1977 Little River Band – Help Is On Its Way

1977 Little River Band – Help Is On Its Way

How is it that radio mostly ignores a group that had over a dozen top forty singles on the Hot 100, half of which made it to the top ten, and sold over thirty million records? Such is the fate of the Little River Band.

Six members of several local groups in Australia joined together in 1975 to form a new group. The primary members were Glenn Shorrock on lead vocals, Beeb Birtles on guitar and vocals, and Graeham Goble on guitar and vocals. The band initially called themselves Mississippi. That changed the night they were driving to their first live gig when they passed a road sign for Little River.

The first track the group recorded was a cover of the Everly Brothers song, When Will I Be Loved. Linda Ronstadt released her single in April and dashed any hopes they had of a hit, so they shelved the track. The group signed with EMI Records and began recording their first album in November. EMI released two singles from the album that did well in Australia.

The group signed with Capitol Records near the end of 1975 and guitar player David Briggs joined the group. They began touring in the UK and Europe in early 1976.

They toured the US in late 1976, opening up for the Average White Band. Their third single finally clicked in the states: It’s A Long Way There reached #28 on the Hot 100.

The band’s next album, Diamantina Cocktail, contained two singles that reached the top twenty in the US.

The group’s first single in 1977, Help Is On Its Way, reached #14 on the US Hot 100 and won Record of the Year at the Australian 1977 King of Pop Awards.