Glenn Shorrock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Little River Band on stage, 1979
Little River Band on stage, 1979

Glenn Barrie Shorrock (born on June 30, 1944, in Chatham, Kent, UK) is an Australian singer and songwriter, best known as a founding member and lead singer of rock band, The Little River Band. Shorrock currently lives in Sydney with his wife Jo.

Contents

[edit] Career

Glenn Shorrock originally came to fame in Australia, as the co-lead singer of popular '60s band The Twilights. They scored major Australian hits with singles including "Needle In A Haystack", and their definitive cover of The Hollies' "What's Wrong With The Way I Live", which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. Boasting two lead singers, two guitarists and five vocalists, the Twilights were renowned for their ability to perform note-perfect covers of songs by almost any pop-rock act of the day, and were famed for their live prowess; they were also one of the few Australian "pop" bands of the day who were both popular with teenage audiences, and respected by fellow musicians. In 1967, shortly after returning from London, the group were regularly performing the entire Sgt Pepper's album live, in sequence, as part of their set, well before it was released in Australia.

After The Twilights split in early 1969, Shorrock joined the early Australian 'supergroup' Axiom with Brian Cadd (ex-The Groop) and members of other leading Australian pop groups. Although Axiom lasted only a couple of years, they had several Australian hits and recorded two highly acclaimed LPs.

Shorrock remained in the UK after the split of Axiom, and during this time he performed with the multinational band Esperanto. In late 1974, just before returning to Australia, he was invited to join a new lineup of Mississippi, an Australian band then working in England. He joined the group as lead singer, and soon after they returned to Australia they changed their name to Little River Band. The group went on to become one of the most successful bands ever to come out of Australia, and the first Australian group to achieve major commercial success in the United States.

Glenn Shorrock left Little River Band in 1982 and was replaced as lead singer by John Farnham. He released a solo album "Villain of the Peace" but he did not achieve the international success he had attained with Little River Band. Shorrock returned to the band in 1988 but, despite several quality albums, the band did not regain its earlier stellar recognition. He left the band again in 1996.

Among his many talents, Glenn Shorrock has appeared in numerous stage shows (including his own showcase productions One for the Money, Go Cat Go and Two Up), hosted radio and television programs and continued to write and record. There is strong demand for his corporate and event performances, and he regularly tours his career-spanning Reminiscing show, either solo or with invited guest singers.

In 2002 Shorrock reunited with other Little River Band founders Beeb Birtles and Graeham Goble and formed Birtles Shorrock Goble, the original voices and songwriters of Little River Band. They have recorded a successful DVD and CD ("Full Circle") and continue to tour regularly.

2007 will see the release of the first Glenn Shorrock CD for seven years. He has recorded acoustic versions of his career hits for release on the Liberation Blue label.

[edit] Solo recordings

[edit] Singles

  • Let’s Get The Band Together/Contemporary Caveman, 1971, MAM Records
  • Rock and Roll Lullaby/When God Plays His Guitar, 1972, MAM Records
  • Daydream Sunday/I Have Seen the Universe, 1975, Playboy Records
  • Dream Lover/Spin Me ‘Round, 1979, EMI
  • Rock and Roll Soldier/The Duchess is Returning, 1982, Capitol Records
  • Don’t Girls Get Lonely/Do It Anyway, 1983, Capitol Records
  • Angry Words/Will You Stand with Me?, 1983, Capitol Records
  • We’re Coming to Get You, 1983, EMI (with The Bushwackers)
  • Goin’ Back, 1983, Mushroom Records (with Renée Geyer)
  • American Flyers, 1986, Capitol Records
  • Orchestra of Grunt, 2000, Streetwise Records (with Brian Cadd)

[edit] Albums

  • Villain of the Peace, 1982, Capitol Records
  • The First Twenty Years, 1985, EMI
  • Blazing Salads, 1993, Blue Martin Records (with Brian Cadd)
  • Spin Me 'Round, 2000, Streetwise Records
  • Meanwhile, 2007, Liberation Blue

Glenn Shorrock has also recorded with Axiom, The Twilights (band), Esperanto, Little River Band and Birtles Shorrock Goble.

[edit] External links