What has Glenn Shorrock been up to lately? OR A Life of Music, Triumphs and Perserverance

Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.

What happens when a legendary rock and roll figure sits down to share his life's journey? Find out as Glenn Shorrock, the former lead singer of Little River Band, opens up about his extraordinary career and personal experiences that shaped his path. Born in England and raised in Australia, Glenn recounts his early days, including his family's migration from Kent to Adelaide and his memorable first public performance at St Peter's Church Hall. Approaching his 80th birthday, Glenn reflects on his love for travel, his father's operatic influence, and the significance of Elvis's "All Shook Up" in igniting his musical passion.

In this episode of Still Rockin' It, Glenn provides an insightful look into the evolution of rock and roll, his battle with Parkinson's, and how he has managed to keep his voice strong despite the challenges. From writing iconic hits for Little River Band like "Help Is On Its Way" and "Cool Change" to his accolades, including the Aria Hall of Fame and the Order of Australia, Glenn's story is one of perseverance and passion. 

Wrap up the episode with a lighthearted chat about his beloved football team, the Swans, and their recent victory. Join us for an inspiring conversation that promises to leave you with a deeper appreciation for Glenn Shorrock's legacy.

What has Glenn Shorrock from The Twilights, Axiom and The Little River Band been up to lately?  Let's find out!!

Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!

Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au

Transcript

Cheryl Lee: 0:06

That Radio Chick Cheryl Lee here. Welcome to the Still Rockin' It podcast where we'll have music news, reviews and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians and artists. Today we are chatting to English-born Australian singer-songwriter Glenn Shorrock, member of iconic Australian bands the Twilights, Axiom and former lead singer of the Little River Band. We interviewed him for the telly in his hotel room before his gig today. During this podcast. You get to be a fly on the wall during that TV interview. To catch up on podcasts from other favourite artists, simply go to thatradiochick. com. au.

Speaker 3: 0:51

We're ready to roll. So I'll give you a one, two, three and a clap. I'll give you the three counts and away you go.

Cheryl Lee: 0:57

And which camera do you want me in for the intro? That one.

Glenn Shorrock: 1:00

Yep, and that's your camera there if you want to look anything straight at the camera, and that's your camera there if you want to look anything straight at the camera, and that's us and that's both of you.

Speaker 3: 1:09

Yeah, right, thank you. So um ready one, two, three action.

Cheryl Lee: 1:15

Welcome to rider tv. Today, as part of our legend series, we are interviewing the legend that is Glenn Barrie Shorrock. Thank you for joining us today, Glenn.

Glenn Shorrock: 1:26

My pleasure, thank you.

Cheryl Lee: 1:27

This is a little bit like this Is your Life, but we're only a half an hour show.

Glenn Shorrock: 1:32

Right, you describe me as a local legend. Yes, you are. I can fulfil the local. I don't know whether I can fulfil the legend bit. Of course you can Legend gets bandied around a lot these days. I guess it's something to do with the age being in the business, you get to be a legend, and then an icon, and then an institution, and then maybe you get a statue.

Cheryl Lee: 1:55

Talking of age. You are celebrating a big one this month. Oh, don't remind me the big 8-0. Are you having a big party? Are you doing a celebration?

Glenn Shorrock: 2:04

Yes, I'm doing a couple of shows with Brian Cadd. That brings me to Adelaide. Then I'm going to have a little bit of a party tonight at an old friend's restaurant, the Parlamento Nice, on North Terrace here in Adelaide. Then we'll move on to Melbourne later on. As the legend gets a bit older, as it draws to a close, or whatever. The legend continues because I did, you know I spent a lot of time in Melbourne in my life. Of course I've been in Sydney now for 40-odd years. That is my home now.

Cheryl Lee: 2:35

Yeah, let's go right back to the very beginning. You and your parents, Harry and Joyce, came to Australia Adelaide from Kent when you were 10 years old. Mum didn't like it too much at first, did she Correct? Took a bit of convincing.

