Original Little River Band Frontman At War With Jimmy Fallon

Glenn Shorrock, the original lead vocalist for once-celebrated Aussie-bred, now-US-populated outfit the Little River Band, has heatedly addressed Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and his production crew over the band's planned appearance on the program next week, ostensibly to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

The problem — and Shorrock's main sticking point — is that none of the present members of Little River Band were part of the group during those ascendant formative years in the mid- to late 1970s, with last-standing original player Derrick Pellicci (drums) bowing out back in 1998. Founding members had been dropping off for several years and, with Pellicci's departure, eventually the sole owner of the band's name became guitarist Stephen Housden.

As Fairfax reports, Shorrock says he has "written a strong letter to the production and/or Fallon outlaying my distress and outrage".

"I ended [the letter], 'if you do decide to put them on the show just pass on my message to go fuck yourselves,' " he said.

Housden joined the band in 1981, but hasn't played with them for the past couple of years. During his 10+ years with the band, Housden helped generate a single chart-worthy hit — 1988's Love Is A Bridge — penned in collaboration with now-departed original member Graeham Goble, and featuring Shorrock and Pellicci. The band, which at its peak was consistently pumping out hits, did not enjoy sustained commercial success following the final founder's departure.

As a result, current Little River Band gigs are made up largely of cover songs — i.e. tracks composed at least partially by the founding members — and songs from the present members' other projects; while Shorrock concedes the current roster is "entitled to the name that is legally theirs", he says that "the wheels are in motion and [Shorrock's publishers] have raised their objection to it and if they do the songs they want to do, which I understand are Reminiscing and Lady, two of our biggest hits over there, then they will say no to it being performed."

"They are promoting a newly recorded album of their own material, or whatever material they have got," Shorrock said. "They should do that rather than pretend they are the band that sold 30 million albums."

Little River Band are scheduled to appear on Fallon's program this Monday, 12 January, but, interestingly, where there was once a guest profile page for the outfit on The Tonight Show's website, it now sits blank, and the band is no longer listed among the show's upcoming guests. We'll keep you posted with further developments.