Mary Burris is a passionate lover of music. We’re very excited to share her informative and fun posts about music on Midlife Boulevard. To read more from Mary, check out her blog, Jingle Jangle Jungle.
Little River Band (abbreviated as LRB) was originally an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1975. The band continues to tour and performs around 100 concerts in the U.S. each year.
The band chose its name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success, not only in Australia but also in the United States. They have sold more than 25 million records and achieved 13 U.S. Top 40 hits, besides many music awards gained in Australia.
The band’s original members were: Glenn Shorrock (born in England, 1944), Graham Goble (born in Australia, 1947), Beeb Birtles (born in The Netherlands, 1948), Ric Formosa (born in Italy, 1953), Roger McLachlan (born in New Zealand, 1954) and Derek Pellicci (born in England, 1953). This line-up toured Australia from 1975-76. The music and lyrics for most of the group’s songs were mainly written by Goble and Shorrock, with contributions from Birtles, David Briggs (who replaced Formosa) and Pellicci.
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, Briggs and bass guitarist George McArdle (who replaced McLachlan) were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame at the 18th Annual ARIA Music Awards of 2004.
Little River Band has undergone numerous personnel changes since its formation in 1975, with over 30 members performing with the band.
“Reminiscing” is a 1978 song written by Graeham Goble, and performed by Little River Band. It remains their greatest success in the United States, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #10 on the Easy Listening chart. The song is about a couple reminiscing about the past, with certain music (such as Glenn Miller or Cole Porter tunes) reminding them of certain memories. The original Little River Band song was used for the 2010 film The Other Guys starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
Mary Burris
Hi! I'm Mary. I am a cancer survivor and am doing my best to live life to the fullest. One of the things that I enjoy in life is music. My personal blog is about music, artists, and the stories behind them. I love all genres of music, and am having a great time learning about the different artists and their music. Won't you come on this adventure with me? Instagram: knottymarie
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Denise Gabbard
Friday 20th of March 2015
Growing up in Cleveland in the 70's, we got to see lots of artists before they were famous...like the Little River Band. Thanks for the flashback to a simpler time.
K. Lee Banks
Thursday 19th of March 2015
Another older band I remember well - with far more talent than some of today's so=called recording artists!
Jennifer Abel
Thursday 19th of March 2015
Hi and thanks for your post on LRB. I love the work of the original band. I feel that it is unfortunate that so many people these days are paying to see a band in the States that go by the same name and sing their songs not realizing that there are no original band members. They to me are just a cover band, that do not even write songs. Glenn Shorrock wanted to do a 40th year anniversary tour with some of the original band members but was vetoed because of the current LRB thru the courts ( I believe). Your article is great thank you!
Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com
Thursday 19th of March 2015
Hi Mary! I remember the Little River Band VERY well and still love their music. Thanks for the background story. ~Kathy