Glenn Shorrock: 2:50

She cried every morning and every night she cried herself to sleep. Aw, she did not want to be in that migrant hostel in Finsbury Grand Junction Road. It wasn't very attractive, no, and it was hot, very hot. I remember.

Cheryl Lee: 3:05

There were big bushfires that year too.

Glenn Shorrock: 3:06

I think yeah, the hills were alive with the sound of bushfires. Yeah, it was incredible to look at.

Cheryl Lee: 3:14

So she took you back home, but you ended up back here. She eventually grew to love Australia.

Glenn Shorrock: 3:20

Yeah, yeah, it worked the second time she always say If at first you don't succeed try again. Yeah well, my dad stayed on, my mum and my sister and I went back to England, but only for about nine to ten months, and I completed my tertiary schooling there, and then mum decided that she made a mistake and we schlepped back out again. I was a widely travelled young boy.

Glenn Shorrock: 3:45

And that stayed with me. I still love travelling and I've just been on a holiday on a ship, also about three weeks in England.

Cheryl Lee: 3:53

Lovely, did you go to Abbey Road?

Glenn Shorrock: 3:55

Not this time. I have been there, I've recorded there, I know you have. A long time ago, 1967. That's right. Yeah, we had a lovely tourist time Nice.

Cheryl Lee: 4:07

Way back at the very, very, very beginning. Your very first performance was actually in Elizabeth at the St Peter's Church, when you did All Shook Up by Elvis.

Glenn Shorrock: 4:19

Yeah, that's, partly right. Yeah right, yeah, she was a church hall, you know, like a community hall a Lutheran community hall. And uh, yeah, I was besotted by Elvis. I was 12 years old. So, just for fun, I pinched my father's jacket, which reached down to the knees. In those, those days, you wore a drape sports coat and a pink carnation, as the song says. I mimed to All Shook Up, and halfway through that the record player broke down so you had to sing. So I kept singing it just a cappella.

Cheryl Lee: 4:54

So was that when you discovered you had a voice.

Glenn Shorrock: 4:56

Well, I discovered that people enjoyed what I did, so that gave me the impetus to. You know, you entertain your family and then you entertain your friends and it grows from there. I could sing. You know, I found out that I could sing. My father was a good singer, so I listened to him every morning when he was in the shower. He would sing quasi-Italian opera. He loved the old tenors of the time. I took up that as well. I like to hear good singing. I don't like to hear loud singing. I took up that as well. I like to hear good singing, I don't like to hear loud singing. I won't mention any names.

Cheryl Lee: 5:30

Another English migrant.

Glenn Shorrock: 5:32

Scottish. Scottish Correct Good friend, a very good friend of mine. Jimmy's a lovely man, it's just not my style of singing.

Speaker 3: 5:41

You are listening to Still Rockin' it. The podcast with Cheryl Lee.

Cheryl Lee: 5:46

Let's hear that song from Elvis that kicked it all off for Glenn Shorrock. All Shook Up, and then we're back to be a fly on the wall during the TV interview with this Australian music legend.

Cheryl Lee: 6:11

Did you want to count, or will I just carry on?

Speaker 3: 6:14

Just carry on, so haven cut. Very good, so just reset and away you go, alright 1962 you formed your first band, Checkmates.

Glenn Shorrock: 6:24

It was a vocal group vocal group. It was a vocal group Vocal group. It wasn't a band. No, we couldn't afford to be a band. We couldn't afford equipment. You know, we used to sing with a great shadow style band. They were called the Vector Men. They spawned quite an amount of talent from Elizabeth and we found out that Elizabeth was what's the word regenerating itself from migrant situation.

Cheryl Lee: 6:48

Yeah, they were bringing over all that music.

Glenn Shorrock: 6:50

Bring all the latest stuff in from Liverpool and whatever. It was great. So the Checkmates became the Twilights very quickly. We were a four-piece vocal group and the bass singer got arrested for receiving stolen goods. Oh no, sorry Bill. So he had to leave and we carried on.

Cheryl Lee: 7:11

Yeah.

Glenn Shorrock: 7:12

The three of us. We were close friends. We just hung out together and sang where we could, you know, just for fun.

