Edward Reekers

Edward Reekers (Hengelo, May 24, 1957 – Soest, 7 October 2025) was a Dutch singer, dialogue director and voice actor.

Edward Reekers was was the son of Martin Reekers, who worked for the railways at the time and would become mayor of Berkel en Rodenrijs between 1970 and 1989. Music was a natural thing for Edward from an early age, whether it was the harmonica (from his early childhood), guitar (from his brother Martin), or piano (from his lessons), but singing was his passion. He sang The Beatles songs on stage even in primary school. After moving from Enschede to Berkel en Rodenrijs, Edward Reekers enrolled at the Laurens College in Rotterdam.

He joined the school band, Suzy Creamcheese (based on Frank Zappa), where he could sing, play guitar, keyboards, and drums. His interest wasn't yet in progressive rock; his first LP was Fleetwood Mac's "Then Play On" (from their blues period 1969). Influenced by Pink Floyd (Atom Heart Mother) and Yes (Tales from Topographic Oceans), his focus shifted to progressive rock. Yet Paul McCartney also remained an idol, as did the later Peter Gabriel.

They rehearsed, and he was hired, immediately joining them on a German tour with Kaz Lux as the opening act. Reekers' voice is somewhat similar to Werner's, but less raw. Edward Reekers is the lead singer of Kayak's biggest single, "Ruthless Queen" from the album Phantom of the Night. He also plays keyboards and guitar during live concerts. Edward Reekers was the lead singer of Kayak from 1978 until their breakup in 1982. He was not involved in the 1999 reunion, but did appear in several concerts in 2003 and occasionally replaced Bert Heerink. (Vandenberg)

In 2005, Edward Reekers was one of the vocalists on the "Nostradamus" project and became the lead vocalist alongside singer Cindy Oudshoorn after Heerink's departure after Nostradamus. The collaboration ended again in 2014.

Edward Reekers was involved in many other albums by Dutch and Belgian artists and also worked as a voice actor on commercials and animated films. He also worked as an actor and director, particularly in dubbing productions, including the Harry Potter films and various Disney animated films. Edward Reekers is the father of voice actor Trevor Reekers. He is also the lead vocalist on several albums by Ayreon, a project by Dutch artist Arjen Lucassen, and he sings on the album "Hollingsworth Mansion" by Magoria, a project by Dutch guitarist Mark Bogert.

Edward Reekers has released four solo albums. He was backed on his first album by former Kayak members Max Werner and Johan Slager. Solo singles were released in English, German, and Dutch. He is also known for his commercial "Merci, dat jij er bent" (Thanks, that you're here), both singing and directing, for the candy manufacturer Storck.

After another break with Kayak in 2014, Edward Reekers founded Symfo Classics together with Kayak singer Cindy Oudshoorn and Kayak guitarist Joost Vergoossen. Along with Jan van Olfen (bass), Werner van Gool (keyboards), and Hubert Heeringa (multi-instrumentalist), they gave concerts performing the repertoire of third-party artists from the progressive rock genre.

He left that project at the end of 2018; In 2019, it was followed by a follow-up album at Progproms featuring members of Focus (Bobby Jacobs), Knight Area (Mark Bogert), and others.

On August 4, 2023, he presented his fourth solo album, titled "The Liberty Project", at De Boerderij in Zoetermeer. Artists who contributed to the album, including Damian Wilson, Mark Bogert, and Cindy Oudshoorn, also performed there.

On August 22, 2025, Edward Reekers announced that he had metastatic lung cancer. He died two months later, on october 7.

He was hired as the new lead singer after an audition, partly because his voice resembled that of previous singer Max Werner. Almost immediately afterward, he joined the band on a tour through Germany.

The album Phantom of the Night, and especially the song Ruthless Queen, became a huge hit, marking his breakthrough. He not only sang, but also played keyboards and guitar during concerts.

When the band broke up four years after his arrival, he released solo albums including "Stages" and "Child of the Water." His latest solo album, "The Liberty Project," was released in 2023. He also regularly collaborated with other artists such as Anita Meyer and Lee Towers.

Besides music, he was also active as a voice actor and director. He worked on the Dutch versions of Disney cartoons and the Harry Potter series. He also dubbed television programs such as Pokémon, Sesame Street, Action Man, and Dexter's Laboratory, as well as various computer games.

Edward Reekers

Ruthless Queen

Albums

Solo

With Kayak

With Friends

With Ayreon

With Magoria