Eddi Reader
Encyclopedia
Eddi Reader MBE
(born Sadenia Reader; 29 August 1959) is a Scottish
singer-songwriter
, known both for her work with Fairground Attraction
and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three BRIT Awards
and has topped both the album and singles charts. In 2003 she showcased the works of Scotland
's national poet, Robert Burns
.
, the daughter of a welder
, and the eldest of seven children (her brother, Francis, is vocalist with the band The Trash Can Sinatras
). She was nicknamed Edna by her parents. Living at first in the district of Anderston, Glasgow, in a tenement slum demolished in 1965, The young Reader family moved to a two-bedroomed flat in the estate of Arden, Glasgow.
In 1976, due to overcrowding the family was re-housed 25 miles from Glasgow, in the council development of Irvine, Ayrshire
; however, Eddi returned to Glasgow (where she lived with her grandmother) in order to finish her compulsory schooling. She began playing the guitar
at the age of ten, and started her musical career busking
, first in Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street
, then in the early 1980s in London and around Europe (where she also worked with circus
and performance artists).
Back in Scotland, while finding factory work in Irvine and working part-time in Sirocco Recording Studio in Kilmarnock, she answered an advert in the music press and travelled to London to audition and join the punk
band Gang of Four
, who needed a backing singer for their appearance on British television music show The Old Grey Whistle Test and for their UK tour. This led to her first US
tour with the band. After returning to the UK
and leaving the band, she started working as a session vocalist
in London
, picking up work singing jingles for radio advertisements and singing with such acts as Eurythmics
, The Waterboys
, Billy MacKenzie
and Alison Moyet
.
. Through her contact with the brass section session players The Kick Horns in London, she signed a contract with EMI
, and recorded two singles with the disco
group Outbar Squeek. Around the same time, she met and asked Mark E. Nevin, a guitarist and songwriter
from the band Jane Aire and the Belvederes to write for her and they recorded two songs as The Academy of Fine Popular Music. They subsequently formed Fairground Attraction
, together with Simon Edwards (guitarrón — a Mexican
acoustic bass guitar) and Roy Dodds
(drums
& percussion
). In 1988 the band signed to RCA
/BMG
records and released their first single
, "Perfect
", which became a UK number one, winning best single at the 1989 BRIT Awards
. Their first album
, The First of a Million Kisses
, was also a success, reaching number two in the UK Albums Chart
, and winning best album at the 1989 Brits.
This success was short-lived, however. In November 1989, after a break, during which Reader had her first child, Charlie, with her French
-Algeria
n partner Milou, arguments arose within the group, and Nevin abandoned a recording session for the second album, which eventually led to the splitting of the band. A makeshift second album, a collection of B-side
s and live tracks, Ay Fond Kiss, was rushed out the following year.
ist, in John Byrne's Your Cheatin' Heart, a comedy-drama series for BBC Television
, set in the country music
scene in Scotland. Her other acting credits include playing the part of Joy 3 from the Michael Boyd (artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company
) production of Janice Galloway's The Trick Is to Keep Breathing. This was a BBC Radio 4
production in 1996, Also a Tron Theatre
production the same year.
Returning to London, Reader worked on new material with a backing band calling itself The Patron Saints of Imperfection (made up of Roy Dodds, Neill and Calum MacColl, and Phil Steriopoulos). This became her first solo album, recorded for RCA Records
: 1992's Mirmama. She met Geoff Travis
who signed her to Warner Brothers subsidiary label, Blanco Y Negro
, The managing director Rob Dickens
executively produced her second solo album Eddi Reader
(1994), which won her the "Best female singer" BRIT Award that year, followed by Candyfloss and Medicine
(1996), and Angels & Electricity
(1998). She parted from Warner Brothers and continued her work on Geoff Travis' Rough Trade
label when she recorded Simple Soul
(2001) and Driftwood
(2002) - a "homegrown" release of song
s recorded during the Simple Soul sessions. During this time, Reader also recorded the song "Ocean Love" for the soundtrack of the animated film Help! I'm a Fish
(2001). Reader also contributed vocals to one of Big Country
's final singles before Stuart Adamson
's death, "Fragile Thing."
