Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
What has Renee Geyer been up to lately? OR Did she make it to the fundraising lunch?
Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.
Today we share a recent phone chat with ARIA Hall of Famer, the rich, soulful, passionate and husky voiced singer Renee Geyer.
Renee, youngest of three children to Hungarian Jewish father and Slovak Jewish mother, a holocaust survivor, survived the headiness of the 70s and 80s Australian music scene, spent time living, working and performing in the US, returned to Australia and after 50 years in the business, continues to entertain us into her 60s.
Includes Songs:
Renee Geyer - Heading in the Right Direction
Aretha Franklin - Respect
Ray Charles - Hit The Road Jack
What is Renee Geyer up to at the moment?
Let's find out .....
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au
That radio chick, cheryl Lee, here with you. Welcome to the Still Rocking it podcast, where we'll have music news, reviews and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians and artists. Today I share a chat I had recently with one of Australia's finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B ARIA award winningwinning, internationally respected singer, renee Geyer, with hits like it's a Man's Man's World Heading in the Right Direction, stairs and Whispers and Say I Love you. She's been described in the past by some as difficult, but I found her to be nothing but delightful, modest and generous. She's on her way to a town near you. What's Renee Geyer been up to lately? Let's find out. I'm really good. How are you Well, thank you? Thank you for sparing a few minutes.
Speaker 2:I'm happy to do it.
Speaker 1:I'm looking forward to coming You're with Cheryl Lee, that radio chick, and I've got the amazing Renee Geyer here with me. We're going to talk about a couple of special visits that she has coming to Adelaide shortly. But, Renee, I just thought, if you've got a few minutes, I could ask you a couple of questions, if I may. When did you know, renee, that music was your destiny, that?
Speaker 2:this was your life. I've always really kind of known because my family is all sort of musical and me and my brothers used to sing along to Beatles songs when we were little. And you know I've always known that I had musical sort of In your genes, in my genes, but you know I'm the only one really in the family that's done it professionally though. So you know, but always kind of knew I could sing, you know.
Speaker 1:Did you ever have a plan B?
Speaker 2:I always was thinking I might be a teacher. I did really well at Latin, believe it or not.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, it's not even a subject anymore.
Speaker 2:But I used to love Latin so I thought, oh, I must teach this. If I'm so good at it, I'll teach it. So I was going to be a Latin teacher, and then music just took me away.
Speaker 1:Yes, this is your 25th album coming up. Is that right? I don't know.
Speaker 2:I don't even know.
Speaker 1:But it doesn't matter. It doesn't even matter. You've had an amazing longevity and just such a wonderful career, and people like Sting and Chaka Khan and Joe Cocker have been lucky enough to perform with you. You've certainly had an amazing life. Music has taken you everywhere.
Speaker 2:I don't say it in the past tense because I am having a good life. I'm still doing it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Still rocking the podcast with that radio chick, cheryl Lee. A song now from Renee's Tenderland album Heading in the Right Direction, the right direction. We are so looking forward to seeing you here in.
Speaker 2:Adelaide. It's been ages since I performed in Adelaide, so I'm really, really excited, especially at the Regal Theatre and also the Peppertree. I'm just looking forward to it immensely.
Speaker 1:It's going to be fabulous. I'll see you down the front. Oh goody, there is a gorgeous place, and if you've not been to the Peppertree before, it's a lovely and intimate environment as well.
Speaker 2:I don't even think I've been in Old Dinger before, so it'll be nice to be there, you know, and just see what's going on. But it's great because I do the Peppertree first and then the next night the theatre, so it's just a couple of days of great, great stuff.
Speaker 1:You know I'm looking forward to it Rock historian Ian McFarlane described you as having a rich, soulful, passionate and husky vocal delivery. That sort of wraps up your style, doesn't it? I?
Speaker 2:suppose it does. What can I say? You know, that's basically what they say and you know I can't disagree. But you know, like I just love singing and I was born with a sort of a sound that sort of works for what I do. I was just lucky to be born that way and I just love what I do. I'm just lucky that I'm working for a living doing something that I really just love doing.
Speaker 1:You know so I'm lucky. That's what they say. Don't they Do something that you're passionate about?
Speaker 2:and never work a day in your life, and they're very, very lucky, very lucky people that can do that.
Speaker 1:For sure, it's certainly distinctive. Whenever you hear a Renee Geyer track, you know oh look, that's Renee and you just love it.
Speaker 2:It is lovely. It never fails to make me feel just, you know it never fails, you know. So I always am very, very thankful that that's what my life is, you know. Just always thankful for it.
Speaker 1:You have been very blessed and you've blessed us as well. Just wanted to say a quick congratulations on your induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame back in 2005. Very well deserved.
