Shaun Ryder

As the singer for Happy Mondays, Ryder's struggle with drugs led to the break-up of the band in 1992. The film 24 Hour Party People featured the (semi-fictional) story of Ryder's youth and the life of Happy Mondays whilst signed with Factory Records in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the film, Ryder is portrayed by Danny Cunningham.

Ryder has taken part in two reformations of Happy Mondays (1999–2000 and 2004–present). He has also released a solo album, Amateur Night in the Big Top, to a mixed critical reception.

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.[9] 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 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 the 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.[10] In 2007 Happy Mondays produced the album, Uncle Dysfunktional.[11] In 2009 he made a cameo appearance (Ryder later revealed that it was also a non-speaking role) as himself in Channel 4 drama Shameless.[12]

In 1995 Ryder launched his new project, Black Grape.[13] Its first release, It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah, topped the British album chart for a week.[14] However, the follow-up album, Stupid Stupid Stupid, did not achieve the same critical nor commercial success, and the group split in 1998. The group reformed briefly in 2010, and released a single in 2015. In August 2017, the group released Pop Voodoo, their first full album since 1997.

Ryder collaborated with Intastella in 1993 and in 1996 he worked with Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz on No Talking, Just Head.

He appeared on British tenor Russell Watson's 2001 debut album The Voice, lending his vocals to a cover version of the Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé song "Barcelona".[15]

In 2004 was a voice actor in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in which he played Maccer, a washed-up, self-abusing musician who was planning a major comeback tour.[16]

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 Demon Days album.[17] Chris Evans stated at the 2006 Brit Awards 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".[18]

In 2010 he supported The Charlatans on a UK tour, as well as one-off headline show at the Assembly, Leamington Spa. In November 2011 Ryder played saxophone onstage at the Barbican in York as a special guest in Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra for the Sky television series First Love. He also played on "Tuxedo Junction" by Glenn Miller after six weeks' tuition by jazz musician Soweto Kinch.

Ryder wrote a column for the Daily Sport, in which he commented on current events and celebrities.[19]

In 2011 Ryder published his autobiography, Twisting My Melon.[20][21] 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'.[22]

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. In January 2011 Ryder appeared on the first series of the ITV programme That Sunday Night Show,[23] and again on the second series in September 2011.[24] He collaborated with fellow I'm a Celebrity contestant Stacey Solomon at the 2011 National Television Awards.[25]

In 2013 Ryder hosted the television show Shaun Ryder on UFOs on The History Channel UK.[26] He has a lifelong interest in UFOs and claims that he has personally encountered space aliens.[26]

Two years later, Ryder has appeared repeatedly on the panel of RT UK's News Thing. In October 2016 he appeared on Would I Lie to You?. In 2017 Ryder appeared on Celebrity Juice as a member of Fearne Cotton's team. The next year he starred in ITVs 100 years younger in 21 days and appeared on Celebrity Mastermind, with the specialist subject of Manchester.

In August 2020, Ryder appeared in BBC Two comedy Mandy created by Diane Morgan in which he portrayed a fictional version of himself.