Shaun Ryder | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Shaun William George Ryder |
Also known as | X |
Born | Little Hulton, Lancashire, England | 23 August 1962
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 1980–present |
Labels | Factory |
Member of | |
Website | happymondaysofficial |
Shaun William George Ryder (born 23 August 1962) is an English singer, songwriter and poet. [1] As lead singer of Happy Mondays, he was a leading figure in the Madchester cultural scene during the late 1980s and early 1990s. [2] In 1993, he formed Black Grape with former Happy Mondays dancer Bez. He was the runner-up on the tenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! . [3] Ryder collaborated with Gorillaz on "Dare", which peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart in September 2005, becoming the band's only UK number one single. Ryder is known for his distinctive sprechgesang and lyricism.
Shaun William George Ryder was born on 23 August 1962 [4] in Little Hulton, Lancashire, [5] the son of nurse Linda [6] [7] and postman Derek (who would later become Happy Mondays's tour manager). [8] By the age of 13, he had left school to work on a building site. [9]
Happy Mondays' first release was the "Forty Five EP", often called the "Delightful EP" after its first track. It was released on Factory Records in September 1985. [10] Their first album, Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out) , was released in 1987 and was produced by John Cale. This was followed by two further albums: Bummed , in 1988, produced by Martin Hannett, and Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches , in 1990, produced by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne. The latter, recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, went platinum in the UK, selling more than 350,000 copies. Singles "Step On" and "Kinky Afro" from this album both reached number 5 in the UK singles chart. [11]
By the late 1980s, the Happy Mondays were an important part of the Manchester music scene and personified rave culture. Numerous world tours meant the band had international success as well as massive success in their home country. The line-up of the band during this first and most important ten-year phase never changed, and the six original members Shaun Ryder, Paul Ryder, Gary Whelan, Paul Davis, Mark Day, and Mark "Bez" Berry remained a tight unit until the first incarnation came to an end in 1994. [12] The band headlined the Friday night at Glastonbury Festival 1990. [11] In November of that year, Paul McCartney commented in NME: "I saw the Happy Mondays on TV, and they reminded me of the Beatles in their 'Strawberry Fields' phase." [13]
Musically, the band fused indie pop guitars with a rhythmic style that owed much to house music, Krautrock, funk, and northern soul. [14] Much of their music was remixed by popular DJs, emphasising the dance influences even further. In style and dress, they crossed hippy fashion and ideals with 1970s glamour. Sartorially and musically, the band helped to encourage the psychedelic revival associated with acid house.[ citation needed ]
Ryder's early years as a singer for Happy Mondays were depicted in the 2002 British biographical comedy drama film 24 Hour Party People , a semi-fictional account of Factory Records and the Manchester music scene of the 1980s and early 1990s. In the film, Ryder is portrayed by Danny Cunningham. [15]
Ryder has taken part in two reformations of Happy Mondays (1999–2000 and 2004–present). [16] He also released a solo studio album, Amateur Night in the Big Top , in 2003. [17]
In 2000, following the Big Day Out Festival in Australia with Happy Mondays, Ryder stayed on in Perth, Western Australia with Pete Carroll, who had a record label called Offworld Sounds. While in Perth he recorded Amateur Night in the Big Top , an album of punk electronica with Carroll, Shane Norton, Stephen Mallinder from Cabaret Voltaire and Lucky Oceans from American country band Asleep at the Wheel. [18] Uncut called it, "exhilarating stuff. Another wildly implausible Ryder comeback" while Ministry of Sound said it was "A remarkable album. The most vitriolic lyrics this side of [Bob] Dylan's 'Ballad of a Thin Man' and Sex Pistols 'EMI '". The album was recorded quickly during a few late night sessions in Carroll's garage studio during an extremely hot Perth summer. The album was subsequently released on Offworld Sounds.
