Little River Band (LRB) were formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in March 1975. The original Australian group featured lead vocalist Glenn Shorrock, guitarists and vocalists Beeb Birtles and Graeham Goble, lead guitarist Ric Formosa, bassist Roger McLachlan and drummer Derek Pellicci. Since their formation, the band have been through numerous lineup changes. None of the original Australian band are members of the current American band which have legal use of the Little River Band name and trademarks. This band includes bassist and lead vocalist Wayne Nelson (from 1980 to 1996 and since 1999), keyboardist and vocalist Chris Marion (since 2004), drummer and vocalist Ryan Ricks (since 2012), guitarist and vocalist Colin Whinnery (since 2018) and guitarist and vocalist Bruce Wallace (since 2022).
History
1975–82
LRB were formed in March 1975 by lead vocalist Glenn Shorrock, guitarist-vocalists Beeb Birtles and Graeham Goble, lead guitarist Ric Formosa, bassist Roger McLachlan and drummer Derek Pellicci. [1] [2] The previous month, before taking on its new name, the group had recorded a cover version of the Everly Brothers song " When Will I Be Loved" with lead guitarist Graham Davidge and bassist Dave Orams, however this remained unreleased until 1988 when it was featured on the compilation Too Late to Load. [3] With the original lineup, LRB recorded its self-titled 1975 debut album and follow-up After Hours, before Formosa left in August 1976; he was replaced by David Briggs, while the group also brought in George McArdle to take over from McLachlan, with whom they "weren't 100 per cent happy". [4]
With Briggs and McArdle, LRB achieved international success with the releases of Diamantina Cocktail in 1977 and Sleeper Catcher in 1978. [2] For a world tour in the summer of 1978, Pellicci was temporarily replaced by Geoff Cox, a former bandmate of Briggs in the band Cycle, after suffering burn injuries which rendered him unable to perform. [5] At the same time, Mal Logan was brought in as a touring keyboardist. [6] Following Pellicci's return, the group recorded three shows in November 1978 for its first live album, Backstage Pass. [7] At the end of January 1979, however, McArdle also left after converting to Christianity and deciding to attend Bible college full-time. [8] He was not immediately replaced, with bass on First Under the Wire performed by session musicians Clive Harrison and Mike Clarke. [9]
In July 1979, McArdle's official replacement was announced to be Barry Sullivan. [10] He remained for less than a year, however, before former Jim Messina Band bassist Wayne Nelson took over in April 1980. [11] The new lineup recorded Time Exposure in 1981, although before it was released Briggs left the group. [12] He was replaced in August 1981 by Stephen Housden, formerly of Stevie Wright's band. [13] Following a world tour which spawned the live video Live Exposure, frontman Shorrock left LRB in February 1982 to focus on his solo career. [14] In subsequent years, Shorrock has claimed that he did not leave the band voluntarily, and was instead sacked. [15] Nelson has supported the claim, suggesting that guitarist Beeb Birtles "voted to oust" the singer which led to the band subsequently "dismantling". [16]
1982–98
Glenn Shorrock was replaced in February 1982 by John Farnham. [17] His first recording with LRB was " The Other Guy", which was released on the compilation Greatest Hits. [18] Following the release of The Net, the band added its first official keyboardist in David Hirschfelder, who joined in time for tour dates in September 1983. [7] Within six months of his arrival, the group had lost two more founding members – Beeb Birtles left in October 1983 and Derek Pellicci followed in February 1984, both due to stylistic differences. [19] Birtles was not replaced, while former Cold Chisel drummer Steve Prestwich took over from Pellicci ready for the recording of Playing to Win in July 1984. [20] A second album, No Reins, followed in 1986. [21]
For a short Australian tour in April 1986, Prestwich was replaced by touring drummer Malcolm Wakeford. [7] However, this would prove to be the final tour with several band members, and the band's last activity for almost two years, as Farnham left in October that year to focus on his solo career. [2] [22] The group subsequently disbanded, citing "frustration over diminishing record sales and radio airplay". [23] After months of rumours, LRB officially reformed in December 1987 with original lead singer Glenn Shorrock. [24] Stephen Housden, Graeham Goble and Wayne Nelson returned from the 1986 lineup, alongside original drummer Derek Pellicci. [25] James Roche joined as the band's touring keyboardist. [7] This lineup issued Monsoon in 1988 and Get Lucky in 1990. [2]
