On a late January 1980 night at an open air festival in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, in the southern summer heat, I heard Australian blues and soul singer Renee Geyer singing “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right”.
It has stuck in my mind ever since.
I could only find a couple of very short fragments of Renee Geyer singing “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right”, but I thought I’d include them anyway to give you a taste. Here she is in 1976:
And here’s a video excerpt of Renee Geyer’s version of “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right” in 1982:
One of Renee Geyer’s earlier successes was with the James Brown song “It’s A Man’s World”:
Her biggest Australian hit was “Stares And Whispers”, here live in 1977:
Renee Geyer’s first single released in the US and UK was “Heading In The Right Direction”, sung here live in 1976:
“Do You Know What I Mean” came out just after the Seventies ended:
And, still going strong three decades later, here with the classic “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”:
What a voice. Just like on a hot summer night 30 years ago.
Paul