan grew up in country New South Wales, attending secondary school in the remote town of Tamworth. He moved to Sydney to complete an honours degree in...
, was added in time for another U.S. tour in late 1978.
Bassist McArdle left in May 1978. He went on to take up Bible study, eventually pursuing a path as a minister. Barry Sullivan took over on bass until American Wayne Nelson
Wayne Nelson
Wayne Nelson is an American musician best known for being a member of the famed Australian rock band, Little River Band....
, currently the group's lead singer, joined in April 1980. In 1981, he provided lead vocals for their top-10 U.S. hit "Night Owls" the debut single from their Time Exposure album and shared duties with Shorrock on the next single "Take It Easy on Me". Time Exposure had been recorded in Monserrat with famed Beatles producer George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
. Guitarist Stephen Housden joined the band in August 1981 replacing David Briggs (who left after musical disagreements) right as Time Exposure was being released. Housden currently owns the rights to the name Little River Band. He co-wrote the band's last hit in Australia "Love Is a Bridge" in 1988.
John Farnham years 1980s
In 1982, Shorrock was forced out of the band as the other members were keen to try different musical directions. Keyboardist Logan was dropped as well. Shorrock went on to pursue a solo career but failed to make much of an impression in the U.S. He did, however, have a substantial hit in Australia with a cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
's "Dream Lover
Dream Lover
"Dream Lover" is a song written and recorded by Bobby Darin on March 5, 1959. It was produced by Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler and engineered by Tom Dowd. It is considered a soulful rock song. The song became a multi-million seller, reaching #2 in US charts and was #1 in UK for three weeks during...
". "Man on Your Mind" (the third single released from Time Exposure, featuring Shorrock on lead vocal) reached #14 in the U.S.
John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
replaced Shorrock in February 1982 and the first single with Farnham, "The Other Guy" (one of two new offerings on their Greatest Hits album, released in November 1982), reached #11 in the U.S., while the next single "We Two", from their album The Net, released in May 1983, reached the peak of No. 22 in the U.S. That same year, "You're Driving Me Out of My Mind" became the group's last single to reach the U.S. Top 40. Subsequent singles were only minor charters. In Australia the band continued to be popular for a little while longer and songs such as "Down on the Border" and "Playing to Win" were major hits. At this point the band sought to move towards a more "80s style sound", so they added keyboardist David Hirschfelder
David Hirschfelder
David Hirschfelder is an Australian film score composer and performer.Hirschfelder was born and raised in Ballarat, Victoria....
in September 1983.
The pressures of success and constant touring took their toll on LRB and other members gradually left. Birtles left at the conclusion of the band's U.S. tour in October 1983 because he did not like the harder, more progressive musical path the band was taking and he was not a fan of Farnham's vocal and performance style. Pellicci too was not entirely comfortable with the new direction and left in February 1984. Steve Prestwich
Steve Prestwich
-External links:* *...
(formerly of Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
) was brought in as new drummer while Birtles was not replaced.
Little River Band performed four songs for the 1985 Oz for Africa
Oz for Africa
Oz for Africa was an Australian concert held on 13 July 1985 at the Sydney Sports and Entertainment Centre. It was broadcast locally and internationally as part of the worldwide Live Aid performances to raise money for famine relief in Africa. The concert featured 17 bands performing some of their...
concert (part of the global Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
program) - "Don't Blame Me", "Full Circle", "Night Owls" and "Playing to Win". It was broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
and Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
) and on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in the US. "Don't Blame Me" and "Night Owls" were also broadcast by American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
during their Live Aid telecast ("Night Owls" was only partially transmitted).
Farnham left upon completion of the group's short Australian tour (which featured drummer Malcolm Wakeford
Malcolm Wakeford
"Malcolm Wakeford" was born in Dartford, near London, England and emigrated to Australia with his family at age 11. Primarily a drummer / vocalist, he has played drums and sung in Australian bands from the late 1970s to date. He is also a song writer, music producer and plays guitar, bass and...
in Prestwich's place) in support of their album No Reins (May 1986). He continued to be managed by Glenn Wheatley and his solo career took off almost immediately with the release of the phenomenally successful Whispering Jack.
