By Greg Phillips
It’s with immense sadness that we inform you of the passing of Chris Doheny, best known as the frontman of Geisha, one of the defining pop-rock bands of the 1980s, a successful solo artist and personal friend who I have known since my time at Juke magazine in the eighties. Chris died in an horrific car accident last Friday night in South Australia.
Few voices in Australian music carried the blend of charisma, vulnerability and sheer rock ‘n’ roll spirit quite like Chris Doheny. Formed in Melbourne, Geisha rose quickly with a sound that bridged the sleek production of the decade with an unmistakably Australian edge. With Chris at the helm, the band’s hits such as Kabuki, Fool’s Way, and Part-Time Love Affair brought them national recognition, cementing them as favourites on Countdown and across the live circuit. His soaring vocals and magnetic stage presence gave Geisha their signature identity-equal parts glamorous and deeply human. I recall experiencing Geisha’s popularity during one of Rob Walker’s earliest Guitar Shows at Prahran Town Hall, when we had to seek safety for the band in a small room from the hoards of screaming girls who wanted a piece of Chris and co.
Geisha’s rise came after publicist Michael Matthews, then with EMI Records, discovered the group. Famously, the first tape sent to him was blank, but when a replacement arrived, it contained four or five standout songs that would appear on the debut album. In fact, the last time I spoke with Chris, which was only a month ago, he was excitedly talking about the re-release of that album’s 40th anniversary edition and the shows he was planning around it.
Chris was an easy person to like. Despite our very different political views, we were always able to put that aside and have a laugh. I know he greatly appreciated a career retrospective interview we did together four years ago. See below.
In the interview, we traced his early influences back to the 1970s, when a friend introduced him to John Lennon’s Imagine and The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Already classically trained in piano, Doheny quickly took to guitar and bass, first playing live with his father’s band as a teenager. Influences like Deep Purple, Status Quo and the glam rock of the early ’70s further fuelled his love of rock.
Doheny’s first original band, The Officials, appeared on an early ’80s compilation before morphing into other projects and finally into Geisha. After a short move to Adelaide to pursue science, he was lured back to Melbourne to form the definitive Geisha lineup. Signed to EMI in 1984, the band scored hits with Fool’s Way, Rainy Day, and Kabuki. With Countdown appearances and a fervent following in Melbourne and Adelaide, the group experienced the surreal highs of pop stardom-packed in-store signings, schoolgirls waiting outside Chris’s flat, and scenes of fandom that left him with mixed feelings about fame.
As the years passed, Geisha evolved through several lineups while Chris branched out with other projects including All the Young Dudes, Dragonfly, and work as a producer and mentor for younger acts. Beyond Geisha, his most enduring recognition came from More Than a Game, the anthem adopted as the theme for Channel Nine’s The Footy Show. Initially recorded in 1994 almost as a favour, it became a cultural institution, uniting football fans for 25 years and securing Chris’s place in the broader cultural fabric of Australia.
Despite decades of performing, Doheny didn’t release a full solo album until 2014. Chris Doheny, issued on his own Diamond Dog Records and recorded at his Blue Door Audio studio, was a deeply personal work. Its cover photo, inspired by Paul McCartney’s debut, reflected Chris’s desire to make an independent creative statement after years of collaborations and band projects.
What made Chris so enduring was not only his music but also his connection with people. Fans remember gigs where his voice lifted the room, moments when he’d pause to share a story, and the way his songs seemed to speak directly to their own lives. Colleagues recall a warm, sharp-witted, fiercely dedicated musician who gave generously of his time and experience.
Chris Doheny’s legacy is one of joy, resilience, and timeless songs. Whether through the shimmering choruses of Geisha, the intimacy of his solo work, or the cultural anthem that united football fans for decades, his voice continues to resonate. He was more than a musician, he was a presence, a mentor, a friend. And he will be deeply missed.