In 2004, Happy Mondays reunited to play a comeback gig called "Get Loaded in the Park" on Clapham Common, with only original members. Two years later they released the single "Playground Superstar", featured in the football film Goal , which was released after Bez had won Celebrity Big Brother . [19] In 2007 Happy Mondays released the studio album, Uncle Dysfunktional . [20] In 2009 he made a cameo appearance as himself in Channel 4 drama Shameless . [21]
In 1993 Ryder launched his new project, Black Grape. [22] Its first release, It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah (1995), topped the British album chart for a week. [23] However, the follow-up studio album, Stupid Stupid Stupid , did not achieve the same critical nor commercial success, and the group broke-up in 1998. [24] The group reformed briefly in 2010, [16] and released a single in 2015, and in August 2017, released Pop Voodoo , their first studio album since 1997. [25] [26]
Ryder collaborated with Intastella in 1993 on the track "Can You Fly Like You Mean It?" [27] and in 1997, Ryder featured on the Agent Provocateur studio album Where the Wild Things Are on track 'Agent Dan'. [28]
He appeared on British tenor Russell Watson's 2001 debut studio album The Voice , lending his vocals to a cover version of the Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé song "Barcelona". [29]
In 2004, Ryder had a voice acting role in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in which he played Maccer, a washed-up, masturbation-addicted musician who was planning a major comeback tour. [30]
Ryder appeared in Peter Kay's "Is This the Way to Amarillo?" charity music video in 2005. Also in 2005, he collaborated with Gorillaz on "Dare", a song on their studio album Demon Days . [31] Chris Evans stated at the Brit Awards 2006 that the song was originally called "It's There", but was changed as Ryder's thick Mancunian accent made him pronounce the word "there" as "dare".[ citation needed ]
In 2021, he released his second solo studio album Visits from Future Technology .
In 2023, Ryder collaborated with the Lottery Winners on the track "Money" from their studio album Anxiety Replacement Therapy . This track was released as a single on 16 February 2023.
Ryder wrote a column for the Daily Sport , in which he commented on current events and celebrities. [32] The column was ghostwritten with journalist John Warburton, who would write a book about the Happy Mondays reunion in the late 1990s, and co-credited it to Ryder. He said he "didn't really have anything to do with it at all," explaining that Warburton had approached him to write a biography. Ryder said he was not interested in the idea at the time, but allowed him to accompany the band on tour and document the proceedings. [33] [34]
In 2011, Ryder published his autobiography, Twisting My Melon: The Autobiography . [35] [36] It was optioned by Granada Television and writer Danny Brocklehurst enlisted to write the screenplay.
In 2004 he was the subject of Richard Macer's BBC3 documentary Shaun Ryder: The Ecstasy and the Agony. [37] In 2006, he appeared in Shameless (series 6 episode 3) as himself. [38]
Ryder was a contestant on the tenth series of ITV's reality game show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2010, where he finished second behind Stacey Solomon. [3] In January 2011 Ryder appeared on the first series of the ITV programme That Sunday Night Show , [39] and again on the second series in September 2011. [40] He collaborated with fellow I'm a Celebrity contestant Stacey Solomon at the 2011 National Television Awards. [41]
In 2013, Ryder hosted the television show Shaun Ryder on UFOs on The History Channel UK. [42] He has a lifelong interest in UFOs and claims that he has personally encountered space aliens, [42] stating that he saw a UFO for the first time in 1978. [9]
In 2016, he appeared on Would I Lie to You? , being asked if he had trained his cat to wink. [43]
In 2017 Ryder appeared on Celebrity Juice as a member of Fearne Cotton's team. [38] The next year he starred in ITV's 100 years younger in 21 days and appeared on Celebrity Mastermind , with the specialist subject of Manchester.
In 2019, Ryder was interviewed on Sam Delaney's News Thing. [38] [44] In August 2020, Ryder appeared in BBC Two comedy Mandy created by Diane Morgan in which he portrayed a fictional version of himself.
In 2023, he appeared in I'm a Celebrity... South Africa , [45] but was one of the first celebrities to be sent home after losing a trial in a double eviction on Saturday April 29, 2023. [46]
Ryder has six children by four women, including a daughter, Coco, with Oriole, daughter of the singer Donovan. [47]
Ryder's past substance use is well-documented; Kyle O'Sullivan of the Daily Mirror writing in 2022 that "after every gig on [the Happy Mondays' 1990] Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches tour, Shaun would dive into a cocktail of booze, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and marijuana". [48] Ryder's heroin addiction lasted around 20 years, ending around 2002, although Ryder has stated that "there's been no damage off [heroin]" and that he never injected the drug, but rather smoked it, and saying he overcame it by taking up cycling. [49] [9] [50] [51] Ryder also used crack cocaine and methamphetamine, to which he attributes the loss of his teeth. [50] Ryder stated in January 2024 that he hasn't used hard drugs since the early 2000s, and no longer keeps alcohol in his home, only drinking when out. [52]
Ryder contested contracts he drew up with his Black Grape management team, compiled in 1993. Following his dismissal of the company, they sued him for £160,000. The income from his £30,000 a year Daily Sport column went solely to cover his costs. His appearance on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (2010) and a £130,000 book deal financed Ryder out of the contract. [49]
Ryder was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia later in life, saying in the 60s and 70s there was "no such thing as learning difficulties". [53] "When I was at school they didn't know about ADHD, there were just four sets, one being the brightest and four being crowd control"... so "for the first 40-something years of my life I didn't know I had it [ADHD]". [54]
In 2021 he took part in Channel 4's Stand Up and Deliver; mentored by Jason Manford, he developed his own stand-up set. Manford explained in an interview “Shaun's got severe ADHD, so remembering things, collecting information and taking on new thoughts, it's been a real challenge." [54]
Ryder took part in Channel 4's Fame in the Family ; where Ryder discovered three long lost relatives, Tracey and James had the most direct blood connection, both second cousins. [55]
Solo studio albums
Compilation
Solo
Gorillaz are a British virtual band created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs (drums). Their universe is presented in media such as music videos, interviews, comic strips and short cartoons. Gorillaz's music has featured collaborations with a wide range of featured artists, with Albarn as the only permanent musical contributor.