Reader continued to tour (England
, Scotland
, Japan
, Australia
, Spain
, the United States
, and Ireland
). In 2003, she recorded her album of material by Robert Burns
, with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
, leading to good reviews and an international resurgence in interest in Scotland's "bard
".
She spent April 2006 touring Australia with Boo Hewerdine
and Alan Kelly, following the release of St Clare's Night Out: Live at The Basement, with Australian acts such as David Hosking invited to open the concerts.
Reader's eighth studio album, Peacetime
, was released in 2007 on the Rough Trade
record label
. Produced by fellow Scottish folk
musician, John McCusker
, the album features a few Burns composed songs, alongside original material with longtime collaborator Boo Hewerdine
and The Trash Can Sinatras
' John Douglas.
In spring 2008, Reader was a special guest at the Hotel Cafe Tour
hosted by Tom McRae
. In 2009, she performed in period-drama Me and Orson Welles
, directed by Richard Linklater
and starring Zac Efron
, Christian McKay
and Claire Danes
. Reader performed re-arranged 1930s standards, with Jools Holland
, with whom she had previously collaborated on the single "Waiting Game".
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth, Reader released The Songs of Robert Burns Deluxe Edition in January 2009. The new release brought together the original Burns album with seven additional songs, two from the original 2003 sessions ("Green Grow the Rashes O", "Of A' the Airts"), three from 2007's Peacetime
("Ye banks and Braes", "Aye Waukin O" and "Leezie Lindsay") the unreleased "Dainty Davie", also from that session, and a brand new recording, "Comin' Thro the Rye/Dram Behind the Curtain". The new album was promoted, like the original release, with two sold-out shows at the annual Celtic Connections
festival in Glasgow.
In 2009 Reader released her ninth studio album, Love is the Way
, which was self-produced. In a special arrangement with record label Rough Trade
she sold an exclusive, pre-released and minimally-packaged version of the disc on her 19-date autumn 2008 UK tour.
In early 2010, Reader appeared on the Irish language album Ceol '10 Súil Siar, singing an Irish language version of the Fairground Attraction
song "Perfect" called "Foirfe". In December she released a live album on her own label and sold exclusively via her online store, Live in Japan. Recorded from the sound desk at her Japan shows in September 2009, it was mastered and mixed by Mark Freegard who had worked on the 2009 album Love is the Way
.
for outstanding contributions to the arts in the New Year's honours list of 2006.
In May 2007 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Strathclyde
. Later that year she was recognised for her contributions to music and to the education and encouragement of young musicians with an honorary doctorate and a Doctor of Letters from Glasgow Caledonian University
.
In June 2008 she received another doctorate for her musical work, this time from the University of Stirling
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born Sadenia Reader; 29 August 1959) is a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, known both for her work with Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction were a British acoustic pop band. They are best known for their hit single "Perfect", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist Eddi Reader.-Career:...
and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
and has topped both the album and singles charts. In 2003 she showcased the works of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's national poet, Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
.
Early career
Reader was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, the daughter of a welder
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
, and the eldest of seven children (her brother, Francis, is vocalist with the band The Trash Can Sinatras
The Trash Can Sinatras
The Trash Can Sinatras, now generally known as Trashcan Sinatras, are a Scottish band that was formed in Irvine, Scotland in 1986. The band's music makes frequent use of wordplay and pop harmonies.-Formation:...
). She was nicknamed Edna by her parents. Living at first in the district of Anderston, Glasgow, in a tenement slum demolished in 1965, The young Reader family moved to a two-bedroomed flat in the estate of Arden, Glasgow.
In 1976, due to overcrowding the family was re-housed 25 miles from Glasgow, in the council development of Irvine, Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
; however, Eddi returned to Glasgow (where she lived with her grandmother) in order to finish her compulsory schooling. She began playing the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
at the age of ten, and started her musical career busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
, first in Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...
, then in the early 1980s in London and around Europe (where she also worked with circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
and performance artists).
