Glenn Shorrock is one of the elder statesmen of Australian contemporary show business
With a career spanning over 40 years, Glenn Shorrock is one of the elder statesmen of Australian contemporary show business
Born in Kent, England, Glenn Shorrock migrated with his family at the age of 10 to Adelaide in the mid-1950s. A self-confessed child of rock ‘n’ roll, he began singing in 1962 with a vocal group called the Twilights. By 1965, the Twilights become a six piece “beat group” based in Melbourne scoring hits with Needle in a Haystack, Bad Boy, If she finds out. The band won the 1966 ‘Hoadleys National Battle of the Sounds’ which gave them the oppurtunity to record in England at the famed Abbey Road Studios in the next studio to the Beatles! That one night session produced further hits “Whats wrong with the way I live” “Young Girl ” and “9/50 ” before returning to Australia and finally disbanding in 1969.
Axiom with Brian Cadd followed shortly thereafter, with hits including Arkansas Grass and Little Ray of Sunshine. Axiom disbanded soon after moving to London in 1970. Glenn Shorrock chose to remain in London as a session singer and songwriter working with other ex-pats and Europeans in a twelve-piece rock orchestra named Esperanto.
At the conclusion of 1974, Glenn Shorrock returned to Melbourne to help form Little River Band as lead singer. Managed by long time friend, Glenn Wheatley, Little River Band cracked the lucrative United States market in 1976, and began a string of eight Top Ten Hits in the U.S.A. and around the world. The band has sold in excess of 25 million albums, often being credited for opening the door for many Australian acts on the international circuit. In 1995, Glenn Shorrock fronted Little River Band during their 20th year anniversary, three and a half-month tour of the United States. His songwriting credits include the international hits Help is on its Way, Emma, Home on Monday (co-writer Beeb Birtles), Long Jumping Jeweller, Shut Down Turn Off, My Own Way Home (co-writter Brain Cadd) and Cool Change. Glenn’s lasted CD was released in 2000: Spin Me ‘Round, co-produced with Brian Cadd.
Glenn Shorrock’s credentials extend to all fields of show business, notably in theatre and cabaret. He starred in Evita and The Rocky Horror Show, in addition to his own productions: One for the Money, Go Cat Go and Two Up. A career highlight was producing and performing alongside Sir George Martin in the highly acclaimed production All You Need Is Beatles (1998). He performed the role of Johnny Casino in the smash hit Grease: The Arena Spectacular!, which played to full houses across Australia and in Auckland, and co-starred in British Rock Symphony with Eric Burdon and Thelma Houston, performing the hits of the Beatles, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones and The Who. In 2001 Glenn Shorrock joined the cast in the inaugural production of Australian Night At The Proms at the Sydney Super Dome and later toured Australia with the successful “Long Way to the Top“ concert series with Axium and Twilights (2002). 2002 re-introduced Glenn Shorrock, Graeham Goble and Beeb Birtles on stage as Birtles Shorrock Goble performing the famous classics with which Little River Band captured the world. This home-grown, internationally recognised singer is featured on “Full Circle” (DVD/Universal), a live concert recording of Birtles Shorrock Goble performing at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne on July 19, 2003.
In 2004 Glenn Shorrock launched The Glenn Shorrock Music Scholarship instigated in Gawler South Australia , where he went to school , and aimed at mentoring successful applicants nationwide and runs bi-annually.
2005 was filled with performances on board the cruise ship Norwegian Star and a concert tour named Reminiscing with Wendy Matthews and Doug Parkinson backed by a small orchestra.
More ‘cruising ‘ took place in 2006 this time on board The Pacific Princess and work began on an acoustic album for Liberation Records featuring Glenn Shorrock’s past work in an acoustic setting ,’MEANWHILE’ was released in May 2007 and is toured successfully throughout the country as a quartet.
2007 finished at a hectic pace firstly with Countdown 2 alongside Birtles and Goble across Australiia followed by 5 weeks on the road in Oz and N.Z. with Let It Be also featuring Mr Parkinson and Sharon O’neill and Mark Williams then straight into the production of SHOUT! The JO”K story in which he starred as JO”Ks father ! for over 100 performances in Sydney and Melbourne in 2008.
In recent times he continues to perform all over Australasia and overseas with his band both acoustically and electrically , notably with his production of ‘’45 YEARS OF SONG “” at the the State theatre in Sydney and the Regent in Melbourne in 2010 and in Adelaide for the 2011 cabaret festival .It is now available on DVD thru Aztec music and is a companion to ‘’Meanwhile accoustically’’ on Liberation blue CD.
Glenn regularly performs on behalf of various charities and continues as an ambassador for Variety . As a testament to his enduring talent he has been twice inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame .Once in 1991 in his own right and again with The Little River Band in 2004 .
“ I have been blessed with a long and successful career and I’m doing some of my best work right at the moment “ says Glenn Shorrock who intends to begin work on his autobiography “ after a good lie down “ !!!!