Lori Balmer

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Lori Balmer, born in 1960 in Sydney, Australia, is a pop singer, model, dancer and marketing executive. She started singing professionally as a child. Her 1966 debut single “Banjo Boy” appeared on RCA, and she was RCA’s youngest recording star at the time. Through a family link to the Bee Gees, she recorded two Barry Gibb songs with the Gibbs backing her and Barry producing.

She also did modeling, including as the face of infanteen, and helped launch the Australian government’s “wear a yellow raincoat” campaign for kids in wet weather.

In 1968, at Barry Gibb’s invitation, she moved to England. She appeared on children’s TV and radio, earning the nickname “bush baby.” In July 1968 she recorded “Treacle Brown” and “Four Faces West” with Bee Gees backing; the single was released on Polydor in November. Legal issues prevented further releases for a time.

Balmer signed with Pye Records in 1971; the single “Here Before the Sun” came out in 1972. She worked in the UK as a performer and later released Australian singles in the mid- to late-1970s under the name Lori Balmer, also touring as a backing singer for Cold Chisel and Richard Clapton. She was a member of Dalvanius and the Fascinations, worked with the New Zealand funk band Collision, and appeared on TV.

She sang the title song for the Australian film Melvin, Son of Alvin (1984) and provided backing vocals on soundtracks for Sons of Steel (1987) and Billy’s Holiday (1995). She also did print and TV modeling.

Balmer traveled often to the UK and USA to perform or record, sometimes with other famous artists. From the 1990s to today she has been one of Australia’s top session singers and runs a successful marketing company.