Back in Scotland, while finding factory work in Irvine and working part-time in Sirocco Recording Studio in Kilmarnock, she answered an advert in the music press and travelled to London to audition and join the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Gang of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
, who needed a backing singer for their appearance on British television music show The Old Grey Whistle Test and for their UK tour. This led to her first US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tour with the band. After returning to the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and leaving the band, she started working as a session vocalist
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, picking up work singing jingles for radio advertisements and singing with such acts as Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
, The Waterboys
The Waterboys
The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a...
, Billy MacKenzie
Billy Mackenzie
William MacArthur "Billy" Mackenzie was a Scottish singer, with a distinctive falsetto voice best known as a member of The Associates.- Biography :...
and Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...
.
Fairground Attraction
In 1984, Reader returned to the UK from Paris, where she had been working as a singer for the composer Vladimir CosmaVladimir Cosma
Vladimir Cosma was born April 13, 1940 in Bucharest, Romania, into a family of musicians.His father, Teodor Cosma, was a pianist and conductor, his mother a writer-composer, his uncle, Edgar Cosma, composer and conductor, and one of his grandmothers, pianist, a student of the renowned Ferrucio...
. Through her contact with the brass section session players The Kick Horns in London, she signed a contract with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, and recorded two singles with the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
group Outbar Squeek. Around the same time, she met and asked Mark E. Nevin, a guitarist and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
from the band Jane Aire and the Belvederes to write for her and they recorded two songs as The Academy of Fine Popular Music. They subsequently formed Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction were a British acoustic pop band. They are best known for their hit single "Perfect", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist Eddi Reader.-Career:...
, together with Simon Edwards (guitarrón — a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
acoustic bass guitar) and Roy Dodds
Roy Dodds
Captain Roy Edward Dodds was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-Reference:...
(drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
& percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
). In 1988 the band signed to RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
/BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
records and released their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Perfect
Perfect (Fairground Attraction song)
"Perfect" is the title to Fairground Attraction's first single, released in March 1988.The single reached number one on the 9 May 1988 UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for one week, and stayed in the chart for thirteen weeks. It also reached number one in South Africa as well as in Australia for...
", which became a UK number one, winning best single at the 1989 BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
. Their first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, The First of a Million Kisses
The First of a Million Kisses
The First of a Million Kisses was the first album by Fairground Attraction, released in 1988.The album was a characteristic blend of folk, jazz, country, and Cajun elements . Released in May 1988, it followed the success of the band's first single, "Perfect," by entering the album chart at number...
, was also a success, reaching number two in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, and winning best album at the 1989 Brits.
This success was short-lived, however. In November 1989, after a break, during which Reader had her first child, Charlie, with her French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
-Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n partner Milou, arguments arose within the group, and Nevin abandoned a recording session for the second album, which eventually led to the splitting of the band. A makeshift second album, a collection of B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
s and live tracks, Ay Fond Kiss, was rushed out the following year.
Solo career
Reader returned to Scotland, but before she embarked on her solo career she took a temporary detour into acting. She played Jolene Jowett, a singer and accordionAccordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
ist, in John Byrne's Your Cheatin' Heart, a comedy-drama series for BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
, set in the country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
scene in Scotland. Her other acting credits include playing the part of Joy 3 from the Michael Boyd (artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
) production of Janice Galloway's The Trick Is to Keep Breathing. This was a BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
production in 1996, Also a Tron Theatre
Tron Theatre
The Tron Theatre is located at the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, Scotland.From its early years as a theatre club, the Tron has grown into a thriving multi-faceted venue...
production the same year.
Returning to London, Reader worked on new material with a backing band calling itself The Patron Saints of Imperfection (made up of Roy Dodds, Neill and Calum MacColl, and Phil Steriopoulos). This became her first solo album, recorded for RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
: 1992's Mirmama. She met Geoff Travis
Geoff Travis
Geoff Travis is the founder of both Rough Trade Records and the Rough Trade chain of record shops. A former drama teacher and owner of a punk record shop, Travis founded the Rough Trade label in 1978.-Biography:...
who signed her to Warner Brothers subsidiary label, Blanco Y Negro
Blanco y Negro
Blanco y Negro can refer to* Blanco y Negro in Spain.* Blanco y Negro Music, a record label in Spain.* Blanco y Negro Records, a record label in the U.K....
