Renee Geyer

2023 - 1 - 17

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Renée Geyer, Australian jazz and soul singer, dies aged 69 (The Guardian)

The singer died after complications following hip surgery, just weeks after performing to a full house, her label said.

“At the times I got pregnant I was not responsible enough to have a child,” she seems poised and ready for a listen to by the Yanks.” In 2018, she received the lifetime achievement award at the Australian Women in Music awards. Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil remembered singing with Geyer at a charity show: “Of course she blew the roof off. “Renée lived her life as she performed – on her own terms and to the fullest. My sister in song,” who “possessed one of the greatest voices I have ever heard”.

Australian music legend Renee Geyer dead at 69 (New Zealand Herald)

The soul singer – who shot to fame in the 1970s with her iconic husky vocals and songs such as Say I Love You – died from complications following hip surgery.

Renée lived her life as she performed – on her own terms and to the fullest. blue in the face for 20 minutes ... “I’ve died three times,” she wrote in the book. “Overdosed ... She was in no pain and died peacefully among family and friends. While in hospital, it was discovered that Renée also had inoperable lung cancer.

Australian soul singer Renee Geyer dies aged 69 (ABC News)

Australian soul singer Renee Geyer — who shot to fame in the 1970s and became known for her husky vocals — dies, aged 69.

"She was a force of nature, [she] could excite, delight and fight. Her audience were very open, they loved what I did too." "She was having a laugh with the band members while she was getting ready, and then she walked out onto the stage and put on a hell of a performance," he said. "It happened really quickly," she said of her music career in a 1973 interview with the ABC. "Renee lived her life as she performed — on her own terms and to the fullest." "So I just started doing it for a living and it was enjoyable and I kept doing it and people kept asking me back."

Acclaimed Australian musician Renee Geyer dies aged 69 (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Acclaimed blues and soul singer Renee Geyer has died in hospital in Melbourne following complications after hip surgery. She started singing as a teenager ...

The nature of Geyer’s voice meant she was often mistaken for a black singer, something her record company in America advised her to capitalise on - but she refused, as she said in her autobiography. My sister in song.” Hines went on to say “Heartfelt condolences to her family and friends, and to the Australian music industry as a whole who have just lost a person who possessed one of the greatest voices I have ever heard.” He later saw her in a recording studio with the Native American poet and activist John Trudell. It was a coming full circle moment as it was that track that brought her initial fame, back in 1974. “She was in no pain and died peacefully amongst family and friends,” the statement said. She started singing as a teenager and her powerful, distinctive, husky voice saw her dubbed Australia’s queen of soul.

Vale Renée Geyer (ArtsHub)

One of Australia's most respected singers, Renée Geyer died today (Tuesday 17 January) due to complications following hip surgery.

She released her self-titled debut album that same year, following it up in 1974 with It’s a Man’s Man’s World, named after the James Brown track Geyer loved performing. In lieu of flowers, Renée would have preferred donations be made to ‘Renée lived her life as she performed – on her own terms and to the fullest. Tony Burke MP, paid tribute to Geyer today, saying: ‘Australia has lost an incredible voice and talent today with the passing of Renée Geyer, at the age of 69. Australia and Australian music are so much richer for having heard it,’ Burke said. In a 2002 interview with The Age, Geyer laughed as she listed all the things about her that frustrated the Australian music industry: ‘I’m (a) a woman; (b) an opinionated woman; (c) a large, opinionated woman; (d) an older, large, opinionated woman; (e) a single, older, large, opinionated woman; (f) a talented, single, older, large, opinionated woman.’

Australian singer Renée Geyer dies aged 69 (9News)

Australian jazz and soul singer Renée Geyer has died aged 69 after complications related to hip surgery. The singer's record label, the Mushroom Group, ...

The Melbourne-born artist was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005 and was the first woman to be inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2013. "Beloved and respected, she was a force of nature and a national treasure, and her passing leaves a giant void in the Australian music industry." "(She) lived her life as she performed – on her own terms and to the fullest.

Australian singer Renee Geyer dies aged 69 (Blue Mountains Gazette)

The Mushroom Group released a statement on behalf of the Renée Geyer family saying while in hospital, it was discovered Geyer also had inoperable lung cancer.

"We would like to thank the staff at the University Hospital Geelong for their care and consideration. "Renée lived her life as she performed - on her own terms and to the fullest. She released her debut self-titled album in 1973 which consisted of mostly R&B/Soul cover versions.

Australian singer Renee Geyer dies at 69 (Otago Daily Times)

Renee Geyer, one of Australia's most respected and successful soul singers, has died from complications following hip surgery. She was 69.

The singer was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005 and became the first woman to be inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2013. Geyer continued to perform and release music after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, with her last album released in 2013. "She lived her life as she performed - to the fullest - and her passing leaves a giant void in the Australian music industry."