Goble – now the sole constant member of LRB – performed his last shows with the band in April 1989. [7] It was officially announced in March the next year that he would no longer tour with the group, in order to focus primarily on his side project Broken Voices. [26] He was replaced by former Player frontman Peter Beckett, while Tony Sciuto joined as the group's new keyboardist. [27] This lineup issued Worldwide Love in 1991, a compilation on which the title track was a new recording. [28] By summer 1992, Goble had left permanently and Sciuto had been temporarily replaced by Richard Bryant. [29] After a tour which spawned the live album Live Classics, Sciuto returned. [28]
In 1996, both lead vocalists Shorrock and Nelson left LRB, replaced by Steve Wade and Hal Tupaea, respectively. [30] After a touring cycle which ran until late 1997, Beckett left the band to return to Player, to which he also brought Sciuto. [28] Pellicci also left for a second time, leaving the group with no founding members for the first time in its history. [31] At this point, Stephen Housden acquired the rights to the LRB band name, after Shorrock reportedly declined an offer to rejoin the outfit. [16] [32]
Since 1998
Retaining Steve Wade as frontman, Stephen Housden rebuilt LRB in early 1998 with the addition of Icehouse guitarist Paul Gildea, original LRB bassist Roger McLachlan, drummer Kevin Murphy and former Air Supply keyboardist Adrian Scott. [33] McLachlan and Scott remained only for a year, before they were replaced in early 1999 by returning Wayne Nelson and new member Glenn Reither. [34] One year later, Gildea was replaced by Greg Hind. [35] Wade also left the group at the same time, at which point Nelson took over as the band's lead vocalist. [36] This lineup issued the group's first studio album in 11 years, Where We Started From. [2]
Shortly after the release of Test of Time in 2004, Reither was replaced by Chris Marion. [37] Murphy was also briefly replaced by Kip Raines, although he was unable to commit to the band full-time and was himself replaced early the next year by Billy Thomas. [38] In March 2006, LRB's longest-running continuous member Stephen Housden stepped down from touring, with Rich Herring brought in to take his place. [39] This lineup released studio album Re-arranged and live collection Standing Room Only, before Thomas was replaced by Mel Watts in early 2007. [40] Watts remained until early 2012, recording two Christmas albums with the group, before he was replaced by Ryan Ricks. [41] During 2017, Hind was briefly unable to tour due to a carpal tunnel injury, with Colin Whinnery temporarily taking his place; Whinnery returned on a permanent basis early the next year, after Hind chose to leave following a series of family issues. [42] In 2022, Bruce Wallace replaced Rich Herring on guitar and vocals. [43]
Members
Current
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Nelson |
|
|
all Little River Band (LRB) releases from Time Exposure (1981) onwards | |
| Chris Marion | 2004–present |
|
all LRB releases from Re-arranged (2006) onwards | |
| Ryan Ricks | 2012–present |
|
| |
| Colin Whinnery | 2018–present |
|
Black Tie (2020) | |
| Bruce Wallace | 2022–present | none to date |
Former
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graeham Goble |
|
|
all LRB releases from Little River Band (1975) to Get Lucky (1990) | |
| Derek Pellicci |
|
|
all LRB releases from Little River Band (1975) to The Net (1983), and from Monsoon (1988) to Live Classics (1992) | |
|
Beeb Birtles (Gerard Bertelkamp) |
1975–1983 |
|
all LRB releases from Little River Band (1975) to The Net (1983) | |
| Glenn Shorrock |
|
|
all LRB releases from Little River Band (1975) to Live Exposure (1982), and from Monsoon (1988) to Live Classics (1992) | |
| Roger McLachlan |
|
|
| |
| Ric Formosa | 1975–1976 |
| ||
| David Briggs | 1976–1981 | lead and slide guitars | all LRB releases from Diamantina Cocktail (1977) to Time Exposure (1981) | |
| George McArdle | 1976–1979 | bass |
| |
| Barry Sullivan | 1979–1980 (died 2003) | Live in America (1980) | ||
| Stephen Housden | 1981–2006 |
|
all LRB releases from Live Exposure (1982) onwards | |
| John Farnham | 1982–1986 | lead vocals |
| |
| David Hirschfelder | 1983–1986 |
|
| |
| Steve Prestwich | 1984–1986 (died 2011) |
|
| |
| Peter Beckett | 1990–1997 |
|
| |
| Tony Sciuto |
|
|
"Worldwide Love" (1991) | |
| Richard Bryant | 1992–1993 |
|
Live Classics (1992) | |
| Hal Tupaea |
|
|
none – live performances only | |
| Steve Wade | 1996–2000 |
| ||
| Kevin Murphy | 1998–2004 |
|
| |
| Paul Gildea | 1998–2000 |
|
Where We Started From (2001) – one track only | |
| Adrian Scott | 1998–1999 |
|
none – live performances only | |
| Glenn Reither | 1999–2004 |
|
| |
| Greg Hind | 2000–2018 |
|
all LRB releases from Where We Started From (2001) to Cuts Like a Diamond (2013) | |
| Kip Raines | 2004–2005 |
|
