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Roger McLachlan

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Roger McLachlan
Born(1954-01-15)15 January 1954
Riverton, New Zealand
Died16 April 2025(2025-04-16) (aged 71)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
GenresRock music
OccupationMusician
InstrumentBass guitar
Years active1965–2025
Formerly ofLittle River Band, Stars
Websitewww.rogermclachlan.com

Roger McLachlan (15 January 1954 – 16 April 2025) was a New Zealand bass guitarist based in Australia. He was an early bass player for Little River Band.

Early life

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McLachlan was born on 15 January 1954 in the small town of Riverton, near Invercargill, New Zealand.[1] He moved to Australia in 1974 to join the touring band for the stage musical Godspell.[2]

Little River Band

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In 1975, McLachlan was invited to join the supergroup Little River Band, replacing the short-tenured Dave Orams.[3] He appeared on the first two albums Little River Band and After Hours, and toured extensively, making 311 appearances with the band.[4] He was replaced by George McArdle in 1976.[5] By 1998, all original members of Little River Band had left. Guitarist Stephen Housden gained ownership of the band name, and asked McLachlan to re-join. He remained with the band for a year, until the pressure of touring in the United States led him to depart again.[6]

Subsequent career

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McLachlan joined country-rock outfit Stars in 1976, remaining with them into 1977.

He was a member of the jazz-rock-experimental band Pyramid with David Jones, David Hirschfelder and Bob Venier, releasing albums in 1980 and 1983, and touring Europe in 1983.[7]

As a session musician, he played the bass parts on the international John Farnham hit "You're the Voice" and also recorded fretless bass for "Touch Of Paradise" from the same album.[8]

In the 1990s he joined Geoff Achison's on-going band The Souldiggers, recording several albums and continuing to tour Australia.[9][10]

In 2012 McLachlan recorded a solo album: Roger This Roger That. He re-released the album with a live performance at Melbourne venue The Fyrefly in 2019.[8]

He was part of the Stars re-formed lineup of 2019. They have released a live DVD, and two new albums: Boundary Rider and One More Circle Round the Sun.[11]

Death

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McLachlan died on 16 April 2025 from pancreatic cancer.[12] He was 71.

References

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  1. ^ Montague, Joe. "New Zealand's Roger McLachlan Releases: Roger This Roger That". .rivetingriffs.com. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Finding Roger McLachlan …". wordpress.com. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Whammo Homepage". 15 June 2004. Archived from the original on 15 June 2004. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Graeham Goble - Little River Band (LRB) founding member & main songwriter". graehamgoble.com. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  5. ^ "The bottom line". Stuff. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  6. ^ "www.lrb.net - 1998 tour biography". www.lrb.net. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  7. ^ Trimaximalist (6 February 2018). "Pyramid -". Jazz Rock Soul. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b AustralianMusician (26 October 2019). "REVIEW: ROGER MCLACHLAN - PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE". Australian Musician Magazine. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Bio |". Roger This Roger That. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  10. ^ "About". Geoff Achison. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  11. ^ "STARS - About".
  12. ^ Cashmere, Paul (17 April 2025). "Little River Band Co-Founder Roger McLachlan Dies At Age 71". Noise11.com. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
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