Shaun Ryder
Shaun William George Ryder (born 23 August 1962) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, actor, television personality, author, and newspaper columnist. He is best known as the lead singer of the Happy Mondays and Black Grape, and for being the runner-up of the tenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.
Career
Happy Mondays
As the singer for Happy Mondays, Ryder's "often witty lyrics are the stuff of legend".Tony Wilson is known for having compared Ryder's lyricism to the work of W.B. Yeats. His distinctive vocal style has been described as a form of Sprechgesang. Ryder's struggle with drugs led to the break-up of Happy Mondays in 1992. The film 24 Hour Party People featured the (semi-fictional) story of Shaun Ryder's youth and the life of Happy Mondays whilst signed with Factory Records in the late '80s and early '90s. In the film Ryder is portrayed by Danny Cunningham.
Ryder has taken part in two reformations of Happy Mondays (1999–2000 and 2004–present) and released a solo album, Amateur Night in the Big Top, to a mixed critical reception. He was involved in litigation with former Black Grape management, which he eventually lost.