Three original members of Australian act Little River Band have won the right to advertise themselves as the founders and songwriters of the ’70s hitmakers.
The trio — Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock and Graeham Goble — have settled the issue with guitarist Steve Housden out of court, allowing the three to use the name Little River Band in their marketing.
Housden, who bought the rights to the name after the original band members left in the ’80s, claimed that Birtles, Shorrock and Goble had breached a 2002 deed of settlement on the use of the name. Housden cited the cover of the trio’s new live CD “Full Circle”, which referred to the act as “the original voices of Little River Band.” Housden tours with a line-up of Little River Band that does not include any of its former members.
Plans to release the CD in June were delayed after Housden initiated district court action in Orlando, Florida. Capitol was to issue the record in the United States and Universal Music had rights for Canada and Europe.
In a countersuit by BSG, an Australian judge found the deed was not breached. BSG and Housden’s company We Too settled the matter yesterday (July 27) before the case went to court in Florida.
Until now, Birtles, Shorrock and Goble have performed as BSG. They now plan to relaunch the Little River Band in the United States, where they notched up eight Top 10 hits in a row with “Reminiscing,” “Help Is On Its Way” and “Home On A Monday,” among others. Through their career, the act has sold an estimated 30 million albums.
BSG’s Melbourne-based manager Paul Rodger says a new release date in North America for “Full Circle” is being scheduled, as is a VH-1 special on the band, which was originally set for screening on June 28.
The legal problems also meant that BSG turned down an offer to tour the United States with Chicago, Rodger says.