all LRB releases from Re-arranged (2006) to A Little River Band Christmas (2011) | |
| Billy Thomas | 2005–2007 |
| ||
| Rich Herring | 2006–present |
|
all LRB releases from Re-arranged (2006) onwards | |
| Mel Watts | 2007–2012 |
|
|
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Touring
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mal Logan | 1978–1982 |
|
Logan served as LRB's touring keyboardist between 1978 and 1982. [6] He also performed on Sleeper Catcher. [44] | |
| Geoff Cox | 1978 (substitute) | drums | Cox temporarily replaced Derek Pellicci, who had suffered injury, for tour dates between June and October 1978. [5] | |
| Malcolm Wakeford | 1986 | Wakeford took over from Steve Prestwich for a short Australian tour in April 1986, before the band went on hiatus. [7] | ||
| James Roche | 1988–1990 |
|
Roche joined as touring keyboardist when the band reformed in 1988, performing with the group for two years. [7] [45] |
Timelines
Members
Recording
| Album | Lead vocals | Lead guitar | Guitar, vocals | Bass | Drums | Keyboards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little River Band (1975) | Glenn Shorrock | Ric Formosa | Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles | Roger McLachlan | Derek Pellicci | session musicians |
| After Hours (1976) | ||||||
| Diamantina Cocktail (1977) | David Briggs | George McArdle | ||||
| Sleeper Catcher (1978) | ||||||
| First Under the Wire (1979) | session musicians | |||||
| Time Exposure (1981) | Wayne Nelson | |||||
| The Net (1983) | John Farnham | Stephen Housden | David Hirschfelder | |||
| Playing to Win (1984) | Graeham Goble | Steve Prestwich | ||||
| No Reins (1986) | ||||||
| Monsoon (1988) | Glenn Shorrock | Derek Pellicci | session musicians | |||
| Get Lucky (1990) | ||||||
| Where We Started From (2001) | Wayne Nelson | Greg Hind | Kevin Murphy | Glenn Reither | ||
| Test of Time (2005) | ||||||
| Re-arranged (2006) | Rich Herring | Billy Thomas | Chris Marion | |||
| We Call It Christmas (2008) | Mel Watts | |||||
| A Little River Band Christmas (2011) | ||||||
| Cuts Like a Diamond (2013) | Ryan Ricks | |||||
| The Hits... Revisited (2016) | ||||||
| Black Tie (2020) | Colin Whinnery |
Lineups
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| February – March 1975 (rehearsals and initial shows as Mississippi) |
|
|
| March 1975 – August 1976 |
|
|
| August 1976 – January 1979 |
|
|
| February – July 1979 |
|
|
| July 1979 – April 1980 |
|
|
| April 1980 – August 1981 |
|
|
| August 1981 – February 1982 |
|
|
| February 1982 – September 1983 |
|
|
| September – October 1983 |
|
none |
| October 1983 – February 1984 |
| |
| July 1984 – April 1986 |
|
|
| April – October 1986 |
|
none |
| Band inactive October 1986 – December 1987 | ||
| December 1987 – April 1989 |
|
|
| Late 1989 – early 1990 |
|
none |
| Early 1990 – summer 1992 |
|
|
| 1992–1993 |
|
|
| 1993–1996 |
|
none |
| Spring 1996 – late 1997 |
| |
| Spring 1998 – early 1999 |
| |
| Early 1999 – early 2000 (No longer any original members in the lineup) |
|
|
| Early 2000 – late 2004 |
|
|
| Late 2004 – early 2005 |
|
none |
| Early 2005 – March 2006 |
| |
| March 2006 – early 2007 |
|
|
| Early 2007 – early 2012 |
|
|
| Early 2012 – early 2018 |
|
|
| Early 2018 – early 2022 (No longer any Australians in the lineup) |
|
|
| Early 2022 – present |
|
none |
References
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- ^ a b c d e Monger, Timothy. "Little River Band: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ McFarlane, Ian. "Encyclopedia entry for 'Little River Band'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Archived from the original on 15 June 2004. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Campbell, Mary (12 October 1979). "Little River Band, from Australia, has four writers". The Index-Journal. Greenwood, North Carolina: The Index-Journal. p. 5. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Pellicci to miss much of tour". The Canberra Times. Vol. 52, no. 15, 593. Canberra, Australia: Rural Press. 1 June 1978. p. 17. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ a b Newman, Keith (22 December 2015). "Mal Logan". AudioCulture. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Live Shows: Little River Band". Graeham Goble. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Tour cuts give locals a break". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia: Australian Consolidated Press. 25 February 1979. p. 97. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
