Biography
Renée Geyer stood out as Australia’s foremost and most accomplished soul vocalist, sustaining a recording trajectory that stretched nearly three decades. Her path opened around 1971 in Sydney when a friend brought her to a rehearsal of musicians assembling a new band; urged to perform, she received an immediate invitation to join. Though initially too reserved to confront audiences, her talent drew notice, leading her through successive, increasingly seasoned groups until she entered the ambitious jazz-fusion ensemble Sun at the age of nineteen.
Following the release of Sun’s lone album Sun ’72, Geyer and the group parted ways; she next aligned with Mother Earth, a unit that retained jazz inclinations while embracing the soul and R&B she favored and mastered. Touring with Mother Earth earned her a solo contract, which she accepted only on the condition that the band supply the backing for her debut album. For the follow-up, leading Melbourne players gathered in the studio; their rapport proved so strong that, once It’s a Man’s World appeared and her charged interpretation of the James Brown title track achieved major success, Geyer chose to merge her fortunes with the ensemble rather than continue strictly as a solo artist.
Beyond the single “Heading in the Right Direction,” her early solo releases had consisted largely of covers and outside material. The Renée Geyer Band generated original songs for the 1975 studio album Ready to Deal and maintained a heavy touring schedule; a concert recording, Really Really Love You, captured the growing stature of her commanding and audacious stage presence.
That profile reached the United States, prompting an offer to cut an album in Los Angeles under Motown producer Frank Wilson. Although Movin’ Along yielded another domestic hit, Stares and Whispers sowed confusion among American listeners; R&B outlets embraced the record until they learned Geyer was a white Jewish woman from Australia. For several years thereafter she alternated between Australia and America, performing at home while tracking two additional albums stateside. The 1981 release So Lucky delivered the substantial hit “Say I Love You” across both Australia and New Zealand, prompting her to set aside American ambitions for two years. In 1983 she relocated permanently to the United States yet preserved ties with Australasian audiences through periodic tours.
While based in America, Geyer joined former Average White Band members in the project Easy Pieces, though the album’s protracted recording left the collective without a single performance before its dissolution. She subsequently contributed session vocals for Sting (the fade on “We’ll Be Together”), Neil Diamond, Jackson Browne and others, toured alongside Joe Cocker and Chaka Khan, and continued writing original material.
During a return visit to Australia she was asked to record Paul Kelly’s “Foggy Highway” for a television soundtrack exploring the seven deadly sins. Impressed, Kelly offered to produce her 1994 album Difficult Woman, supplying several songs including the title track that, together with “It’s a Man’s Man’s World,” became one of her signature pieces. Their fruitful collaboration convinced Geyer to reestablish her base in Australia. Working again with Kelly and Joe Camilleri (of Jo Jo Zep and Black Sorrows) as producers, she completed the 1999 album Sweet Life.
Late in 1999 Harper Collins issued her candid autobiography, Confessions of a Difficult Woman. Renée Geyer died on January 17, 2022, in Melbourne after a lung-cancer diagnosis; she was 69.
Following the release of Sun’s lone album Sun ’72, Geyer and the group parted ways; she next aligned with Mother Earth, a unit that retained jazz inclinations while embracing the soul and R&B she favored and mastered. Touring with Mother Earth earned her a solo contract, which she accepted only on the condition that the band supply the backing for her debut album. For the follow-up, leading Melbourne players gathered in the studio; their rapport proved so strong that, once It’s a Man’s World appeared and her charged interpretation of the James Brown title track achieved major success, Geyer chose to merge her fortunes with the ensemble rather than continue strictly as a solo artist.
Beyond the single “Heading in the Right Direction,” her early solo releases had consisted largely of covers and outside material. The Renée Geyer Band generated original songs for the 1975 studio album Ready to Deal and maintained a heavy touring schedule; a concert recording, Really Really Love You, captured the growing stature of her commanding and audacious stage presence.
That profile reached the United States, prompting an offer to cut an album in Los Angeles under Motown producer Frank Wilson. Although Movin’ Along yielded another domestic hit, Stares and Whispers sowed confusion among American listeners; R&B outlets embraced the record until they learned Geyer was a white Jewish woman from Australia. For several years thereafter she alternated between Australia and America, performing at home while tracking two additional albums stateside. The 1981 release So Lucky delivered the substantial hit “Say I Love You” across both Australia and New Zealand, prompting her to set aside American ambitions for two years. In 1983 she relocated permanently to the United States yet preserved ties with Australasian audiences through periodic tours.
While based in America, Geyer joined former Average White Band members in the project Easy Pieces, though the album’s protracted recording left the collective without a single performance before its dissolution. She subsequently contributed session vocals for Sting (the fade on “We’ll Be Together”), Neil Diamond, Jackson Browne and others, toured alongside Joe Cocker and Chaka Khan, and continued writing original material.
During a return visit to Australia she was asked to record Paul Kelly’s “Foggy Highway” for a television soundtrack exploring the seven deadly sins. Impressed, Kelly offered to produce her 1994 album Difficult Woman, supplying several songs including the title track that, together with “It’s a Man’s Man’s World,” became one of her signature pieces. Their fruitful collaboration convinced Geyer to reestablish her base in Australia. Working again with Kelly and Joe Camilleri (of Jo Jo Zep and Black Sorrows) as producers, she completed the 1999 album Sweet Life.
Late in 1999 Harper Collins issued her candid autobiography, Confessions of a Difficult Woman. Renée Geyer died on January 17, 2022, in Melbourne after a lung-cancer diagnosis; she was 69.
Albums