Speaker 2:That's nice. Yes, a while ago now Feels like it was just the other day, but yes, that was nice. I like that.
Speaker 1:That's a good thing, your show coming up in Adelaide.
Speaker 2:It's called Intimate and Live, so you're going to play all our I'll obviously do the things that people know me for, and then some other things. I'm not sure what yet, but we'll find out, you know, as I will find out as the day gets closer, because I just never sort of sort it out until when it's very close, and then we do what we feel. You know, the boys and I have a talk about it and then we just do it, so people will enjoy it. If they like what I do, then they'll enjoy the night. You know, yes, each the night. You know, yes, Each one's different. Well, you know, basically it has always had the things that I'm known for. So in a way it's the same on that level. But I always throw things in just because it's interesting to do so and it makes life not boring. You know, it's just about doing something that just keeps me interested, Keeps you interested and gives us some surprises.
Speaker 1:Exactly right, still Rocking it podcast with that radio chick, cheryl Lee playing Aretha Franklin's R-E-S-P-E-C-T next, and you'll see why when we return and chat more with Renee after this. Are you here on the Thursday before? I'm not sure why. I'm the fundraising coordinator for Support Act South Australia and we have our function on the Thursday before, and I was just going to invite you to the luncheon as our guest.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure if I am there the day before, and if I can't it'll be because I'm working somewhere else or I have to have a travel day to get somewhere. But I'm open to doing something in the future. You know, I will take it as a standing invitation for maybe something in the future. Please do.
Speaker 1:And I love supporters.
Speaker 2:You know very much in support of supporters.
Speaker 1:They do great work, don't they? Absolutely yes, we would love to shout you lunch, but we'll see how that goes and it won't happen overnight. But it will happen, not this time. As you say. An open invitation to join us? Okay, any way possible, I'll be there. Lovely listeners, get onto the googleometer, look up the pepper tree or dinger and the regal theater kensington park. Renee's tour is called intimate and life.
Speaker 2:It's just renee with her boys doing what I always do. So if you like what I do, you're going to love what I'm going to do.
Speaker 1:I think we'll love it. You know, because we can tell that you love it. How good is it, after that sort of enforced downtime, to be back in front of an audience? Oh it's wonderful.
Speaker 2:You know, like I said, I never tire of this sort of thing. You know, I used to sort of not be thrilled to do these sort of things when I was younger because I didn't sort of understand what it all meant and how many people out there you know how many people it reaches and stuff. So luckily I sort of wised up, wased it out, I wised up. Yeah, I mean, I think most artists that are born with a gift don't expect the extra stuff that you have to do, because we're born knowing how to do what we do but we're not born knowing how to stand up there and excuse the term.
Speaker 1:But bullshit people you know what I mean?
Speaker 2:Yes, which is basically what it's about. I mean, you know in a good way, you know, but it's about sort of going on and on about ourselves. You know, it's not something that's a natural thing, but it's understandable to reach people.
Speaker 1:You know that's right. Music does that, doesn't it? It reaches everybody in some way. Yeah, exactly Now. I wanted to ask you too quickly I know you haven't got a lot of time what do you like to listen to when you can put on whatever you want?
Speaker 2:Oh, I'll put on Aretha or Ray Charles. That's what I do. Oh lovely, that's it.
Speaker 1:What more can I say?
Speaker 2:That's it, what more can I say Anything of Aretha's as long as it's older. You know I don't like any of the sort of recent stuff of hers, but anything that's, you know, any of the classic stuff from the old days I love her so much, and same with Ray Charles. They're just classics, they're classics. Yeah, I mean, you know, I think Ray Charles is consistently great all through the years, but I'm not so sure about the more current stuff of Aretha's, you know. But love, love, love the classic stuff.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you so much for spending a bit of time in your very busy schedule, because you started the tour already. You're already on the road.
Speaker 2:We're sort of doing a few things in Victoria and stuff and so sort of. We're starting, but we're just preparing and then getting ready to go out and do it Very good.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you for your time this morning and, as I say, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:I'll see you down the front, I hope so. Come and say hello, please. I will do. I'll give you a wave, put a name tag on so I know it's you, and then I can say hello to you.
Speaker 1:Definitely I'll give you a wave. Thank you so much, renee. Have a great day. Thank you, bye, bye, still off my podcast with that radio chick, cheryl Lee. We'll leave you now with one of Renee Gay's all-time favourites, mr Ray Charles. Hit the Road Jack.
Speaker 2:And that's exactly what we're going to do too.
Speaker 1:You're with Cheryl Lee that radio chick. Thank you so much for joining me on the Still Rocking it podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. Get out when you can support Aussie music and I'll see you down the front.