Roger McLachlan – Weekend Warriors Australia

Roger McLachlan

Highly acclaimed New Zealand born guitarist Roger McLachlan has an eclectic list of achievements dating back to his stint as bass player for the original Little River Band. LRB’s self-titled debut album and a second recording, ‘After Hours’ achieved multi-platinum status and the band went on to become Australia’s first rock group to enjoy continuous commercial success in the United States. 

McLachlan joined The Stars in the late 70’s and helped record their platinum seller album ‘Paradise’. At the same time, he toured South Africa with Cliff Richard.

Going on to play with the Melbourne jazz-fusion band Pyramid, McLachlan recorded their debut album and enjoyed their extraordinary acclaim during the European tour and the Montreux Jazz Festival of 1983.

As bassist for John Farnham’s ‘Whispering Jack’ album released in 1986, McLachlan was instrumental in creating the unique bass line for the hit ’You’re the Voice’ – the song the album is most renowned for. He also toured on the ‘Jack’s Back’ tour in 1987 and 1988. Roger then worked with a host of international artists including Tina Arena on the Lionel Ritchie Australasian Tour, The 5th Dimension, Billy Cobham, Peter Noone from Herman’s Hermits, Shirley Bassey and Thelma Houston during the Isaac Hayes tour.

He has played on a number of movie soundtracks including ‘Crocodile Dundee’, ‘Evil Angels’, ‘The Man from Snowy River II’,’ Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, and ‘Breakaway and Muggers’.

McLachlan formed BASS-IC INSTINCT in 1996 to explore traditional and new musical directions for bass playing and to showcase Warwick instruments.

Some of McLachlan’s key achievements include being inducted into the R & R Hall of Fame New Zealand in 2008, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for major contributions to the world of rhythm sections and education and performing at the Cape Breton Drum Festival Canada in 2010.

He is also proud of the song ‘Reconciliation’ that he co-wrote and produced to commemorate the inaugural world Reconciliation Day and a tribute concert to Nelson Mandela.

Of late, McLachlan’s collaboration with blues guitarist, singer-songwriter Geoff Achison earned the title ‘Album of The Year 2012’.

He has also recently released his very own first solo album titled ‘Roger This Roger That’ – a soundscape chill out CD that takes listeners on a musical journey filled with an array of the sights and sounds which have influenced the talented multi-instrumentalist, engineer, and producer over the course of his lengthy musical life.
See www.rogermclachlan.com for more info.