Shorrock's return 1990s
After Farnham's departure, LRB was pretty much in limbo until the following year when Shorrock and Pellicci returned at the suggestion of Irving AzoffIrving Azoff
Irving Azoff is an American personal manager, representing recording artists in the music industry such as Christina Aguilera, Journey, Jewel, the Eagles, X Japan, Bush, REO Speedwagon, Seal, David Archuleta, Alter Bridge, Van Halen, 30 Seconds to Mars, Neil Diamond, New Kids on the Block, Steely...
, who was now the head of MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
and brought the band over to the label. With Shorrock and Pellicci back in the fold, along with remaining members Goble, Housden, and Nelson, the group released two LPs on MCA, Monsoon in June 1988 (from which the single "Love Is a Bridge" was a moderate Adult Contemporary radio hit in the U.S.) and Get Lucky (February 1990). (MCA released a compilation of tracks from those two LPs on their Curb Records
Curb Records
Curb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963...
imprint in 1991 titled as Worldwide Love). Goble ceased touring with the group in 1989 and left altogether by 1992. Peter Beckett
Peter Beckett
Peter Beckett is an English musician and songwriter who has recorded written songs for many prominent recording artists and for several films, as well as produced solo work. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for 1970s soft rock group Player, which scored a U.S...
(formerly of Player
Player (band)
Player is an American rock band that made their mark during the late 1970s. The group scored a few US Hot 100 hits, three of which went into the Top 40 -two of those single releases went Top 10, including the #1 hit "Baby Come Back". That song was written by group members Peter Beckett and J.C....
) joined in 1989 to take Goble's place and the group went through a series of keyboard players: James Roche (a.k.a. Jamie Paddle) (1988–1990), Tony Sciuto (1990–1992, 1993–1997), Richard Bryant (ex-Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
) (1992–1993), Adrian Scott (ex-Air Supply
Air Supply
Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo, consisting of Graham Russell as guitarist and singer-songwriter and Russell Hitchcock as lead vocalist. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s...
) (1998–1999), and Glenn Reither (1999–2004), before Chris Marion
Chris Marion
Chris Marion is an American musician best known as a member of Little River Band and for his contribution to the gospel music industry....
arrived at the end of 2004.
Shorrock left again in 1996 and was offered the option to buy out the remaining members (he took a payment instead). Wayne Nelson also left in 1996. Hal Tupea then came in as bassist, as new frontman Steve Wade
Steve Wade (singer)
Steve Wade is an award-winning Australian singer, songwriter and musician. For four years he was the lead vocalist for Little River Band. Wade is a two-time winner of Australian Songwriter of the Year.-Singer:...
was also recruited. This lineup lasted until late 1997. At that point everyone, except Wade, was let go and Derek Pellicci left again in early 1998, leaving Housden as sole owner of the band's trademark.
Later years 2000s
Housden brought in new players Kevin Murphy (vocals, drums, percussion), Paul Gildea (vocals, guitars), and Adrian Scott (vocals, keyboards, ex-Air SupplyAir Supply
Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo, consisting of Graham Russell as guitarist and singer-songwriter and Russell Hitchcock as lead vocalist. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s...
), and brought back Roger McLachlan, the group's original bass player, who made a surprise return after 22 years. But McLachlan's second tenure was short lived. Both he and Scott departed after a year, not accustomed to the band's heavy touring schedule abroad. Wayne Nelson then returned(in early 1999) and Glenn Reither joined as keyboardist. But the revolving door of personnel continued as Wade and Gildea were next to leave in early 2000. Greg Hind (vocals, guitars) then jumped aboard as Nelson took over most of the lead singing from this point on. The lineup of Housden, Nelson, Hind, Murphy, & Reither was stable for almost five years and appeared on three releases: Where We Started From (2000), One Night in Mississippi (2002) and Test of Time (2004).