, The managing director Rob Dickens
Rob Dickens
Rob Dickins, CBE is a member of the music industry, and currently holds a number of trustee and consultant positions in music and the arts in Britain. Dickins established himself at an early age at Warner Music UK...
executively produced her second solo album Eddi Reader
Eddi Reader (album)
Eddi Reader is the second studio album by Eddi Reader released in the United Kingdom on June 20, 1994.The album was recorded in America with producer Greg Penny , and was the first to feature songs written and co-written with future regular cohort Boo Hewerdine...
(1994), which won her the "Best female singer" BRIT Award that year, followed by Candyfloss and Medicine
Candyfloss and Medicine
Candyfloss and Medicine is the third studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on July 8, 1996, which peaked #24 in the UK charts.Two singles were released in the UK: "Town without pity" and "Medicine" with various additional tracks including two covers from brother Frank's band Trashcan...
(1996), and Angels & Electricity
Angels & Electricity
Angels & Electricity is the fourth studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on May 11, 1998.The album has provided Reader with some of her most popular songs including "Kiteflyer's Hill", "Bell, Book and Candle" and "Please Don’t Ask Me to Dance"....
(1998). She parted from Warner Brothers and continued her work on Geoff Travis' Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
label when she recorded Simple Soul
Simple Soul
Simple Soul is the fifth studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on January 29, 2001.The album is a lot more stripped down than its predecessor, Angels and Electricity being predominantly folk and acoustic based...
(2001) and Driftwood
Driftwood (album)
Driftwood is the sixth studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on October 8, 2001.Driftwood is also the name of the recording studios, owned by Roy Dodds, where the tracks were all recorded during the same sessions for the previous album Simple Soul....
(2002) - a "homegrown" release of song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s recorded during the Simple Soul sessions. During this time, Reader also recorded the song "Ocean Love" for the soundtrack of the animated film Help! I'm a Fish
Help! I'm a Fish
Help! I'm a Fish is a 2001 Danish animated film directed by Stefan Fjeldmark and Michael Hegner.Unlike some European animation, this film was recorded and animated in the English language to increase international distribution...
(2001). Reader also contributed vocals to one of Big Country
Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...
's final singles before Stuart Adamson
Stuart Adamson
Stuart Adamson , born William Stuart Adamson, was an English-born Scottish guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, described by legendary music journalist John Peel as “Britain’s answer to Jimi Hendrix”...
's death, "Fragile Thing."
Reader continued to tour (England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
). In 2003, she recorded her album of material by Robert Burns
Sings the Songs of Robert Burns
Sings the Songs of Robert Burns is the seventh studio album by Eddi Reader. It was released in the UK on May 12, 2003.The album was premiered at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall as part of the Celtic Connections Festival in January 2003 and on release garnered Reader some of the best reviews of her...
, with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra is Scotland's national symphony orchestra. Based in Glasgow, the 89-member professional orchestra also regularly performs in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, and abroad. Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company has performed full-time since 1950,...
, leading to good reviews and an international resurgence in interest in Scotland's "bard
Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
".
She spent April 2006 touring Australia with Boo Hewerdine
Boo Hewerdine
Boo Hewerdine is an English singer-songwriter. His work includes lead singer and creative force behind The Bible, formed in the 1980s, and reformed in 1994, as well as solo recordings and work for film. He lives in Ely....
and Alan Kelly, following the release of St Clare's Night Out: Live at The Basement, with Australian acts such as David Hosking invited to open the concerts.
Reader's eighth studio album, Peacetime
Peacetime (album)
Peacetime is the eighth studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on January 29, 2007.The album was promoted the following month by a full UK tour with her own band including John McCusker, Boo Hewerdine, Kevin McGuire, Alan Kelly and Roy Dodds....
, was released in 2007 on the Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. Produced by fellow Scottish folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
musician, John McCusker
John McCusker
John McCusker is a Scottish folk musician, record producer and composer. An accomplished fiddle player, he had a long association as a member of the Battlefield Band beginning in the 1990s and was later a band member and producer for folk singer Kate Rusby...
