Neil Reid (born 1959) is a Scottish former child

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, winner of

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's '' Opportunity Knocks,'' and the youngest person to reach number one on the

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Career

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

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shortly afterwards, went to number two on the

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following a performance on ''

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.'' The "Mother of Mine" record sold over 250,000 copies in the

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, and over 2.5 million globally. It also sold around 400,000 copies in

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alone. Reid's self-titled album went to number one in 1972, making Reid the youngest person to reach number one on the

, 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. 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

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circuit. Two years after winning ''Opportunity Knocks,'' Reid's

voice broke ' A voice change or voice mutation, sometimes referred to as a voice break or voice crack, commonly refers to the deepening of the voice of men as they reach puberty. Before puberty, both sexes have roughly similar vocal pitch, but during puberty ...

and as a result he gave up professional singing. He did a final round of concerts in 1974 in

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, where he toured with the Irish pop group

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. Reid's 1974 single (his last recording), "Hazel Eyes", was released in South Africa to coincide with the tour. He performed "Mother of Mine" on the BBC TV Series ''Time of Your Life'' (TX 20 August 1985), saying that he thought he was far too old to be singing it now. After leaving show business, Reid became an

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, a

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, then a director of Oasis Blackpool Church.https://uk.linkedin.com/in/neil-reid-oasis-blackpool-b612425b In 2008 he was interviewed by

Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English actress, media personality, and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent show competition ''Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the ''Heart Brea ...

about his child stardom for

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Career

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links