REMINISCING OVER FIVE By Melissa Walsh
W
hen you’ve been more than five decades in a career and still love your work, you must be doing something either right, or well. Both can be said of legendary rocker, Glenn Shorrock who, at 74, is still entertaining crowds, and heading to the peninsula this month. Peninsula Essence talks to Shorrock about life, music and longevity.
We had a great time touring the world, and really took off in America
“I have to be honest. I never dreamed I would be doing this in my 70’s although when I started out at 18 I did make it an ambition do be performing well into my 50s,” said Shorrock with a laugh. “It’s funny you think 50 is so old when you are that age.” For Shorrock, performing, singing and writing songs was a natural progression from the first time he did a gig in Adelaide when he was a kid. “I started in South Australia where I was part of a migrant family from England,” said Shorrock. “There was music in my street that I got involved with Then an opportunity arose for me to sing with somebody else and it all went from there. I stated my own vocal group with my mates when we were about 17, did gigs around the area and became mates with our musicians.”
E ssence
20 | PENINSULA
June 2019
With a love of rock and roll that began after hearing Elvis’s Heartbreak Hotel, Shorrock dabbled in more upbeat music.
“I was a fan when I first heard Elvis Presley when I was 14 and found out about this new rock and roll music in America. I had only heard the crooners that my aunties used to play and then I discovered this,” said the former lead singer and songwriter of the internationally popular Little River Band. “In my early 20's I turned professional and moved to Melbourne, where I carried on my career. The Little River Band came about in 1974 so I had a good ten years of experience before that.” Shorrock says appearing on Countdown from 1975 was the catalyst for a huge leap and the band soon found themselves receiving interest from the American market. “We had a great time touring the world, and really took off in America,” said Shorrock, who spent about 15 years living out of a bus. ”I loved touring but never bought a place and never really put any roots down. I wanted to live in Australia more than anywhere else.” Shorrock’s philosophy is that you must keep learning and be open to different opportunities and he has always done that over the past 50 years.