, the album features a few Burns composed songs, alongside original material with longtime collaborator Boo Hewerdine
Boo Hewerdine
Boo Hewerdine is an English singer-songwriter. His work includes lead singer and creative force behind The Bible, formed in the 1980s, and reformed in 1994, as well as solo recordings and work for film. He lives in Ely....
and The Trash Can Sinatras
The Trash Can Sinatras
The Trash Can Sinatras, now generally known as Trashcan Sinatras, are a Scottish band that was formed in Irvine, Scotland in 1986. The band's music makes frequent use of wordplay and pop harmonies.-Formation:...
' John Douglas.
In spring 2008, Reader was a special guest at the Hotel Cafe Tour
Hotel Cafe Tour
The Hotel Cafe Tour is the brainchild of Cary Brothers , a North American singer-songwriter,who has been a regular performer at the Hotel Café venue in Hollywood.Having played in the Hotel Cafe for many years, and enjoyed its...
hosted by Tom McRae
Tom McRae
Tom McRae is an English singer-songwriter.-Career:The son of two Church of England vicars, McRae sang in the church choir and as a teen experimented with his mother's guitar...
. In 2009, she performed in period-drama Me and Orson Welles
Me and Orson Welles
Me and Orson Welles is a 2009 period-drama film directed by Richard Linklater and starring Zac Efron, Christian McKay, and Claire Danes. Based on Robert Kaplow's novel of the same name, the story, set in 1937 New York, tells of a teenager hired to perform in Orson Welles's stage production of...
, directed by Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater
-Early life:Linklater was born in Houston, Texas. He studied at Sam Houston State University and left midway through his stint in college to work on an off-shore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. While working on the rig he read a lot of literature, but on land he developed a love of film through...
and starring Zac Efron
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known with his lead roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray...
, Christian McKay
Christian McKay
-Early life:McKay was born in Bury, Lancashire. His mother is a hairdresser and his father is a railway worker. He studied piano as a youth, and had performed the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 at age 21...
and Claire Danes
Claire Danes
Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress of television, stage and film. She has appeared in roles as diverse as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as Yvaine in Stardust and as Temple Grandin in...
. Reader performed re-arranged 1930s standards, with Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
, with whom she had previously collaborated on the single "Waiting Game".
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth, Reader released The Songs of Robert Burns Deluxe Edition in January 2009. The new release brought together the original Burns album with seven additional songs, two from the original 2003 sessions ("Green Grow the Rashes O", "Of A' the Airts"), three from 2007's Peacetime
Peacetime (album)
Peacetime is the eighth studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on January 29, 2007.The album was promoted the following month by a full UK tour with her own band including John McCusker, Boo Hewerdine, Kevin McGuire, Alan Kelly and Roy Dodds....
("Ye banks and Braes", "Aye Waukin O" and "Leezie Lindsay") the unreleased "Dainty Davie", also from that session, and a brand new recording, "Comin' Thro the Rye/Dram Behind the Curtain". The new album was promoted, like the original release, with two sold-out shows at the annual Celtic Connections
Celtic Connections
The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of traditional Scottish music and also features international...
festival in Glasgow.
In 2009 Reader released her ninth studio album, Love is the Way
Love Is the Way
Love is the Way is the ninth studio album by Eddi Reader. It was released in the UK on Apr 13, 2009.In a special arrangement with record label Rough Trade she sold an exclusive, pre-released and minimally-packaged version of the disc on her autumn 2008 UK tour.Produced by Eddi herself and recorded...
, which was self-produced. In a special arrangement with record label Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
she sold an exclusive, pre-released and minimally-packaged version of the disc on her 19-date autumn 2008 UK tour.
In early 2010, Reader appeared on the Irish language album Ceol '10 Súil Siar, singing an Irish language version of the Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction were a British acoustic pop band. They are best known for their hit single "Perfect", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist Eddi Reader.-Career:...
song "Perfect" called "Foirfe". In December she released a live album on her own label and sold exclusively via her online store, Live in Japan. Recorded from the sound desk at her Japan shows in September 2009, it was mastered and mixed by Mark Freegard who had worked on the 2009 album Love is the Way
Love Is the Way
Love is the Way is the ninth studio album by Eddi Reader. It was released in the UK on Apr 13, 2009.In a special arrangement with record label Rough Trade she sold an exclusive, pre-released and minimally-packaged version of the disc on her autumn 2008 UK tour.Produced by Eddi herself and recorded...