Cheryl Lee: 7:18

A nd John Bywaters on bass.

Glenn Shorrock: 7:20

Yeah, a bit later when we morphed into the beat group, that was the Twilights yes, and that was a six piece, you know band yeah. You could afford the equipment by then. Yeah, we were famous by then. Famous here in Adelaide.

Cheryl Lee: 7:34

Well, eight consecutive hit singles the Twilights had.

Glenn Shorrock: 7:38

Did we? Yeah, yeah, that's good.

Cheryl Lee: 7:41

We are celebrating this month the 60th anniversary of the Beatles here in Australia and their visit to Adelaide.

Glenn Shorrock: 7:49

Very groovy them. Where's he get his sunglasses from?

Cheryl Lee: 7:53

Very good.

Glenn Shorrock: 7:53

Thank you.

Cheryl Lee: 7:55

Liverpool. Yeah, we've had a celebration at the Adelaide Town Hall. John was speaking during the celebration. We had the Lady Beatles play and some speakers. He said that the Beatles were quite a influence on the Twilights in those early days well, the Beatles were an influence on everyone much wider than that.

Glenn Shorrock: 8:16

You know they changed a lot of things. We wouldn't be sitting here doing this if it wasn't for them. You know, rock and roll probably faded away into oblivion. They regenerated it and thank god they did. Yeah, and I was in the right place to soak that up, that big influence, and I devoured it. You know I loved it I still do, you know. I still think the Beatles were the top of the pyramid. No one's come close.

Cheryl Lee: 8:43

Last time Glenn and I spoke, we played his wonderful version of Paperback Writer. This time I'd like to play Care of Channel 9 Mornings From 10 years ago. Hey Jude, Glenn Shorrock sang with Doug Parkinson Rest in Peace, beautiful Doug, John Paul Young and Jack Jones, and it's a lovely version. We'll be back to be a fly on the wall with the TV chat with Glenn again straight after this.

Cheryl Lee: 9:25

1966, you guys won the Hoadley Battles of the Sounds 45,000 Violet Crumble bars. And a trip to London.

Glenn Shorrock: 9:34

Yeah, and heartburn.

Cheryl Lee: 9:36

And all good things must come to an end. You joined Axiom with your great mate Brian Cadd.

Glenn Shorrock: 9:43

Yeah.

Cheryl Lee: 9:43

He was involved in the very start of Support Act and I'm on the Support Act South Australia committee with John Right.

Speaker 3: 9:50

Good, it's all connected, isn't it?

Cheryl Lee: 9:52

He's a lovely man and has done great things and in fact, you are performing with him this afternoon.

Glenn Shorrock: 9:58

This afternoon at the Woodville Town Hall, beautiful town hall. So I hear, yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

Cheryl Lee: 10:13

Last time, I think, I saw you and Brian together, my husband and I did a 5000k round trip and we saw you on stage at Blues Fest. We rode our Harley to see you in Blues Fest. That was great, because I think that's where all that noise came from.

Cheryl Lee: 10:22

That was us. Yeah, Axiom had great success as well. Some of the bands weren't here for a long time, but they were here for a great time and it's amazing that all this time later, we're still singing and watching you perform those wonderful hits from both of those bands.

Glenn Shorrock: 10:38

Excuse me, how do you think I feel really. I mean, we were never supposed to be this old doing what we're doing, but it's become from a radical, life-changing, lifestyle-changing situation. Rock and roll is kind of threatening and that was appealing to a younger audience. Now it's become pretty mundane. You know we're all doing it. There's so many bands and so many people getting involved in it. It's an amazing situation and to be at my age and still doing it, albeit not as often as these days I have Parkinson's. That sort of interrupts my workload, as it were. So I keep it at a minimum now, but the voice is still strong, although it's a bit hoarse today because I did a show last night.

Cheryl Lee: 11:25

Yeah, and a little bit too much partying. Last night I heard Well.

Glenn Shorrock: 11:29

I'm afraid so.