Renee Geyer dies: ARIA Hall of Famer soul singer Renee Geyer ... (The Australian Financial Review)

The Australian music world is mourning singer and ARIA Hall of Famer Renee Geyer after her death from complications following hip surgery at the age of 69.

The singer was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005 and became the first woman to be inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2013. Australian music legend Marcia Hines described Geyer as a game changer, a soul diva, her sister in song and possessing one of the greatest voices she has ever heard. Geyer continued to perform and release music after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, with her last album released in 2013. “She lived her life as she performed - to the fullest - and her passing leaves a giant void in the Australian music industry.” But it was her 1974 cover of the James Brown classic It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World that launched her to a mass audience. The Australian music world is mourning singer and ARIA Hall of Famer Renee Geyer after her death from complications following hip surgery at the age of 69.

Tributes for Australian singer Renee Geyer (Otago Daily Times)

Renee Geyer, one of Australia's most respected and successful soul singers, has died from complications following hip surgery. She was 69.

Australian soul singer Renée Geyer dies aged 69 (ABC News)

Australian soul singer Renée Geyer — who shot to fame in the 1970s and became known for her husky vocals — dies, aged 69.

"She was a force of nature, [she] could excite, delight and fight. Her audience were very open, they loved what I did too." "She was having a laugh with the band members while she was getting ready, and then she walked out onto the stage and put on a hell of a performance," he said. "It happened really quickly," she said of her music career in a 1973 interview with the ABC. "Renée lived her life as she performed — on her own terms and to the fullest." "So I just started doing it for a living and it was enjoyable and I kept doing it and people kept asking me back."

Renee Geyer, Powerhouse Australian Singer, Dies at 69 (Billboard)

Geyer was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and is remembered as a force of nature.

She cemented her icon status in 2005, when she was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame alongside Split Enz, Normie Rowe, Smoky Dawson, The Easybeats, Hunters & Collectors and Jimmy Barnes. In her 2000 autobiography, Confessions of a Difficult Woman, co-written with music journalist Ed Nimmervoll, Geyer discussed her problems with substance abuse. Geyer got her break in the ‘70s, initially in Sydney, with a string of pop, soul and reggae releases. Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett writes, “Sang with Renee at a charity show back in the day, of course she blew the roof off. The late artist was looking forward to “another busy year ahead doing what she loved most – performing for her loyal fans around the country.” Matt Gudinski, CEO of Mushroom Group and son of Michael Gudinski, recounts Geyer as a “fierce, independent, strong and passionate” trailblazer for women in the music industry, while Philip Mortlock, creative director ORiGiN Music, remembers her as an “astonishing talent” with “a wicked sense of humor and intellect.”

Renée Geyer: Australia's finest white soul singer was ambitious ... (The Guardian)

The first woman to co-write and co-produce an album in Australia never found a firm footing on the charts, but has left a catalogue ripe for reappraisal.

The late Michael Gudinski, who called her the greatest singer of his lifetime in Australia, put it this way: “Yes, you’re a difficult woman, but you’re bloody fantastic.” Geyer wasn’t afraid to tell the truth about herself; in her memoir (also titled Difficult Woman) she confessed to three clinical deaths from drug overdoses. The latter summed up her lust for life: she wanted the lot. [Say I Love You](https://youtu.be/NDYR_3zxazQ), a glorious cover of Eddy Grant’s calypso song that became her biggest hit, reaching No 5 nationally in 1981. Sometimes in the one song. Asked once if she thought she would emulate the success of Reddy and Olivia Newton-John, Geyer replied: no, because “I’m not a very well-behaved person”. Many of those records are classics, starting with 1975’s Ready to Deal, the first album co-written and co-produced by a woman in Australia. But she was always considered too mainstream for the indie market, and was far too independent herself to be easy fodder for the mainstream. She sang for everyone from Jackson Browne to Julio Iglesias, and later worked with independent artists such as Spencer P Jones and Even. She was surely the finest white soul singer, male or female, that Australia has produced, but to speak only of her immense talent does not capture what she was about; her real greatness. She never had a Top 10 album, but then, she never did anything less than her way, either. But line by line Geyer peeled the song apart, exposing the vulnerability beneath the steel of the titular character.

'She was a fiercely original talent': Tributes flow for singer Renee ... (Stuff.co.nz)

Melbourne-born Renee Geyer, one of Australia's most respected and successful soul singers, was discovered to have inoperable lung cancer while being treated in ...

