LITTLE RIVER BAND's GRAEHAM GOBLE Reminisces

From an isolated and socially awkward teenager in Adelaide to an internationally renowned musician, GRAEHAM GOBLE's journey is one of perseverance and dedication. As a key member of the Little River Band, Graeham strove to compete with the world's best musicians and songwriters, weathering setbacks and challenges along the way. The band's tenacity and talent saw them quickly rise to prominence, captivating audiences with their tight live performances. For Graeham, his sole focus was always the music, eschewing the temptations of the rock and roll lifestyle in favour of honing his song writing skills. It was this unwavering commitment to his passion that allowed the Little River Band to claim the crown as the first internationally successful Australian supergroup.

When Little River Band initially formed in Melbourne in 1975, the group's key band members were already well-known to many Australians. Lead singer, Glenn 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. Guitarist Beeb Birtles had initially been the bass player for a group called Zoot (Rick Springfield was a later member) then later joined guitarist Graeham Goble and drummer Derekk Pellici in the popular country-rock and LRB precursor, Mississippi. Even the band's manager, Glenn Wheatley, carried a significant pedigree as the former bassist for the Masters Apprentices.

Through the 70s the band released hit after hit after hit. They toured widely and their acceptance in the U.S. was mirrored and subsequently exceeded by their prominence back home. They headed confidently into the '80s with a string of hit albums and an international reputation. But things began to splinter with the departure of key founding members, singer Glenn Shorrock and guitarist Beeb Birtles and by 1985, their profile in the US began to dip with a change in both sound and membership.  

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. The group continued to bleed personnel and by 1998, no original members remained involved in the band and the legal rights to the name were claimed by '80s members Stephen Housden and Wayne Nelson. Housden and Nelson toured a version of LRB throughout the 2000's despite numerous legal battles with the group's founding members, who had authored all of their best-known material. Nelson continues to run LRB today with no original members.

Recently, the much-loved Australian hitmakers (the original band) have released two new collections, Ultimate Hits and Masterpieces. Both commemorate the songbook and achievements of one of the most popular pop-rock bands in the world from the mid-1970s and throughout the 1980s.

During that time, LRB built a catalogue of memorable signature songs and global sales of some 30 million records across 12 studio albums.

Join me to hear Graeham Goble chat about Little River Band's incredible story.

To learn more https://www.graehamgoble.com/

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