Cheryl Lee: 11:30

Sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Glenn Shorrock: 11:32

I know Guilty guilty.

Cheryl Lee: 11:34

You are also the former lead singer of the Little River Band and you joined that with Beeb Birtles from Zoot From Adelaide.

Glenn Shorrock: 11:41

Yeah, from Adelaide and.

Cheryl Lee: 11:42

Graeme Goble From Adelaide.

Glenn Shorrock: 11:43

Yeah from Adelaide and Graeham Goble, yeah, from Adelaide.

Cheryl Lee: 11:46

And Glenn Wheatley from the Masters Apprentices from Adelaide was your manager.

Glenn Shorrock: 11:50

Glenn wasn't from Adelaide, he was from Brisbane.

Cheryl Lee: 11:52

Yeah.

Glenn Shorrock: 11:52

He sadly missed. He passed away a few years back. Yeah, he decided that I should be the lead singer of the remnants of Mississippi, who are an Adelaide band. We've morphed ourselves into the Little River Band and off we went to America, and one of Australia's biggest exports ever. It worked finally.

Cheryl Lee: 12:12

Yay, third time, lucky, and you wrote the biggest hits, like the number one Emma and Help Is On Its Way and Cool Change of course, which was APRA's 75th anniversary celebrations top 30 song of all time congratulations well, I'll take it thank you, it's a good song yeah, it's been very successful for me.

Glenn Shorrock: 12:33

That one. I was lucky enough to write. Help Is On Its Way, which was the first major hit for the band in America. Then we started touring America for the next eight years until it broke up. It did break up, but they broke me out. They broke me out, got a guy called John Farnham John who and that didn't work, and so I got invited back into Little River Band for the second time.

Cheryl Lee: 13:01

Saved them.

Glenn Shorrock: 13:02

Well, it kept it going. Yeah, it's still going, and there is a band called Little River Band, but we're no longer part of that.

Speaker 3: 13:14

Yeah.

Cheryl Lee: 13:19

I think we'll play. Help is on its Way now by Little River Band, released in 77 as the lead single from the group's third studio album, Diamantina Cocktail. Song reach number one on the Aussie Kent Music Report singles chart, number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 77 King of Pop Awards, this song won Australian Record of the Year. At the 1978 Australian Record Awards, the song won top 40 Record of the Year. At the 1978 Australian Record Awards, the song won Top 40 Record of the Year. Let's hear it now, and then we're back in the interview room at Glenn Shorrock's hotel here in Adelaide to be a fly on the wall for more of the Rider TV Legends series. The list of achievements is so long we haven't got time in just half an hour. But 77 TV Best Songwriter. 91. Aria Hall of Fame 2014. SA Music Hall of Fame with Fraternity and David Day, who was also involved in the start of Support Act, absolutely 2015.

Cheryl Lee: 14:37

The Moe Hall of Fame 2020 Order of Australia.

Glenn Shorrock: 14:43

No wonder I'm tired. Your achievements go on.

Cheryl Lee: 14:44

No wonder you're exhausted.

Glenn Shorrock: 14:45

I'm tired now.

Cheryl Lee: 14:48

Congratulations on, you know, such a wonderful, illustrious career and, you know, being part of the soundtrack of our lives. Really, we just grew up listening to all of those wonderful songs, and we're still listening to them now.

Glenn Shorrock: 15:03

I've been very lucky, very lucky.

Cheryl Lee: 15:05

But also a little bit of talent might have been involved.

Glenn Shorrock: 15:08

Well, hopefully, yeah, I mean, you don't get it for nothing. Although when young people say you know what's it like to be famous, I'd love to be famous, and I said, well, throw a brick through a bank window, you'll get famous very quickly, but join a rock and roll band it may take a while, you know.

Cheryl Lee: 15:26

So perseverance, passion and patience is the three p's the three p's yeah on another note, you did you go to the footy last night?

Glenn Shorrock: 15:35

no, no, what happened?

Cheryl Lee: 15:37

Your team trounced the Adelaide Crows, gave them a real schooling in how to play well that's about to make me happy.