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- ^ Webster, Allan. "International Dateline: Australia" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. 41, no. 51. New York City, New York: Cash Box. p. 36. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. New York City, New York: Omnibus Press. p. 1,997. ISBN 978-0857125958. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Sadler, Rahni (15 March 2015). "Little River Band, no more". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Eliezer, Christie (6 July 2002). "Oz Originals Lose Out In Court Case". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 27. New York City, New York: Billboard. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Little River Band star recalls shock at being replaced by John Farnham". Starts at 60. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Little River Band lead singer, Wayne Nelson, sets the record straight". Medianet. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Apter, Jeff (2 October 2017). Playing to Win: The Definitive Biography of John Farnham. Carlton, Australia: Black Inc. p. 87. ISBN 978-1925435269. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Wills, Will (9 August 2018). "Reminiscing About The Top 10 Songs by The Little River Band". CultureSonar. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Allen, Craig (25 October 2014). "Craig Allen says: 'Meet Little River Band'". New Jersey 101.5. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Steve Prestwich Joins Little River Band". Shorrock, Birtles & Goble. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "No Reins - Little River Band: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "On solo course again". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia: Australian Consolidated Press. 5 October 1986. p. 114. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Arnold, Thomas K. (13 June 1987). "Bassist Finds Life Goes On, Even Without Band". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "LRB back together again". The Canberra Times. Vol. 62, no. 19, 061. Canberra, Australia: Rural Press. 12 December 1987. p. 23. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Glenn Shorrock Rejoins Little River Band". Shorrock, Birtles & Goble. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Graham Ceases Touring & Peter Beckett Joins". Shorrock, Birtles & Goble. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Pattison, Andrew (5 April 1990). "LRB makes the good times roll". The Age. Melbourne, Australia: David Syme and Co. p. 14. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Little River Band 1989–1997". Peter Beckett. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Page, Janice (13 July 1992). "Little River Band Show Is Mostly Water Under Bridge". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Richards, Tom (13 June 1996). "Little River keeps on rollin'". The Post-Crescent. Appleton, Wisconsin: Gannett. p. 51. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Cashmere, Paul (4 January 2015). "Jimmy Fallon Looks Pretty Silly Booking Non Original Little River Band". Noise11. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Jenke, Tyler (10 October 2017). "A classic "Aussie" band is blocking local fans from viewing their website". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "'Night Owls' play The Orleans". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona: Central Newspapers. 26 July 1998. p. 172. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Surkamp, David (1 July 1999). "Little River Band goes with the flow". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri: Pulitzer Inc. p. 58. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Munson, Kyle (14 August 2000). "Rock 'n' Roll Reunion short on star power". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa: Gannett. p. 10. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Arnott, Christopher (22 November 2015). "Little River Band At Infinity Hartford". The Morning Call. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Out & About: Little River Band at Harvester Performance Cente". Roanoke.com. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Starkie, Martin. "All change..." Little River Band. Archived from the original on 18 November 2005. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Starkie, Martin (August 2006). "Who's that guy...?". Little River Band. Archived from the original on 4 November 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Hill, Jack (4 May 2007). "Concert Little River Band: A hit song around every bend". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Kessler, Mike (15 April 2012). "Wayne's World: Homecoming For "Little River Band"". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Nelson, Wayne. "The 1st Hoot Newsletter in 2018 from Wayne". Little River Band Fan Club. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Little River Band | Bruce Wallace". Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ "Mal Logan: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "About". James Roche. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