[Sign up now](https://my.stuff.co.nz/register/newsletter?type=twoMinutesOfStuff) [Joe Camilleri ](https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=006730714154542492986:oh6vl0ybuqy&q=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/australia/114662276/special-trip-to-mark-australian-icon-the-ghans-90-years&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwimk-yDnM_8AhU6CrcAHcJUAw8QFnoECAMQAg&usg=AOvVaw3dk1W_vVvjxAxD5eEBcS2g)of The Black Sorrows described Geyer as a "singer's singer." The singer was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005 and became the first woman to be inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2013. Australian music legend Marcia Hines described Geyer as a game changer, a soul diva, her sister in song and possessing one of the greatest voices she has ever heard. [racist rant](https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=006730714154542492986:oh6vl0ybuqy&q=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/125148836/brewery-owner-behind-racist-rant-says-sales-have-gone-through-the-roof&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjd0JT5m8_8AhVT-TgGHSRiCGsQFnoECAEQAg&usg=AOvVaw3JfNTHfqXuztQURCboq_eW) in 2015 that caused a Sydney hotel receptionist to cry and fear for her safety. "She lived her life as she performed - to the fullest - and her passing leaves a giant void in the Australian music industry." Fellow soul singer and friend Kate Ceberano said Geyer carved the word woman into the psyche of the Australian music mentality. [Geyer ](https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=006730714154542492986:oh6vl0ybuqy&q=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/8585372/Amphlett-refused-to-play-by-the-rules&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiih9Hkm8_8AhUzTnwKHQu1CEIQFnoECAQQAg&usg=AOvVaw1_PZCgRepBfmhRnKhIFItC)fronted a number of bands in the 1970s, including jazz-rock group Sun, before beginning her four-decade solo career. Mushroom Group chief executive, Matt Gudinski, who is the son of legendary promoter Michael Gudinski, said Geyer was a "fierce, independent, strong and passionate" trailblazer for women in the music industry. [Review: The Wiggles' new album, Party Time, brings only a lacklustre party for parents](https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/113745468/review-the-wiggles-new-album-party-time-brings-only-a-lacklustre-party-for-parents?rm=a) [ARIA Hall of Famer Renee Geyer after her death ](https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/300786355/acclaimed-australian-musician-renee-geyer-dies-aged-69)from complications following hip surgery at the age of 69. [From Aretha Franklin to Whitney Houston: Celebrating the women of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame](https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/bravo/news/123336032/from-aretha-franklin-to-whitney-houston-celebrating-the-women-of-the-rock--roll-hall-of-fame?rm=a) [Acclaimed Australian musician Renee Geyer dies aged 69](https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/300786355/acclaimed-australian-musician-renee-geyer-dies-aged-69?rm=a)

'The irreplaceable Renee': Australian music industry pays tribute to ... (Stuff.co.nz)

Melbourne-born Renee Geyer, one of Australia's most respected and successful soul singers, was discovered to have inoperable lung cancer while being treated in ...

Renee Geyer: Fiery vocalist was at the top of her class (The Sydney Morning Herald)

If beauty has a sound, it is the voice of Renée,” said Colin Hay, leader of the Australian rock band Men At Work.

Her defence was that he was that her loss of concentration was due to her medication. She was at the top of the class, and long may she remain. She was able to summon Paul Kelly to come to the singer’s side with some musicians and gently serenade this much adored “difficult woman”. That was the title song of an album that Paul Kelly wrote for her and which she wore with some pride. Her own biography, which she wrote with the late Ed Nimmervol, was titled Confessions of a Difficult Woman. There were a range of words that were used to describe Geyer – determined, focused, argumentative, unpredictable, fiery - and they were some of the mildest. RCA, the record company that issued the Sun album, came knocking waving a solo contract and she was able to hit the road with a band more suited to her particular leanings. She joined a band called Easy Pieces for a time, with two former members of the Average White Band and an album on A&M Records. Along with her title song to The Restless Years and the live Shaky Ground. With her third album Ready To Deal, stopping just outside the top twenty, Geyer began recording more of her career signature songs. This former student of Sydney Girls High and resident of the eastern suburbs of Sydney would distance herself from this, stating that she was largely apolitical and had only done the session to earn enough money to record in America. With the Geyer family relocating to Sydney, her first performances were at the Cask Wine Bar in Bondi with the jazz-blues outfit group Dry Red, featuring Eric McCusker, who would later be a key component of Mondo Rock.

'A voice like cigarettes rolled in honey': celebrating Renée Geyer ... (The Conversation AU)

Renée Geyer's name is often in histories of Australian music. A pioneering artist, her iconic soul sound opened up the local conversation about what ...

But the song was beautiful”, was her summation of it. She used the song’s title for her album that year, and later for biography, Confessions of a Difficult Woman (2000), which candidly told stories of a very rock and roll life. Later Kelly would record it himself, but her versions, throughout the years, continued to soar. Over her career she released 24 albums, including collections of original songs, live albums and the odd tribute record or two. I would challenge anyone to go through that catalogue and find no shit in there. Did she feel like 20 albums was a lot? Was she done? She appeared regularly on local television, radio and in print. [It’s a Man’s World](https://youtu.be/t7WJp7613EU) will remain just as, if not more moving, than the songwriter’s own. For many, her interpretation of James Brown’s A pioneering artist, her iconic soul sound opened up the local conversation about what “sounding Australian” meant. Renée Geyer’s name is often in histories of Australian music.

Renee Geyer

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