At the end of 2004, Glenn Reither and Kevin Murphy left the band after more than six years. Chris Marion
Chris Marion
Chris Marion is an American musician best known as a member of Little River Band and for his contribution to the gospel music industry....
took over keyboards while Kip Raines took over drumming duties temporarily until Billy Thomas
Billy Thomas
For the Wales international footballer see Billy Thomas Billy Thomas is an American former professional basketball player...
joined in early 2005. Housden left the touring band in 2006, though he retained ownership of the band's name. Rich Herring took over lead guitar on tour and Mel Watts replaced Thomas on drums in 2007 after Thomas suffered a shoulder injury.
Three founding members, Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock and Graeham Goble, went on to perform reunion concerts(in 2002-2007), but because they lost the rights to the name Little River Band, they appeared under the name Birtles Shorrock Goble
Birtles Shorrock Goble
Birtles Shorrock Goble are an Australian pop/rock group composed of the three original singers and songwriters of Little River Band, namely Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock, and Graeham Goble. The members are known for their extensive writing and performance of hit songs and distinctive vocal harmonies...
. As the trademark owner, Housden has effectively stopped Birtles, Shorrock, and Goble from using references to their LRB past. He and the musicians that have since toured under the name Little River Band have continued playing songs written by Birtles, Shorrock and Goble, even though, since 2006, as Housden himself also no longer tours with the band, the band's performance legacy is in the hands of Wayne Nelson.
The current version of Little River Band continues to work in the U.S. and performs around 100 shows every year.
Legacy
The Original Little River Band is considered to be among Australia's most significant bands. In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Cool Change" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time. The "classic lineup" of the band (Birtles, Shorrock, Goble, Pellicci, Briggs, and McArdle) were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
at the 18th Annual ARIA Music Awards of 2004
ARIA Music Awards of 2004
The 18th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 17 October 2004 at the Sydney Superdome within the Sydney Olympic Complex...
. They performed "Help Is On Its Way" at the induction ceremony in Australia on 17 October 2004. Shorrock, who wrote "Cool Change", had previously been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1991.
"Reminiscing", written by Goble, was recognised by BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
as one of the most frequently played songs in the history of American radio, with more than four million plays to its credit. "Lady" has also accumulated more than three million plays, and Goble is the only Australian songwriter ever to win a Four "Million Air" award from BMI. According to Albert Goldman
Albert Goldman
Albert Harry Goldman was an American professor and author.Born in Dormont, Pennsylvania, Albert Goldman wrote about the culture and personalities of the American music industry both in books and as a contributor to magazines...
's biography, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
named "Reminiscing" as one of his favorite songs.
Band personnel
- Lead vocals
- Glenn ShorrockGlenn ShorrockGlenn Barrie Shorrock is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of pop groups The Twilights, Axiom and Little River Band as well as being a solo performer....
1975–1982, 1987–1996 - John FarnhamJohn FarnhamJohn Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
1982–1986 - Steve WadeSteve Wade (singer)Steve Wade is an award-winning Australian singer, songwriter and musician. For four years he was the lead vocalist for Little River Band. Wade is a two-time winner of Australian Songwriter of the Year.-Singer:...
1996–2000 - Wayne NelsonWayne NelsonWayne Nelson is an American musician best known for being a member of the famed Australian rock band, Little River Band....
2000–present
- Glenn Shorrock
- Lead guitarists
- Graham DavidgeGraham DavidgeGraham Davidge is an Australian musician. He has played with Little River Band, Goanna and numerous other Australian bands.Davidge was chosen as the original lead guitarist for Little River Band. He played on the band's first recording in 1975, a cover of the Everly Brothers song "When Will I Be...
1975 (first recording session guitarist only) - Ric FormosaRic Formosa-External links:...
1975–1976 - David BriggsDavid Briggs (Australian musician)David Briggs is an Australian musician and record producer, educated at Wesley College, Melbourne best known for his time as a guitarist in the rock band, Little River Band between 1976 and 1981.In 1976 he joined Little River Band. He wrote their hit single "Lonesome Loser", as well as "Happy...
