Paul Ryder, who has died aged 58, was the bass guitarist in Happy Mondays, a band which followed on from the success of New Order in bringing life to an Ecstasy-inspired northwest music scene described as “Madchester” in the late 1980s.
With his elder brother, Shaun, as lead singer, their style combined indie, house and northern soul, and Ryder was credited with adding funk to a mix that brought the band its biggest hits, “Kinky Afro” and “Step On” – a cover of the 1971 John Kongos hit “He’s Gonna Step on You Again” – which both charted at No 5 in 1990.
