He was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of songwriter and record producer Leon René, and acquired the nickname "Googie" as a child.
He graduated from Dorsey High School in Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles, studied piano, and began writing songs and working in his father's recording studio.
Later records by the Combo featured – as well as René on piano and organ – many of the leading session musicians in Los Angeles, including guitarists Johnny Watson, René Hall, Howard Roberts, and Jimmy Nolen; bassist Red Callender; saxophonists Plas Johnson and Clifford Scott; and drummer Earl Palmer.
[1] Some of the Googie René Combo's recordings in the early 1960s have been described as "the start of hipster lounge music—a form of jazz-infused pop with an easy-listening sheen".
[4] Several CD compilations of the Combo's recordings have been released, including Wham Bam: The Best of Googie René (2003) and From Romesville to Manhattan (2010).