NEW FACES TO WATCH ARTIST PROFILE Little River Band: Up From Down Under To U.S. Success by Mike Glynn LOS ANGELES - When Glenn Shorrock, lead vocalist for Australia's Little River Band, describes the group as "rock 'n' roll businessmen ... marketeers," he's only half -joking. After a constant succession of hit Sugar Hill Gang Teri DeSario records down under since its inception in Three months ago, Guy O' Brien was at- Newcomer Teri DeSario has found 1975, LRB, as the sextet is generally known, tending classes at Dwight Morrow High success on the pop chart with the aid of has enjoyed one Gold ("Diamantina School in Englewood, New Jersey. Henry some pretty reputable Florida -based Cocktail") and two Platinum (last year's Jackson was working in a pizza parlor, and neighbors. H.W. Casey, K.C. of Sunshine "Sleeper Catcher" and the current "First Michael Wright was gigging at small) clubs Band fame, produced her new "Moonlight Under The Wire") LPs here in the States and private parties around New Jersey. Madness" LP and sings duet with DeSario alone. Today, O'Brien, known as "Master G," on the chart climbing "Yes I'm Ready" Add to that an impressive list of top - Jackson, known as "Big Bank Hank," and single (currently #51 bullet on the Cash Box charting pop singles, including "Reminisc- Little River Band Wright, known as "Wonder Mike" are the pop singles chart), and Bee Gee Barry Gibb ing," "Lady," "Lonesome Loser" and, rock group Esperanto as singer and, later, Sugar Hill Gang, out on a national tour with penned her first chart entry in 1978, "Ain't currently, "Cool Change," and it's apparent manager. Funkadelic to support their phenomenally Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You." that LRB is a highly profitable enterprise, in When the 12 -piece Esperanto became successful 12 inch disc, "The Rapper's addition to a well-oiled hit -making too "unwieldy" for Shorrock, he left to take While the Sunshine State kinship has Delight." maching. on various session jobs as a backup singer opened some doors for DeSario, she has The story of the Sugar Hill Gang (the "The financial view has to be among the for such artists as Cliff Richard, Cilla Black been sharpening her skills on the Miami name comes from a famous section of top three priorities of the band," states and Olivia Newton -John. After spending music scene for some time. After leaving Harlem) really began when Sylvia Robin- Shorrock candidly. "I'm 35 and the rest of five years in England with little to show for it, high school, the songstress played recor- son, a veteran R&B writer and producer, the band members are all in their 30s. So, at Shorrock was readying his return to der and harp in a Renaissance group, and took notice of the popularity of DJs rapping this point, we don't have any stars in our Australia when he was contacted by Birtles then began her professional career as a over disco records. eyes. We're more concerned about our and guitarist/vocalist Graham Goble. The folk singer. Robinson asked her teenage son, Joey, future." two were also in London, working in a folk- However she felt that the guitar detracted to find some local DJ talent, and the first However, the future, Shorrock admits, rock band named Mississippi with drum- from her singing voice, and in 1976 she op- person he contacted was Jackson. "I just looks rather bright at the moment for LRB, mer Derek Pellicci. ted for a more commercial sound by joining happened to be walking down the street since the Melbourne -based group recently "Beeb and Graham wanted a front man a local jazz/pop group called Abacus. Dur- when I saw the two of them in the car," jumped from EMI's Harvest label over to (continued on peas 32) ing a stint at a club, Bee Gee co -producer O'Brien remembers. "I went over and we Capitol Records worldwide, landing a Albhy Galuten, a friend of DeSario's horn started rapping, and then Joey took us over sizeable contract in the process. playing husband Bill Purse, saw the to meet his mother." "Financially and artistically, we've got a MUSE Concert LP promising vocalist Both O'Brien and Jackson had ex- and ended up recording good relationship with Capitol," says a demo tape with her. perience rapping at clubs and private par- Shorrock. "We're left to our own devices Set For Dec.5 ties, and with the addition of Wright, Robin- Galuten ended up taking the tape to a and we're not tied down to any time LOS ANGELES - "No Nukes," a three - son felt the trio was ready to go into the Bee Gees recording session in France. schedule. We have to produce six studio record set of live performances from the studio immediately. "We cut the track in two Barry Gibb was intrigued by DeSario's albums and two compilation LPs to fulfill MUSE Concerts for a Non -Nuclear Future, days," O'Brien says. "The musicians had voice and delivery, and later he wrote "Ain't our contract. And, it offers us more money originally set for Dec. 10 release, will now be laid down the instrumental tracks and we Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You" which than any of us have seen before." released Dec. 5. came in and put the headphones on and did became the first single from DeSario's The son of working-class parents and a The album was produced by the