Glenn Shorrock: 15:44

I thought it might. The Swans have had a great opening to the season. Fantastic, what score was it? We're off the record now.

Cheryl Lee: 15:50

What was the score, Baz?

Speaker 3: 15:52

You're up by about 70 points at the end of the night.

Glenn Shorrock: 15:54

Really Wow.

Speaker 3: 15:55

Crows are in front by two or three goals a quarter time I think they kicked nine goals in a row.

Glenn Shorrock: 16:00

We did it again like we did that with Geelong ten goals in a row. They won the first quarter. Said that's enough for you, Let someone else have a go.

Cheryl Lee: 16:11

Really taught the Crows a thing or two.

Glenn Shorrock: 16:14

We must watch it when we get home, replay it. That's good news, thank you.

Cheryl Lee: 16:19

So congratulations. Did you ever have a plan B plan if music didn't work out for you?

Glenn Shorrock: 16:26

Good question. The answer simply is no. I think I may have been involved in show business somewhere or other, because I like to be known.

Cheryl Lee: 16:34

You were hooked from that first Elvis song. Yeah, I was performing.

Glenn Shorrock: 16:39

You know, I had the moves as a 14-year-old boy and it stayed with me. I think acting is a big part of it as well. I like to act as it were.

Cheryl Lee: 16:50

Well, you do have some other feathers to your cap other than singing and great songwriting. You were the ABC Rock Arena compere back in 86.

Glenn Shorrock: 17:00

Yep, that didn't last very long, but it was fun. I got to interview some nice people, including Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin. He was fun to talk to.

Cheryl Lee: 17:09

You also did my job radio announcing with Magic. Done that In Sydney.

Glenn Shorrock: 17:14

Been there, done that.

Cheryl Lee: 17:15

Yep, it Takes Two with Glynis Nunn.

Glenn Shorrock: 17:18

Yeah, I produced a few sort of cabaret shows called One for the Money, two for the Show. That's the second one. Three to Get Ready didn't make Go Cat Go Yet. Yet there's still time.

Cheryl Lee: 17:31

Did you also play JOK's dad in Shout yeah?

Glenn Shorrock: 17:37

Not him. I played his father. I know it's embarrassing, isn't it? That's alright with.

Cheryl Lee: 17:42

JPY and Mark Holden and Colleen Hewitt. Was that fun? It was, yeah, I bet.

Glenn Shorrock: 17:48

JPY and I are good mates because of that. Not so much Colleen Hewitt, we sort of didn't rub together very well. But JPY and I are close friends. And Mark Holden I see him occasionally but not often, another Adelaide person.

Cheryl Lee: 18:03

Yeah, exactly, and you've also written an autobiography. Now, Where Was I?

Glenn Shorrock: 18:09

Yes, I still get compliments about that. It didn't sell volumes, but people enjoyed it, who did read it. And I've read it myself, which is strange, you know, because when you're writing it you don't really read it. Yes, and to have it published, and there's some lovely photographs in there, and people have enjoyed it.

Cheryl Lee: 18:30

now where it was, I may be a sequel perhaps I was gonna say that was about six years ago, so it might be time for the next edition yeah, now I know. Emma now, another song written by Glenn and produced by the bass player of Adelaide band Masters Apprentices, Glenn Wheatley, from 1975, second single from their self-titled debut album. And then we'll come back and say goodbye from the interview in his hotel to former lead singer of Little River Band, Glenn Shorrock.

Cheryl Lee: 19:17

Talking of acting, you were in an Australian film only three or so years ago. Stitch in Time. Did you play the bad guy?

Glenn Shorrock: 19:24

I was a bit of a grump. Yeah, unfortunately, I am a bit of a grump.

Cheryl Lee: 19:28

So you didn't have to call on too many acting skills then.

Glenn Shorrock: 19:30

No, I can get angry quick. No, I'm not very nice in that respect, but I didn't have to act that much. People again said I was good. I'd like to do more of those sort of character roles, why not?

Cheryl Lee: 19:46

We always want to know when you can listen to whatever you want in the car or the shower or wherever you get to listen to music. What do you like to listen to?

