Maggie Reilly Blues singer Date of Birth: 01.01.1956 Country: Great Britain

1. Early Career and Cado Belle
2. Collaboration with Mike Oldfield
3. Solo Career and Collaborations
4. Elena and Musical Inspirations
5. Dance Repertoire and Later Albums

Early Career and Cado Belle

Maggie Reilly's musical journey began in the early 1970s when she joined the blues band Joe Cool, led by Stuart Mackillop. In 1974, Joe Cool evolved into Cado Belle, featuring Maggie on vocals, Alan Derby on guitar, Gavin Hudgson on bass, Stuart on keyboards, Davy Roy on drums, and Colin Tully on saxophone and flute. Cado Belle played original soul and soft funk-styled music, releasing their self-titled debut album with 10 tracks in the fall of 1976. Despite gaining some success, the band disbanded in 1978 due to the rise of punk rock, which hindered record companies from promoting bands like Cado Belle.

Collaboration with Mike Oldfield

After the dissolution of Cado Belle, Maggie collaborated with musicians such as Kokomo, Hamish Stuart, jazz guitarist Jimmy Mullen, and saxophonist Dik Morrisey. In 1978, she met Mike Oldfield at one of his concerts, and he invited her to join his concert tour the same evening. Maggie went on to feature on five of Oldfield's studio albums: QE2 (1980), Five Miles Out (1982), Crises (1983), Discovery (1984), and Earth Moving (1989). She also provided vocals for his live performances. Her global recognition soared with the hit songs "Moonlight Shadow" and "To France," propelling her career to new heights.

Solo Career and Collaborations

Maggie's solo debut single was released in 1984, a cover of Marianne Faithful's "As Tears Go By," recorded with her long-time collaborator Stuart Mackillop. In 1985, she gave birth to her son Fionnbharr. The same year, she and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd sang a duet on Manson & Fenn's album Profiles. Maggie's vocals can also be heard on Flarick's 1986 album Sleight of Hand. Mike Batt, the album's producer, initially considered Irish vocalist Mary Coughlan but ultimately chose Maggie.

In 1988, Maggie, Mike, and Simon Phillips performed an acoustic version of "Moonlight Shadow" at the Royal Albert Hall. She returned to studio work with Mike in 1989, with the song "Blue Night" from the album Earth Moving being written specifically for her.

After years of musical collaboration, Maggie's debut solo album, Echoes, was released in 1992. The single "Everytime We Touch" became a chart success in various countries. Her second solo album, Midnight Sun, followed in 1993, with the single "Follow the Midnight Sun" gaining popularity in Germany and Spain. The album featured renowned producer Michael Cretu, who composed the music for "Every Single Heartbeat."

Later in 1993, Maggie collaborated with German singer Juliane Werding and French singer Victor Lazlo, co-writing the song "Engel Wie Du," which became a hit in Germany.

Elena and Musical Inspirations

Maggie's third studio album, Elena, was released in 1996, with Maggie writing all the lyrics. Notably, she often finds musical inspiration while... vacuuming. "The monotonous noise of the motor stimulates me creatively," she humorously remarked in an interview.

She composed the music with her friend and long-time collaborator, Stuart Mackillop. "Stuart is very important to me. He has loads and loads of great ideas, and I love his musical sense. The melodies he came up with for Elena give me a particular feeling, like the waves lapping at the hull of an old Spanish galleon... On the other hand, he understands my musical ideas very well. When I finished writing the lyrics for 'Torn Between Lovers,' we started writing the music together. It was nice to feel how, little by little, a very special atmosphere came to life in the studio. 'Torn Between Lovers' is fantastic live. Stuart and I complement each other very well."

Dance Repertoire and Later Albums

1996 and 1997 were successful years for Maggie, with her singles "Walk On By," "Listen to Your Heart," and "To France," along with their remixes, becoming popular on dance floors. She changed her name from Maggie Reilly to her initials, M.R. EMI released the compilation album M.R. All The Mixes, featuring all the dance remixes.

In 1998, another compilation album, titled There And Back Again with a Tolkien-inspired title, was released. Maggie's final studio album, Starcrossed, was released on April 20, 2000.