Indigenous musician Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingi has been refused a cab in Melbourne after a concert on Tuesday night, his manager claims.
The award-winning singer had just finished a concert with Missy Higgins at St Kilda's Palais Theatre, says manager Mark Grose.
Grose says he went outside to hail a cab for Gurrumul after a 'fantastic show'.
He waited for Gurrumul to come outside with his girlfriend Bronwyn, but the taxi driver refused the fare when he saw the singer.
"As he came out the door, the taxi driver said 'no' and took off," he told SBS.
The blind singer's long-time friend and spokesman, Michael Hohnen was furious with the cab driver, but Gurrumul himself remained unfazed.
"I started yelling at him and I never yell, well rarely," Hohnen says, "Gurrumul's reaction was hysterical laughter at me yelling."
In 1992, Yothu Yindi singer Mandaway Yunupingu was ejected from a bar because he was Aboriginal. Twenty years later, his nephew has suffered racism in the same suburb.
Grose posted on Gurrumul's Facebook page this morning about the incident. The post has attracted more than 835 comments.
“When the taxi driver saw Gurrumul he said no, locked the doors and drove off leaving Michael Gurrumul and Bronwyn standing in the middle of the road. Surely not in Melbourne, but sadly yes.”
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