Shaun Ryder

Shaun Ryder

Shaun Ryder is an English singer and songwriter from Little Hulton, United Kingdom, born in 1962. He first becomes widely known as a member of Happy Mondays during the Madchester era, before later forming part of Black Grape in the mid-1990s. He also takes part in Four Lions, Amateur Night in the Big Top and Mantra of the Cosmos.

Happy Mondays and Black Grape

Ryder is closely associated with Happy Mondays, where his lyrics draw both criticism and praise. Some listeners dismiss them as drug-fuelled gibberish, while others value their wit and the way they blend with the band’s music. His drug use contributes to the breakup of Happy Mondays in 1993. He returns to prominence in 1995 with Black Grape, whose first release reaches number one in the British album chart and produces several hit singles. The group’s second album is less successful and the band splits in 1997.

Other work and collaborations

He collaborates with Trigger and Jim on their 1999 comeback MC Hammer and Sickle. He later takes part in further Happy Mondays reformations, including one from 2004 that continues. Ryder also works on a solo career and is involved in a legal dispute with former Black Grape management, which he loses.

Media and other appearances

In 2004, Ryder is the subject of the BBC documentary Shaun Ryder: The Ecstasy and the Agony. He also provides the voice of Maccer in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing a washed-up musician planning a comeback tour in 1992. In 2005, he appears on Gorillaz’s UK number one single “DARE” from Demon Days, and he also works with former Talking Heads members Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz on No Talking, Just Head.