Eddi Reader

Career overview

Eddi Reader is a Scottish singer-songwriter and actress born Sadenia Reader on August 29, 1959, in Glasgow. Her career began as a busker on Sauchiehall Street before she transitioned into work as a backing singer and session vocalist for artists including Annie Lennox, Alison Moyet, Billy MacKenzie, and The Waterboys. She later gained prominence as the lead vocalist for the band Fairground Attraction, which achieved a hit with the 1988 song Perfect. Following the band's dissolution, she established an enduring solo career spanning pop, folk, and country genres.

In addition to her musical contributions, Reader has pursued acting roles across television, radio, and theatre. Her screen credits include the 1990 production Your Cheatin' Heart, the 2001 film My First Mister, and the 2008 film Me and Orson Welles. She also appeared in a stage and radio adaptation of Janice Galloway's The Trick Is to Keep Breathing. Furthermore, she has served as a presenter for a Glasgow-based music programme. Reader is an MBE and has been recognized for her work with three Brit Awards. She spent her early years in Glasgow and Irvine, where she developed her performance skills in local folk clubs before traveling through Europe with circus and performance artists during the early 1980s.