.
Awards
The Robert Burns project saw Reader awarded an MBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for outstanding contributions to the arts in the New Year's honours list of 2006.
In May 2007 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
. Later that year she was recognised for her contributions to music and to the education and encouragement of young musicians with an honorary doctorate and a Doctor of Letters from Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland.The university was constituted by an Act of Parliament on 1 April 1993 as a result of a merger between Glasgow Polytechnic and The Queen's College, Glasgow....
.
In June 2008 she received another doctorate for her musical work, this time from the University of Stirling
University of Stirling
The University of Stirling is a campus university founded by Royal charter in 1967, on the Airthrey Estate in Stirling, Scotland.-History and campus development:...
.
Albums
- Mirmama (1992) UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#34 - Eddi ReaderEddi Reader (album)Eddi Reader is the second studio album by Eddi Reader released in the United Kingdom on June 20, 1994.The album was recorded in America with producer Greg Penny , and was the first to feature songs written and co-written with future regular cohort Boo Hewerdine...
(1994) UK #4 - Candyfloss and MedicineCandyfloss and MedicineCandyfloss and Medicine is the third studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on July 8, 1996, which peaked #24 in the UK charts.Two singles were released in the UK: "Town without pity" and "Medicine" with various additional tracks including two covers from brother Frank's band Trashcan...
(1996) UK #24 - Angels & ElectricityAngels & ElectricityAngels & Electricity is the fourth studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on May 11, 1998.The album has provided Reader with some of her most popular songs including "Kiteflyer's Hill", "Bell, Book and Candle" and "Please Don’t Ask Me to Dance"....
(1998) UK #49 - Simple SoulSimple SoulSimple Soul is the fifth studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on January 29, 2001.The album is a lot more stripped down than its predecessor, Angels and Electricity being predominantly folk and acoustic based...
(2001) - DriftwoodDriftwood (album)Driftwood is the sixth studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on October 8, 2001.Driftwood is also the name of the recording studios, owned by Roy Dodds, where the tracks were all recorded during the same sessions for the previous album Simple Soul....
(2001) - Sings the Songs of Robert BurnsSings the Songs of Robert BurnsSings the Songs of Robert Burns is the seventh studio album by Eddi Reader. It was released in the UK on May 12, 2003.The album was premiered at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall as part of the Celtic Connections Festival in January 2003 and on release garnered Reader some of the best reviews of her...
(2003) - PeacetimePeacetime (album)Peacetime is the eighth studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on January 29, 2007.The album was promoted the following month by a full UK tour with her own band including John McCusker, Boo Hewerdine, Kevin McGuire, Alan Kelly and Roy Dodds....
(2007) - The Songs of Robert Burns Deluxe Edition (2009)
- Love is the WayLove Is the WayLove is the Way is the ninth studio album by Eddi Reader. It was released in the UK on Apr 13, 2009.In a special arrangement with record label Rough Trade she sold an exclusive, pre-released and minimally-packaged version of the disc on her autumn 2008 UK tour.Produced by Eddi herself and recorded...
(2009) UK#109
Live albums
- Eddi Reader Live (2001)
- Eddi Reader Live: Edinburgh (2003)
- Eddi Reader Live: Newcastle (2003)
- Eddi Reader Live: Leeds (2003
- Eddi Reader Live: London (2003)
- St Clare's Night Out: Live at The Basement (2006)
- Port Fairy Folk Festival (2008)
- Live in Japan (2010)
Fairground Attraction
- The First of a Million KissesThe First of a Million KissesThe First of a Million Kisses was the first album by Fairground Attraction, released in 1988.The album was a characteristic blend of folk, jazz, country, and Cajun elements . Released in May 1988, it followed the success of the band's first single, "Perfect," by entering the album chart at number...
(1988) - Ay Fond Kiss (1990)
- Kawasaki - Live In Japan 02.07.89 (2003)
- The Very Best of Fairground Attraction (2004)