Vale Renée Geyer

When we think of legends in the field of music, especially jazz, soul and blues, we tend to look across the water. Yet on our on shores was one of the finest female voices, one of the most stunning performers to have ever crooned into a mic. Renée Geyer passed away on Tuesday January 17. Thankfully for us, she left behind the recorded essence of what made her a truly phenomenal songstress. 

Renée Rebecca Geyer was born in Melbourne in 1953. Her father was an Hungarian Jew and her mother a Slovak Jew. Her mother’s entire family was killed in Auschwitz during the Holocaust – her mother only survived thanks to the help of another prisoner, after whom Renée is named. 

The Geyer family moved to Sydney while the kids were still young. Geyer was considered a rebellious, troubled child; she changed schools several times and had little respect for authority. She did, however, show early signs of talent. At age 16 she started singing with a jazz – blues band and that kicked off her career. 

Geyer sang with several different bands and was becoming known as a gutsy, intense RnB, Soul, and Blues singer. In 1974, she recorded a cover of the James Brown hit,  “It’s a man’s man’s world” and it became her first top 50 single. This was followed by an original song in 1976, which broke into the top 40 and has become one of her most recognised tunes: “Heading In The Right Direction”. 

By this stage, Geyer was an Aussie pop star, garnering enough celebrity to be asked to sing the Liberal Party’s theme song, “Turn On The Lights” for the 1975 federal election. 

In 1977, Geyer released her biggest selling single yet, “Stares and Whispers” which also introduced her to an international audience. 

The quality and power of her voice led those who listened to assume she was black. Geyer herself is quoted as having described herself as: “a white Hungarian Jew from Australia sounding like a 65-year-old black man from Alabama.” 

Her other chart singles included the theme from The Restless Years  in 1978 and “Say I Love You” in 1981, but Geyer is best remembered for her incredible stage presence, her interpretation and extraordinary delivery of some of the best known songs in the genre, and the full commitment she gave to her craft. 

Geyer was in high demand as a session singer and backing vocalist, working with the likes of Sting, Joe Cocker, Toni Childs, Neil Diamond, Julio Iglesias, Buddy Guy and Bonnie Raitt. 

In 2005, Geyer was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

She continued recording and singing live, including at many large outdoor concerts. She was admitted to hospital several days ago to undergo hip surgery and died from complications. 

Renée Geyer will be remembered as one of Australia’s most distinct, most awe-inspiring singers.