1976–1981 - Stephen Housden 1981–2006
- Rich Herring 2006–present
- Graham Davidge
- Guitarists
- Graeham GobleGraeham GobleGraeham George Goble is a musician, singer/songwriter and record producer, best known as a founding member of rock performers Little River Band ....
1975-1992 (stopped touring with group in 1989) - Beeb BirtlesBeeb BirtlesBeeb Birtles , is a Dutch / Australian musician, one of the founding members of the Little River Band....
1975-1983 - Peter BeckettPeter BeckettPeter Beckett is an English musician and songwriter who has recorded written songs for many prominent recording artists and for several films, as well as produced solo work. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for 1970s soft rock group Player, which scored a U.S...
1989-1997 - Paul Gildea 1998-2000
- Greg Hind 2000–present
- Graeham Goble
- Bassists
- Roger McLachlan 1975–1976, 1998–1999
- George McArdle 1976–1979
- Barry Sullivan 1979–1980
- Wayne NelsonWayne NelsonWayne Nelson is an American musician best known for being a member of the famed Australian rock band, Little River Band....
1980–1996, 1999–present - Hal Tupea 1996–1997
- Drummers
- Derek PellicciDerek PellicciDerek Allan Pellicci is an Australian pop music drummer. He is best known as a founding member of Little River Band...
1975–1984, 1987–1998 - Geoff CoxGeoff CoxGeoff Cox is an Australian musician and media personality. He is often referred to as Coxy.He is most notable for having played drums with the Little River Band. More recently he became a light entertainment presenter on the Seven Network. Currently he hosts Coxy's Big Break.Cox has been an...
1978 tour, filling in for injured Pellicci - Steve PrestwichSteve Prestwich-External links:* *...
1984–1986 - Malcolm WakefordMalcolm Wakeford"Malcolm Wakeford" was born in Dartford, near London, England and emigrated to Australia with his family at age 11. Primarily a drummer / vocalist, he has played drums and sung in Australian bands from the late 1970s to date. He is also a song writer, music producer and plays guitar, bass and...
1986 - Kevin Murphy 1998–2004
- Kip Raines 2004-2005
- Billy Thomas 2005–2007
- Mel Watts 2007–present
- Derek Pellicci
- Keyboardists
- No stage keyboardist 1975–1978; 1982–1983
- Mal Logan 1978–1982
- David HirschfelderDavid HirschfelderDavid Hirschfelder is an Australian film score composer and performer.Hirschfelder was born and raised in Ballarat, Victoria....
1983–1986 - James Roche 1988–1990
- Tony Sciuto 1990–1992; 1993–1997
- Richard Bryant 1992-1993
- Adrian Scott 1998-1999
- Glenn Reither 1999–2004
- Chris MarionChris MarionChris Marion is an American musician best known as a member of Little River Band and for his contribution to the gospel music industry....
2004–present
Current members
- Wayne NelsonWayne NelsonWayne Nelson is an American musician best known for being a member of the famed Australian rock band, Little River Band....
(bass, lead vocals) - Greg Hind (guitar, vocals)
- Chris MarionChris MarionChris Marion is an American musician best known as a member of Little River Band and for his contribution to the gospel music industry....
(keyboards, vocals) - Mel Watts (drums, vocals)
- Rich Herring (guitar, vocals)
Deceased members
- Steve Prestwich obituary (1954–2011)
- Barry Sullivan obituary (1946–2003)
External links
- Little River Band official website
- Little River Band official Myspace
- Stephen Housden's official site
- Birtles Shorrock Goble
- Beeb Birtles' site
- Graham Goble's site, includes preview clips from his latest album
- Graeham Goble's official Myspace
- Glenn Shorrock's official Myspace
- www.lrb.net
- Little River Band: Born In The Sign of Water, originally published in GoldmineGoldmine (magazine)Goldmine, established in 1974, is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. Each issue features news articles, interviews, discographies, histories, current reviews on recording stars of the past and present. Discographies...
magazine, written by Chuck Miller - David Briggs website
- George McArdle's biography