Helen McCookerybook, born Helen McCallum in Newcastle upon Tyne, is a British musician, singer-songwriter, and academic. She began her career in 1978 with Joby and the Hooligans before forming The Chefs in 1979. The band released the EP Sweetie (1980) and recorded two John Peel sessions. In 1983, McCookerybook formed Helen and the Horns, releasing the 1984 single “Freight Train”, which reached number 10 on the indie charts. The group released the album Helen and the Horns (1985) before disbanding. As Dr. Helen Reddington, McCookerybook authored The Lost Women of Rock Music (2007) and co-directed the 2018 film Stories from the She-Punks. She resumed her solo music career in 2005, releasing albums including Suburban Pastoral (2006), The Sea (2017), Green (2019), and Drawing on my Dreams (2022). In 2025, she released the album Showtunes from the Shadows and The Pop-Up Chefs EP.
