26 Facts About Leo Sayer

1.

Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer was born on 21 May 1948 and is an English-Australian singer and songwriter who has been active since 1973.

2.

Leo Sayer has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009.

3.

Leo Sayer's songs have been sung by other notable artists, including Cliff Richard, Roger Daltrey, and Three Dog Night.

4.

Leo Sayer's father was English and his mother was born in Maguiresbridge in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and raised on her father's small farm at Edenmore, a townland near the hamlet of Killesher, in County Fermanagh.

5.

Leo Sayer attended St Peter's Catholic Primary School in Shoreham-by-Sea and then Blessed Robert Southwell in Goring-by-Sea, before studying commercial art and graphic design at West Sussex College of Art and Design in Worthing, Sussex.

6.

Leo Sayer was initially discovered by musician David Courtney, who then co-managed and co-produced him with former pop singer Adam Faith.

7.

In January 1967, while 18-year-old Leo Sayer was working as a hall porter at the King's Hotel in Hove, he assisted in the rescue of elderly guests from a serious fire that damaged the hotel's first floor.

8.

Leo Sayer himself was rescued from the blazing hotel by builders working on a block of flats beside the hotel.

9.

Leo Sayer began his music career co-writing songs with David Courtney, including "Giving It All Away", which gave Roger Daltrey of the Who his first solo hit in 1973.

10.

Leo Sayer garnered success as an album artist in the United States, beginning with his second LP Just A Boy, which reached No 16.

11.

Also from Endless Flight, Leo Sayer covered the Danny O'Keefe song "Magdalena", which served as the B-side to the "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" single version.

12.

In 1979, the compilation album The Very Best of Leo Sayer became Sayer's first United Kingdom No 1 LP and his seventh consecutive United Kingdom Top 20 album.

13.

Leo Sayer assembled a band led by former Van Morrison guitarist Ronnie Johnson and toured his way back to financial security.

14.

On 12 February 2006, Leo Sayer made a return to number one in the UK Singles Chart, with DJ Meck's remix of "Thunder In My Heart".

15.

In June 2008, Leo Sayer released a new album only in Australia, Don't Wait Until Tomorrow.

16.

In January 2009, Leo Sayer became an Australian citizen, having lived in Sydney since 2005.

17.

Leo Sayer has appeared in various television shows in addition to The Muppet Show, including the 1998 Vic and Bob game show Families at War ; The Wiggles 2008 DVD, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, which featured Leo Sayer's hit of the same name; Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2007; and the Australian television comedy, Stupid, Stupid Man.

18.

In January 2015, Leo Sayer released his album, Restless Years, and toured Australia and Singapore, with various support acts including Jason Ayres.

19.

In October 2015, Leo Sayer was awarded with a Gold Badge of Merit from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.

20.

On 3 May 2019, Leo Sayer released his latest album, Selfie on Demon Records.

21.

Leo Sayer then had a relationship with Donatella Piccinetti, with whom he moved to live in Australia; they separated briefly in 2007, but were reunited and ultimately married on April 15,2023.

22.

In January 2009, Leo Sayer became an Australian citizen at the Australia Day citizenship ceremony in Canberra.

23.

Leo Sayer still suffers from the effects of injuries to his legs and ankles that were caused by a fall off a stage in 1977.

24.

Leo Sayer's family has a history of cancer; both his parents died of cancer as did other family members on both sides.

25.

On his 65th birthday, after experiencing intestinal problems, Leo Sayer was given a colonoscopy which revealed he had intestinal ulcers and a tumour.

26.

Leo Sayer underwent surgery which successfully treated both problems and said that the tumour was benign.