The band boasted years of experience and chose the U.S. west coast harmony and guitar sound as their major influence. WebLittle River Band is an Australian soft rock band from Melbourne, Victoria. Unfortunately, guitarist Stephen Housden, who joined the band in August 1981 and left in 2006, ended up owning the rights to the name Little River Band, and has prevented Birtles, Shorrock and Goble from using any reference to their past musical history. In May, 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Cool Change" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. During their career the band have sold more than 25 million records and scored 13 American Top 40 hits.There is currently no original founding members left in the group. None of the musicians now performing as the Little River Band are original members. After a series of albums with singer John Farnham at the helm, Shorrock reentered the picture and Little River Band managed to retain their popularity in Australia through the end of the decade. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums reached the top 10 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart including Diamantina Cocktail (May 1977) and First Under the Wire (July 1979), Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The animosity remained, with the original members doing their best to sabotage major appearances and anniversary celebrations undertaken by the touring version. All Rights Reserved. a 2016 CD of nine re-recorded hits and two new songs; and The Big Box from 2017, a box set of 6 CDs and a DVD with live footage from the LRB 40th anniversary tour. Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source. Backed by a frequently rotating staff, Housden and Nelson toured a version of Little River Band throughout the 2000s despite numerous legal battles with the group's founding members, who had authored all of their best-known material. The band boasted years of experience and chose the U.S. west coast harmony and guitar sound as their major influence. Lady has also accumulated more than three million plays, and Goble is the first and only Australian songwriter ever to win a Four Million Air award from BMI. Housden, who bought the rights to the name after the original band members left in the 80s, claimed that Birtles, Shorrock and Goble had breached a 2002 deed of settlement on the use of the name. As of 2017, none of the musicians performing as Little River Band were original members. for help. As of 2017, none of the musicians performing as Little River Band were original members. (LP, Transcription + LP, S/Sided, Transcription). Peter Beckett from Player joined them, touring the States several times. Some of the newer songs also have become live show mainstays, Nelson said. They now plan to relaunch the Little River Band in the United States, where they notched up eight Top 10 hits in a row with Reminiscing, Help Is On Its Way and Home On A Monday, among others. Little River Band formed in March 1975 in Melbourne as a harmony rock group with Beeb Birtles on guitar and vocals, Graham Davidge on lead guitar, Graeham This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The regular changes in the backline -- especially on bass -- only contributed to tensions. Theyre very emotional songs that have been getting standing ovations, so its very rewarding to put them up on stage, he said. On June 25th, 2019 The New York Times Magazine listed Little River Band among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The name and trademarks are controlled by Stephen Housden, who joined as guitarist in The Little River Band is still active, but with no original members. Just two years into their career, however, cracks in the lineup began to show, with Formosa and McLachlan replaced by David Briggs and George McArdle, respectively. Little River Band once again enjoyed a modest degree of success, with healthy record sales, sell-out live appearances, and considerable media attention. Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band originally formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. Little River Band's first American tour, in support of the album and single, brought pleasantly surprised fans to their feet in packed halls throughout the country. I always say life doesnt change, just the toys do. Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. As of 2017, none of the musicians performing as Little River Band were original members. WebLittle River Band have had over thirty official members since their inception. They performed Help Is On Its Way that night. For the new millennium, Little River Band, consisting of Stephen Housden: lead guitar, Wayne Nelson: bass and lead vocals, Greg Hind: guitar and vocals, Kevin Murphy: drums and vocals, Glenn Reither: keyboards and sax, released a new CD called "Where We Started From". Unfortunately, guitarist Stephen Housden, who joined the band in August 1981 and left in 2006, ended up owning the rights to the name Little River Band, and has prevented Birtles, Shorrock and Goble from using any reference to their past musical history. The record was the last to feature McArdale, who subsequently gave away all of his money to move to Australia's Blue Mountains and undertake a three-year Bible study retreat. The group got back to it in March, with three concerts in Florida, and then tiptoed through its dates from May through July, Nelson said. About. 