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up consisted of brothers Shaun Ryder (vocals) and Paul Ryder (bass), Gary Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry later joined the band onstage as a dancer and maracas player. Rowetta joined as a second vocalist and percussionist in 1990. They were initially signed to Tony Wilson's Factory Records label.
24 Hour Party People is a 2002 British biographical comedy drama film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom. The film was entered into the 2002 Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews.
Mark Berry, better known as Bez, is an English percussionist, dancer, DJ and media personality. He is best known as a member of the rock bands Happy Mondays and Black Grape.
Black Grape are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1993, featuring former members of Happy Mondays and Ruthless Rap Assassins. Their musical style fuses funk and electronic rock with electronic programming and samples.
Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile is the debut studio album by the English rock band Happy Mondays, which was released in mid-April 1987 by Factory Records. After finalising their line-up, the band began playing local venues in Manchester, toured with New Order, and released an EP and a single in 1985. Happy Mondays' debut album was recorded at Fire House in London in December 1986 with producer John Cale. Halfway through the two weeks of sessions, they scrapped all their recordings and began again. Cale and engineer Dave Young did not understand the band members' vision of the album, and found them difficult to work with. Deemed a punk-funk and post-punk album, most of its songs were lyrically akin to stories on The Twilight Zone.
Bummed is the second studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays, released on 21 November 1988 on Factory Records. During 1987 and early 1988, the band discovered house music and the rave drug ecstasy. Factory producer Martin Hannett was subsequently enlisted to produce the band's next album. Sessions were held at The Slaughterhouse recording studio in Driffield over three weeks. The period was noted for heavy drug use by the band and Hannett, with their manager later calling it the first "ecstasy-fuelled" album. Hannett moved recording to Strawberry Studios, where extra instrumentation was added. Bummed is a Madchester-style psychedelic funk album, where much of the lyrical content was influenced by the 1970 film Performance, with dialogue from the film sampled throughout.
Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is the third studio album by the English rock band Happy Mondays, released on 5 November 1990 by Factory Records. Disc jockey (DJ) Paul Oakenfold and collaborator Steve Osborne were previously enlisted by the band for remixes. The success of these led to the pair producing "Step On", a cover of the John Kongos song, for Happy Mondays. The band went on a tour of the United States, and by the end of which, had started recording their next album with Oakenfold and Osborne at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, California. They returned to the United Kingdom, where further recording took place at Eden Studios in London until September 1990. Described as a Madchester album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches saw substantial input from Oakenfold and Osborne, with the former making loops while the latter handled song arrangements.
Yes Please! is the fourth studio album by British rock band Happy Mondays, released on 22 September 1992 through Factory Records. Following the non-album single "Judge Fudge", Factory allotted the band a budget of £150,000 for their next album. After settling on producers Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, both members of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, Happy Mondays decamped to Blue Wave Studio in Saint Philip, Barbados, in February 1992. The sessions were plagued by a variety of issues, such as frontman Shaun Ryder developing a crack habit and dancer Bez breaking his arm three times. With little finished material and a lack of lyrics, the band returned to the United Kingdom; Ryder was admitted into a detox centre. Recording continued for two weeks in May 1992 at Comfort's Place Studio in Lingfield, Surrey, where Ryder did his vocals. Yes Please! is a soul funk album with a bleak sound that earned it a comparison to Unknown Pleasures (1979) by Joy Division.
Demon Days is the second studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 11 May 2005 in Japan and 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and May 24, 2005 in the United States by Virgin Records. Produced by Gorillaz, Danger Mouse, Jason Cox, and James Dring, it features De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF Doom, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder and Dennis Hopper.
