Edward Reekers
Biography
Edward Reekers was born in Hengelo, The Netherlands. He was a singer, voice actor, and dialogue director. He was perhaps best known for being the singer of Dutch progressive rock band Kayak, replacing Max Werner as lead singer of the band in 1978.
He was convinced by a friend to send a demo to Kayak's keyboardist/songwriter, Ton Scherpenzeel. He received a call from Scherpenzeel, and after rehearsals he was hired, immediately joining them on tour through Germany.
Read full biography ↓
Reekers is the lead vocalist in Kayak's most successful single, Ruthless Queen. He sang in Kayak from 1978 until the band broke up in 1982. He didn't return for the reunion in 1999, but did participate in various concerts in 2003, and remained a frequent collaborator.
Influences
He initially didn't have an interest in progressive rock, instead having a love for The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac. He shifted focus to prog rock under influence of Atom Heart Mother (Pink Floyd) and Tales From Topographic Oceans (Yes). Other than Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel was also one of his biggest inspirations.
Solo albums
Reekers made four solo albums.
The Last Forest (1981)
Stages (1992)
Child of the Water (2008)
The Liberty Project (2023)
Features and other work
Reekers appeared on various Ayreon studio and live albums, and on Hollingsworth Mansion by Magoria. Reekers worked in voice acting for Dutch dubbed Disney, Harry Potter, and animated television shows, Phineas And Ferb among others. He also sung in radio jingles and in advertisements in the 90s. He is known for singing and directing in the advertisement for German chocolate brand Merci.
Death
In August 2025, Reekers announced that he had metastatic lung cancer. He passed away in Soest, The Netherlands, on the 7th of October, 2025.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.