Neil Reid
Encyclopedia
Neil Reid is a Scottish
former child
singing
star
, winner of ITV
's Opportunity Knocks, and the holder of the title youngest person to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart
.
Known also as "Wee Neil Reid", he was eight when he was discovered singing at a pensioners' party in 1968. Reid won Opportunity Knocks on 13 December 1971 singing his version of "Mother of Mine
", which, when released commercially by Decca Records
shortly afterwards, went to number two on the UK Singles Chart
following a performance on Top of the Pops
. The "Mother of Mine" record
sold over 250,000 copies in the United Kingdom
, and over 2.5 million globally. It also sold around 400,000 copies in Japan
alone.
Reid's self-titled album went to number one in 1972, making Reid the youngest person to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart
, at the age of 12 years 9 months...This remains one of the very few Number 1 selling albums that has never had an official CD release and as such is unavailable in this format. The youngest girl to top the chart is Canadian
artist Avril Lavigne
at 17 years and 3 months with Let Go
in 2003.
Reid's follow-up single three months later "That's What I Want To Be" peaked at number 45,
and Reid quickly faded from national prominence to performing on the Northern England
Working men's club
circuit. Two years after winning Opportunity Knocks, Reid's voice broke
and as a result he gave up professional singing.
Reid is now an Independent Financial Adviser
living in Blackpool
, Lancashire
; and was interviewed by Amanda Holden
about his child stardom for ITV1
's When Britain First Had Talent in January 2008.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
former child
Child singer
A child singer is a child who has a career as a singer. Child singers and people who have been child singers include:* From age 2 Judy Garland* From age 4 Donny Osmond* From age 5 Michael Jackson...
singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
star
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
, winner of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's Opportunity Knocks, and the holder of the title youngest person to reach number one on 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...
.
Known also as "Wee Neil Reid", he was eight when he was discovered singing at a pensioners' party in 1968. Reid won Opportunity Knocks on 13 December 1971 singing his version of "Mother of Mine
Mother of Mine
"Mother of Mine" is a song written by Bill Parkinson and made famous by a Scottish former child singing star Neil Reid who sang it on ITV's Opportunity Knocks and won the competition on 13 December 1971, singing his version of the song...
", which, when released commercially by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
shortly afterwards, went to number two on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
following a performance on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. The "Mother of Mine" record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
sold over 250,000 copies in the United Kingdom
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 over 2.5 million globally. It also sold around 400,000 copies in 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...
alone.
Reid's self-titled album went to number one in 1972, making Reid the youngest person to reach number one on 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...
, at the age of 12 years 9 months...This remains one of the very few Number 1 selling albums that has never had an official CD release and as such is unavailable in this format. The youngest girl to top the chart is Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
artist Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
at 17 years and 3 months with Let Go
Let Go (Avril Lavigne album)
Let Go is the debut album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, released on June 4, 2002. For a year after signing a record deal with Arista, Lavigne struggled due to conflicts in musical direction. Lavigne relocated to Los Angeles, California, and recorded there her earlier materials for...
in 2003.
Reid's follow-up single three months later "That's What I Want To Be" peaked at number 45,
and Reid quickly faded from national prominence to performing on the Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
Working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
circuit. Two years after winning Opportunity Knocks, Reid's voice broke
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
and as a result he gave up professional singing.
Reid is now an Independent Financial Adviser
Independent Financial Adviser
Independent Financial Advisers or IFAs are professionals who offer independent advice on financial matters to their clients and recommend suitable financial products from the whole of the market...
living in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
; and was interviewed by Amanda Holden
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden is an English actress and presenter. Among her roles are Mia Bevan in Cutting It, Sarah Trevanion in Wild at Heart, and the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award...
about his child stardom for ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
's When Britain First Had Talent in January 2008.