"Dare" is a song by English virtual band Gorillaz and is the second single from their second studio album, Demon Days (2005). The track features Happy Mondays and Black Grape front-man Shaun Ryder, and is sung by Rosie Wilson as Noodle, with backing vocals from Damon Albarn. It peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart in September 2005, becoming the band's only UK number one. "Dare" peaked at number 11 in Australia and Italy. It also reached the top 10 in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Iceland, Ireland, Poland, and New Zealand.
It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah is the debut studio album by the English rock band Black Grape, released on 7 August 1995 through Radioactive Records. Following the breakup of Happy Mondays, frontman Shaun Ryder formed Black Grape with vocalist Paul "Kermit" Leveridge and dancer Bez. They were put in contact with management company Nicholl and Dime, who secured the band a recording contract with Radioactive Records. After demos and the band finalizing their line-up, Ryder met with producers Stephen Lironi and Danny Saber. Black Grape recorded their debut studio album in late 1994 and early 1995 at Rockfield Studios in Wales, Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, and Boundary Row in London. It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah is a dance-pop and pop funk album, with its title meaning being sober from drugs.
Paul Anthony Ryder was an English musician. He was a bass player and a founding member of the Manchester band Happy Mondays with his brother Shaun Ryder.
Stupid Stupid Stupid is the second studio album by British rock band Black Grape, released on 10 November 1997 through Radioactive Records. While touring in support of their debut studio album It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah (1995), vocalist Paul "Kermit" Leveridge was diagnosed with sepsis. Carl "Psycho" McCarthy temporarily filled in Kermit's role before being added to the line-up permanently. Though he was too ill to tour, Kermit joined the band in Hollywood to work on songs for their next album, which continued throughout 1996. They recorded their second album at Real World Studios in Bath and Westlake Audio in Los Angeles, California, over eight weeks with Danny Saber, John X Volaitis, and frontman Shaun Ryder as producers. Stupid Stupid Stupid is a dance-rock album that continues the party atmosphere of It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah while toning down that album's religious references.
Uncle Dysfunktional is the fifth studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays. It was released by Sequel Records on 2 July 2007. After the band reunited in 2004, they toured into 2005; by 2006, a new album was recorded with producer Sunny Levine. Initial sessions were held at The Studiosound in Rochdale and Make It Nice Studio in Leicester with Dave Parkinson, before moving to Moolah Rogue Studios in Stockport with Levine. Uncle Dysfunktional is an electro-funk record, with influences from country and hip hop.
Gary Whelan, also known as Gaz, is a British musician. He is the drummer and a founding member of the Manchester band Happy Mondays and is currently performing with Yogi G and The Family Tree
KAV is a British musician from Leicester, England, now based in Los Angeles. Sandhu played guitar with British band Happy Mondays for four years after helping reform the band with frontman Shaun Ryder in 2004. He launched his solo project under moniker "KAV" in 2008 with long-time friend and drummer Jim (James) Portas. His solo material has been compared by the media to Iggy and the Stooges, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Primal Scream, Kasabian, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. He uses a full band for live performances, which sometimes features guest musicians from various bands.
Amateur Night in the Big Top is the debut studio album by British singer Shaun Ryder, the former frontman of Happy Mondays and Black Grape. The album is subtitled "Clowns and Pet Sounds". It was released in September 2003 and co-produced by Pete Carroll, Shane Norton and Cabaret Voltaire's Stephen Mallinder. It was recorded in Perth, Australia and released on the OffWorld Sounds record label run by Ryder's Carroll and Mallinder.
Pop Voodoo is the third studio album of the British band Black Grape that was released on 4 August 2017 through UMC. After a one-off show in 2010, Black Grape reunited in April 2015 to play a show; a this time, Alan McGee was the band's manager. Following a tour of the United Kingdom and a collaboration with Paul Oakenfold, Black Grape worked on ideas for new songs. In September 2016, the band travelled to Spain, initially as a writing trip, during which they recorded sessions for their next album. Pop Voodoo was recorded at Martin "Youth" Glover's residential studio in Sierra Nevada, Spain, and in London. Pop Voodoo is a funk, pop and trip hop album on which Youth, alongside session musicians, plays many instruments.
Twisting My Melon: The Autobiography is a 2011 autobiography by the English singer, songwriter and poet Shaun Ryder, about his time fronting rock bands Happy Mondays and Black Grape. The book received mainly positive reviews from music publications, several of which considered it an entertaining read.