Glenn Starr loves performing the music of his parents’ era. Photo: Supplied.
A former breakfast radio host is returning to Griffith on 17 November to front a seven-piece band that plays 1950s and ’60s pop music hits.
Glenn Starr, 46, moved to Beveridge near Melbourne 18 months ago to pursue a full-time music career. He’s had a full itinerary of gigs all around Australia since then and now gets to perform for a place that’s special to him.
“I miss Griffith heaps. It’s nothing like anywhere else in the country, a town in the middle of nowhere that offers so much,” he said.
The Albury-born singer known as ”Starry” will perform a ’50s and ’60s nostalgia show, Hit Parade, which he says is different from what you might expect.
“When you hear about shows like this, people think songs like Rock Around the Clock and Great Balls of Fire and performers like Chuck Berry.
“But this concert isn’t rock ‘n’ roll, it’s pop. We do covers of rock stars, but focus on their pop hits. For Buddy Holly, we’re doing It Doesn’t Matter Anymore, for Elvis It’s Now or Never, for Roy Orbison Only the Lonely.
“We do a song to TV themes of the 1950s, like Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch and Mr Ed.
“We are bringing a brass and rhythm section made up of local and regional people, so it’s great for the musicians in small towns. Griffith’s Rob Fattore and Gianni Cocilova will be part of the show.”
Glenn Starr will be supported by a seven-piece band.
Mr Starr says he’s often asked why a man in his 40s enjoys performing songs that were produced before he was born.
“Like most people, I got introduced to music by my parents. My first job was in radio was when I was 15, I did a juke box show in Albury. I wasn’t speaking, I just took requests and played songs. I developed a knowledge of that type of music,” he said.
“An opportunity came up to do morning melodies in Melbourne and I gained a fondness for songs that hadn’t been heard in so long.”
He says the music he now plays is both great for reminiscing and can be therapeutic.
“I had a woman tell me that her husband had dementia and my CD was the only one he listened to in the months before he passed away,” Mr Starr said.
“Another woman told me I played the first song that she danced to with husband, who died a few years ago. It’s such an honour to perform song that hold such a special place in their heart.
“For me, it’s about delivering an entertaining show where people can walk away having learnt something, knowing about the 1950s, knowing about me and the band.
“Anyone can get up and sing a song but it’s your story that makes a difference. That’s what people want to know.”
Glenn Starr’s Hit Parade show will be at 2 pm on Sunday, 17 November. Tickets can be bought from the Griffith Regional Theatre and its website.
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