Glenn Dawson Wheatley was an Australian musician, talent manager, tour promoter and radio entrepreneur.
26 Facts About Glenn Wheatley
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Glenn Wheatley subsequently formed a media empire which included radio stations and artist management.
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Glenn Wheatley is best known as the long-time manager of John Farnham; he has been described as an "iconic industry figure" and is credited with launching the career of Delta Goodrem.
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Glenn Wheatley is recognised as having established Little River Band in the United States.
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In 1999, Glenn Wheatley was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and he is a recipient of the Advance Australia Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Entertainment Industry, a Council Member for ScreenSound Australia.
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In early 1968, Glenn Wheatley was hired as the bass player in a new line-up of the Melbourne-based pop-rock band The Masters Apprentices, then one of Australia's most popular groups.
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Glenn Wheatley knew that patrons had paid $5 per ticket, so the receipts for the night would have been around $35,000, but The Masters Apprentices, like all the other acts, were on a fixed fee and received a mere $200 for the show; even the top-billed act, John Farnham, probably only earned about $1,000.
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In late 1974, Beeb Birtles, Graham Goble and Derek Pellicci and Glenn Shorrock met with Wheatley in London.
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Glenn Wheatley travelled to Los Angeles in December 1975 and touted the group to various record companies until Rupert Perry of Capitol Records signed them on Christmas Eve.
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Glenn Wheatley mortgaged his own house to help pay for the recording of Farnham's 1986 comeback album, Whispering Jack.
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Glenn Wheatley went on to manage Farnham's career, including tours and records.
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Glenn Wheatley managed Australian Neighbours actress and singer Delta Goodrem, helping her to achieve major success, but Goodrem split with Glenn Wheatley under acrimonious circumstances in 2003.
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In 1980, Glenn Wheatley led a consortium that founded EON-FM in Melbourne, the first commercial FM radio station in Australia.
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Glenn Wheatley bought EON-FM again in 1986 before selling it to Hoyts.
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In July 2007, Glenn Wheatley pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion and faced the possibility of up to 10 years in jail.
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Glenn Wheatley completed his detention on 18 October 2008 and immediately left for an overseas holiday.
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On 14 May 2010, Glenn Wheatley was charged with drink driving after recording a blood alcohol level of 0.08 by a random breath testing unit in Rushcutters Bay.
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Glenn Wheatley faced Waverley Court on 9 June 2010 and pleaded guilty.
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Glenn Wheatley's licence was suspended for six months and he received an $850 fine.
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Glenn Wheatley was married to the actress Gaynor Martin; they had one son and two daughters.
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In June 2012, while walking his son's dog, Danko, Glenn Wheatley had part of his middle finger chewed off trying to intervene when another dog attacked.
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Glenn Wheatley died from complications from COVID-19 on 1 February 2022, at the age of 74.
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In 1994, Glenn Wheatley instigated a concert to help the people of Rwanda.
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In 2018 and 2019, Glenn Wheatley's Talentworks produced 2 concerts to benefit Australian farmers in need, with the 2019 event raising a staggering $4.6 million.
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Glenn Wheatley was credited for the concept and production of Finding the Voice, the multi-award winning documentary about John Farnham.
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Glenn Wheatley Records produced the ARIA award-winning soundtrack to Finding the Voice.