Glenn Shorrock: 19:55

I read reviews in the papers and if something sparks my interest and they get like four stars or five stars, I'll go onto Spotify and have a listen. A few bands I've heard interest me. I can't remember their names. I'm actually listening to an old mate of mine, Terry Britton, who was in the Twilights with me and has become a Grammy Award-winning songwriter. He's kicked a few goals, that guy. He sent me 17 tracks that he's never released and I'm listening to that and they're beautiful. They're absolutely beautiful. You should release them. Well, I'm going to talk to him and say people should hear this this is the scoop.

Cheryl Lee: 20:37

You heard it first here. Did you write some songs with Terry?

Glenn Shorrock: 20:40

Very early on. Yeah, I wrote the first single I Don't Know Where The Wind Will Blow Me, very prophetic and the flip side. I wrote with him as well. But then when the Twilights broke up, he went to England and he stayed there ever since. I went the other way. You know, I went to America and did well there.

Cheryl Lee: 21:00

Terry was in Australia only a few months ago and he came to our Support Act monthly fundraising function. He did yeah.

Glenn Shorrock: 21:08

Yeah, good, that's good. Yeah, we're still close. I'm having dinner with two ex-Twilights tonight Paddy McCartney, who is the other lead singer of the band, and John Bywater's, the bass player.

Cheryl Lee: 21:22

Yeah, I'll say hi to.

Glenn Shorrock: 21:22

John. The others, I'm afraid, have passed on now. Yeah, it's a bit sad.

Cheryl Lee: 21:25

Are you guys still here next Thursday or have you gone back home? Next time you stay longer and come and be our guest at lunch.

Glenn Shorrock: 21:32

Okay, yeah, I would do if I was here. No, I'm going back on Monday. I've been away too long. We've been away for three months, my wife and I. Nothing like your own bed. True.

Cheryl Lee: 21:44

One last question, because this is Rider TV. Have you got any non-negotiables on your rider Glenn, something that you just have to have in your green room? My wife, yes, good answer.

Glenn Shorrock: 22:01

She's sitting here. No, my wife's a great help to me. She's my minder because of my shaking or whatever. It's nice to have her around A nice bottle of red. Not Brian Cadd. No, he's too much trouble. Yeah, but next door, I like him next door. Yeah yeah, and I like my band to be next door because I like the solitude a little bit.

Cheryl Lee: 22:23

Yeah.

Glenn Shorrock: 22:24

These days. That's about it.

Cheryl Lee: 22:26

So no spinal tap moments where you have to have a certain beer or cheese or you're not playing. Brian says everyone else are the naughty boys. I think you and Brian are the naughty boys.

Glenn Shorrock: 22:36

Yeah, we are unfortunately, and I'm leading in Australia these days All the time.

Cheryl Lee: 22:42

Anything else that you wanted to add, Glenn?

Glenn Shorrock: 22:45

I could talk for a long time. I know reaching 80, I never thought that would happen, but it's happening to me right now and it's a bit scary. But it's time for reflection. I'll have to sober up a bit and behave a bit better than I've done recently. But I'd also like to thank everybody who's been interested in what I do and been entertained from what I do. I can't do it without you lot, so thanks very much.

Cheryl Lee: 23:16

Thank you so much for all of the music and we hope you have a wonderful gig this afternoon in our gorgeous town of Adelaide and hopefully we'll have you back here again sooner rather than later.

Glenn Shorrock: 23:29

Can I take one of these home?

Cheryl Lee: 23:30

no, but you can sign it all.

Speaker 3: 23:32

Right, that's it cut you are listening to still rocking it the podcast with cheryl lee on that note, I think we shall go out with the twilight song.

Cheryl Lee: 23:46

how about the third track that they recorded at Abbey Road, written by drummer Laurie Pryor? Here is Young Girl. You're with Cheryl Lee, that radio chick. Thank you so much for joining me on the Still Rockin' it podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. Get out when you can support Aussie music and I'll see you down the front.