MUSE the rap." debut album on Casablanca, "Pleasure struggling musician for many years, it is lit- Board, composed of Jackson Browne, Rapping as an art form is something to Train." tle wonder that Shorrock places such a high Graham Nash, John Hall and Bonnie Raitt, which O'Brien has given considerable at- Enter K.C. who became infatuated with premium on security. After all, he caught a all of whom perform on the LP, with the tention. "Most of it is planned out," he says. the record's sound. "I had known K.C. in jr. glimpse of fame at 17 as a member of an assistance of producers Peter Asher, Arif "You have an idea in your head and you and sr. high school in Hialeah," said Aussie pop group called The Twilights, who Mardin, Steve Van Zandt, Jon Landau, memorize the lines and the rhymes. DeSario, "and he tried to find me through a dominated the national music scene there Richard Orshoft and Stanley Johnston, and Sometimes you can be spontaneous, like if Miami radio station that had added the together with the Easybeats. contains a full two hours of music. you see a pretty girl out on the dance floor, record. Later I called him." "We favored the pop sound of the "No Nukes" includes on sides 1 and 2: you make up a line. But the important thing Beatles, while the Easybeats preferred the "Dependin' On You" by the Doobie The result of the mini -high school reu- is to blend your voice with the rhythm of the rock of the Rolling Stones," says Shorrock. Brothers; "Runaway" and"Angel From nion is an album called "Moonlight music so you produce one whole effect." Madness," which features DeSario's Meanwhile, vocalist and guitarist Beeb Montgomery" by Bonnie Raitt; "Plutonium And what kind of person makes a good Birtles was playing in another fairly suc- Is Forever" by John Hall and "Power" by the musical virtuosity and K.C.'s production ex- rapper, in O'Brien's opinion? "A rapper cessful local pop unit by the name of Zoot. Doobie Brothers with John Hall and James pertise. The cleanly produced LP contains mainly has to have a very good per- Shorrock moved from the Twilights over to Taylor; "The Times They Are A-Changin"' intense disco workouts like the title tune, sonality," he answers. "You have to have a yet another Aussie combo, Axiom, travelled by James Taylor, Carly Simon and Graham the funkified "Sell My Soul For You," the quick -thinking brain and be able to come to Europe and finally landed in London, Nash; "Cathedral" by Graham Nash; "The lilting R&B-oriented "Yes, I'm Ready" and a up with clever lines and make people where he joined the seminal progressive joyous remake of tho Stevenson, Gaye and (continued on page 26) dance." Hunter chestnut, "Dancing In The Streets." Within weeks of the release of "The Rap- "There are many horror stories about per's Delight," the record became a grass- -recording, but making this album was the roots phenomenon at both the retail and most fun I've ever had," offered DeSario. radio level. Sugar Hill Records claims sales "K.C. and I put a lot of energy and passion of over one million copies, and the song into our work, and his direction was great. I became immensely popular on black radio never once felt stifled." stations enabling "The Rapper's Delight" to become number one on the Cash Box While DeSario has been involved in 15th Black Contemporary chart several weeks century music stylings as well as folk, pop ago. and jazz, it is the R&B influence that stands The Sugar Hill Gang quickly assembled a out the most on the new LP. "I try not to stage act which featured the rappers listen to too many singers because they'll backed up by guitarist Skip McDonald, affect my style," explained DeSario, who bass player Doug Wimbes, drummer Keith claims to have a strong affinity for the music LaBlanc, keyboard player Mate Edwards, of jazz great Wayne Shorter. "However, I've and rhythm guitarist Tommy Keith. The been influenced by Aretha Franklin, Natalie group has been headlining concerts across Cole and Earth, Wind & Fire." the country, as well as opening for George DeSario is currently preparing to go on Clinton's Funkadelic show in major arenas the road with K.C. & The Sunshine Band, like the Spectrum in Philadelphia. and will perform at a Toys For Tots benefit The group's debut album will be released in Washington D.C. on Dec. 9. The Miami - before Christmas, and, O'Brien says, the based entourage will tour Europe in TULL-UNICEF BENEFIT - Chrysalis recording group Jethro Tull recently performed at a Sugar Hill Gang plans to remain together as January, and a Feb. -Summer U.S. tour has benefit for UNICEF's Year of the Child program at the Santa Monica Civic in suburban Los a performing and recording unit, negating also been set. A K.C. and DeSario link -up Angeles. Tull donated all profits to the U.N. organization. Pictured above are (l-r): Jim critical speculation that the record is merely on "The Midnight Special" is a project that is Rissmiller, owner and president of Wolf & Rissmiller; Joyce Luna, chairperson of the L.A. a one-shot novelty. still in the planning stages. branch of UNICEF; Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and Clive Walter, group manager.

10 Cash Box/December 8, 1979

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