2023 Billboard Media, LLC. More. Housden cited the cover of the trios new live CD Full Circle, which referred to the act as the original voices of Little River Band. Housden tours with a line-up of Little River Band that does not include any of its former members.Plans to release the CD in June were delayed after Housden initiated district court action in Orlando, Florida. How many original band members are in Little River Band? Beeb The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". In May, 2020 an online museum devoted to the original members of Little River Band was launched. The result was called Diamantina Cocktail, produced by John Boylan. But its not just boomers in the audience. Weve been asking at our shows since the pandemic, how many are seeing the band live for the first time. 3 Why did Little River Band lose their name? All Rights Reserved. He was replaced by bassist Wayne Nelson in the wake of the release of 1980's live set called "Backstage Pass". WebThe predominantly American band that tours posing as the Little River Band today has zero original members and none of the people who wrote their biggest hits. 7 Who are the members of Little River Band? According to Albert Goldmans biography, John Lennon named Reminiscing as one of his favorite songs. Little River BandWhen: 8 p.m. FridayWhere: The Palace Theatre, GreensburgTickets: $49.75-$69.75 (additional fee at the door)Details: 724-836-8000 or thepalacetheatre.org. The The band's original members were: lead vocals Glenn Shorrock, acoustic guitar and vocals Graeham Goble, rhythm guitar and vocals Beeb Birtles, lead guitar Ric Formosa, bass Over 30 different people have performed as part of this group as the result of numerous personnel changes. The group evolved from the harmony-rock group Mississippi in 1975. 5.9K members. In Australia the band continued to be popular and songs such as Down On The Border, Playing To Win and Love is a Bridge were major hits. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Little River Band is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1975 and named after a road sign for the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Like many other Australasian groups of the period, both Axiom and Mississippi had tried to break into the UK record market without success. 2020's live album Black Tie featured Little River Band accompanied on-stage by an orchestra, playing early hits as well as some of their contemporary offerings like the record's patriotic single "The Lost and the Lonely," which originally appeared on 2013's Cuts Like a Diamond. The revolving stage door kept spinning and in 1996 as Shorrock and long-time bassist Wayne Nelson also left Little River Band. Three original members of Australian act Little River Band have won the right to advertise themselves as the founders and songwriters of the '70s hitmakers. Little River Band/Origin. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. As Nelson shepherded the group, they headed into another decade and continued to celebrate the breadth of their legacy. That line-up was made up of Wayne Nelson, Rich Herring, Greg Hind, Chris Marion and Ryan Ricks. Although the dramas and infighting of the group's latter years have taken their toll, the Little River Band legacy as a whole has fared well, and the group's induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame and the lasting power of now-classic hits like "Cool Change," "Reminiscing," and "Help Is on Its Way" continued to cement their reputation as one of Australia's most significant bands. In May, 2020, major music and streaming platforms such as iTunes began recognizing the original Little River Band as a separate entity to the latter day band. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. How did Little River Band lose their name? First, Briggs exited, to be replaced by guitarist Steve Housden, then Shorrock left to mount a solo career. Join our mailing list for pre-sale announcements! The single "We Two" peaked at #22 and "You're Driving Me Out Of My Mind" reached #35 in 1983. WebLittle River Band have had over thirty official members since their inception. The band chose the name while driving along the Princes Freeway to Geelong, Victoria, Australia for an early concert, after passing a sign for the exit to the township of Little River. Peter Beckett from Player joined them, touring the States several times. They now plan to relaunch the Little River Band in the United States, where they notched up eight Top 10 hits in a row with Reminiscing, Help Is On Its Way and Home On A Monday, among others. Members. While fronted by singer John Farnham from 19821986, the band's original members were Glenn Shorrock (vocals), Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles and Ric Formosa (guitars and vocals), Roger McLachlan (bass) and Derek Pellicci (drums). The group evolved from the harmony-rock group Mississippi in 1975. Remembering the indifferent reaction they had received in the UK, they decided the new band would focus on establishing themselves in the United States. What happened to the original members of Little River Band? According to VMP, The Little River Band formed in 1975 as a bit of a supergroup in its native Australia, as founding members Beeb Birtles, Graham Davidge, Little River Band continues to work in the US and performs around 100 shows every year. Over the next two years the band scored four Top Ten hits, "Reminiscing" (#3,) "Lady" (#10), "Lonesome Loser" (#6) and "Cool Change" (#10) and earned Platinum status with their fifth album, "First Under the Wire". Another version of Little River Band was still touring in 2012, with only Wayne Nelson left over from any hit making line-up. Be the first to know about our exclusive events! For more, be sure to read Gary James' interviews with Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The contentious legal entanglements persisted well into the next decade with continued strife between both parties resulting in the cancellation of several major anniversary appearances by the touring version of the group, now led solely by Nelson, who in 2016 released an album of re-recorded versions of the band's earlier hits. Singer, Radio personality, Songwriter, Presenter, Actor. Media. Media Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 19701974: Pre Little River Band. However, after that the group quickly began to fall apart. Founder members Beeb Birtles and Graeham Goble had left the group. Was the Little River Band on the Middle TV show? The group continued to tour, mostly in America, where they had a busy schedule of shows planned for 2017, 2018 and 2019. Youll be able to say that if you take your sweetie to the bands show Friday in Greensburg. They were the first Australian rock group to enjoy sustained commercial success in the United States. Hits like Reminiscing along with Lonesome Loser, Cool Change, Happy Anniversary and a slew of others are what have kept the band touring since its heyday in the late 1970s. Three original members of Australian act Little River Band have won the right to advertise themselves as the founders and songwriters of the 70s hitmakers.The trio Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock and Graeham Goble have settled the issue with guitarist Steve Housden out of court, allowing the three to use the name Little River Band in their marketing. Another version of Little River Band was still touring in 2012, with only Wayne Nelson left over from any hit making line-up. Hirschfelder and Prestwich also left just as Glen Shorrock returned and the new band soon had another major hit with "Love Is A Bridge", which reached #6, in their homeland and #18 in America. Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about. Why did Little River Band lose their name? In the States, the next Little River Band album, titled "Diamantina Cocktail", compiled material from their first two Australian LPs, and proved to be their commercial breakthrough, launching the single "Help Is On Its Way" to #14. WebThis site is a FAN PAGE dedicated to the 70's great Australian REAL ORIGINAL members and song writers of The Little River Band only. Lead singer Shorrock had made his name first in the mid-'60s group the Twilights, and later with Axiom, whose 1970 single "A Little Ray of Sunshine" eventually became an Australian classic rock staple. That Formed in 1975, the group had six original members, two of whom have since died. Read more on Last.fm. Their follow-up, After Hours, was released in Australia mere months later in April 1976, though the band's American record company considered it to too dark and sent them straight back into the studio to record the next album, resolving to use some of the After Hours tracks and the best of what was being recorded for the group's third Australian album. By About. Little River Band is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1975 and named after a road sign for the Victorian township of Little. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. To celebrate its opening, Graeham Goble released his solo catalogue and unheard demos from 1976 to 1987, all songs that he wrote while in Little River Band. The band, to its credit, never followed a trend. Little River Band. Soft rockers with big hair Little River Band in the 1970s. By this point, Little River Band were on a roll and 1979's First Under the Wire was no exception, launching another pair of hits with "Cool Change" and "Lonesome Loser.". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Two more singles, "Man On Your Mind" (#14) and "The Other Guy" (#11) were also successful. WebLittle River Band is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1975 and named after a road sign for the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong. WebAlthough the early lineup shuffled around a bit, by the time Little River Band released their self-titled debut in late 1975, the band consisted of mainstays Shorrock (vocals), Birtles During their career the band have sold more than 25 million records and scored 13 American Top 40 hits. Join group. WebThe predominantly American band that tours posing as the Little River Band today has zero original members and none of the people who wrote their biggest hits. Buoyed by the hit singles "Help Is on Its Way" and "Happy Anniversary," the album peaked at number 49 in the U.S. and number two in Australia, eventually going gold in both countries. Through their career, the act has sold an estimated 30 million albums.BSGs Melbourne-based manager Paul Rodger says a new release date in North America for Full Circle is being scheduled, as is a VH-1 special on the band, which was originally set for screening on June 28.The legal problems also meant that BSG turned down an offer to tour the United States with Chicago, Rodger says. As of 2017, none of the musicians performing as Little River Band were original members. With that in mind, they almost immediately went into the studio, even before the rest of the band had been consolidated. During this period McLachlan left the group and was replaced by George McArdle while lead guitarist Formosa was replaced by David Briggs. (The newer songs) are the 2000s version of the band, and the stories reflect more of the ups and downs of our life experience.. WebMost LRB hits were written by founding members Graham Goble, Beeb Birtles or Glenn Shorrock, but "Lonesome Loser" was written by guitarist David Briggs, who joined in 1976 after the band's second album. Goble left the group in 1990. Prior to that, Birtles had been the bassist in 1960s pop band Zoot (which also included singer-guitarist Rick Springfield), and Shorrock had been the lead singer of leading Australian 60s pop band The Twilights and early 1970s country rock band Axiom. Three founding members, Birtles, Shorrock and Goble, continue to perform reunion concerts but due to the fact they lost the rights to the name Little River Band, they appear under the name Birtles Shorrock Goble: The Original Voices of Little River Band. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Events. BSG and Housdens company We Too settled the matter yesterday (July 27) before the case went to court in Florida. Since the early 2000s, Nelson said, LRB mostly has been a touring band, playing 80 to 100 shows a year. The The band's original members were: lead vocals Glenn Shorrock, acoustic guitar and vocals Graeham Goble, rhythm guitar and vocals Beeb Birtles, lead guitar Ric Formosa, bass guitar Roger McLachlan, and drums Derek Pellicci. First, Briggs exited, to be replaced by guitarist Steve Housden, then Shorrock left to mount a solo career. While lead guitarist Formosa was replaced by George McArdle while lead guitarist Formosa was replaced by Briggs... 1996 as Shorrock and long-time bassist Wayne Nelson in the wake of the Band boasted of. Bassist Wayne Nelson, Rich Herring, Greg Hind, Chris Marion and Ryan Ricks went to court in.... That night cookie consent plugin always say life doesnt change, just the toys do musicians as. 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