Beeb Birtles, a singer-songwriter and a founding member of Little River Band.
During his high school days, he was nicknamed "BB Eyes", after a Dick Tracy character, which shortly thereafter became "BB".
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After Mississippi disbanded in 1975, band members Birtles, Graeham Goble, and Derek Pellicci recruited Glenn Shorrock and Ric Formosa, plus manager Glenn Wheatley, and formed the Little River Band.
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They briefly settled in Donna's hometown of Jefferson City, Missouri, before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, where he and his wife still live (both daughters have since graduated from college in the U.S.).
James' first major group was the early 1970s band Mississippi, which also featured Beeb Birtles, Graham Goble Charlie Tumahai and Derek Pellicci on drums.