1. Archibald William Roach was an Australian singer-songwriter and Aboriginal activist.
43 Facts About Archie Roach
1. 2.
Archie Roach first became known for the song "Took the Children Away", which featured on his debut solo album, Charcoal Lane, in 1990.
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Archie Roach toured around the globe, headlining and opening shows for Joan Armatrading, Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg, Tracy Chapman, Suzanne Vega and Patti Smith.
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Archie Roach's work has been recognised by numerous nominations and awards, including a Deadly Award for a "Lifetime Contribution to Healing the Stolen Generations" in 2013.
5.
At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards on 25 November 2020, Archie Roach was inducted into their hall of fame.
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Archibald William Archie Roach was born on 8 January 1956 in Mooroopna, Victoria.
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Archie Roach was of Gunditjmara and Bundjalung heritage.
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At fifteen, Archie Roach was contacted by his natural sister Myrtle, who told him their mother had just died.
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Archie Roach spent the next fourteen years on the streets, battling alcoholism.
10.
Archie Roach met his future wife, Ruby Hunter, at a Salvation Army drop-in centre known as the People's Palace in Adelaide when she was sixteen.
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Archie Roach's career spanned three decades, during which he toured extensively, headlining and opening shows for singers such as Joan Armatrading, Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg, Tracy Chapman, Suzanne Vega and Patti Smith.
12.
At the urging of Henry "Uncle Banjo" Clark, Archie Roach wrote his first song, "Took the Children Away", which he performed on a community radio station in Melbourne and on an Indigenous current affairs program in 1988.
13.
Archie Roach's performance was met with stunned silence, followed by shattering applause.
14.
In 1990, with the encouragement of Kelly, Archie Roach recorded his debut solo album, Charcoal Lane, which was released in May 1990.
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In May 1993, Archie Roach released his second studio album, Jamu Dreaming.
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In 1995, Archie Roach toured extensively throughout the US, Canada, the UK and Europe.
17.
Archie Roach returned to Australia to record the title track for ATSIC's Native Title CD, Our Home, Our Land, with Tiddas, Kev Carmody, Bart Willoughby, Shane Howard and Bunna Laurie.
18.
In 1996, Archie Roach performed as part of a presentation to the Human Rights Commission's Inquiry into the Stolen Generations, before embarking on a national tour as a guest of Tracy Chapman.
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In October 1997, Archie Roach released his third studio album, Looking for Butter Boy, which was recorded on his traditional land at Port Fairy in south-western Victoria.
20.
In July 2002, Archie Roach released his fourth studio album, Sensual Being, which peaked at number 59 on the ARIA charts.
21.
In October 2007, Archie Roach released Journey, an album of songs as a companion piece to a documentary film called Liyarn Ngarn, made with Archie Roach, Patrick Dodson and Pete Postlethwaite.
22.
In October 2009 at the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Archie Roach performed in the world premiere of the musical theatre production of Dirtsong, created by Black Arm Band theatre company.
23.
In October 2012, Archie Roach released Into the Bloodstream, an album he described as being built on pain following the death of his wife in February 2010.
24.
In October 2013, Archie Roach released Creation, a 4-CD box set of his first four studio albums.
25.
At the APRA Music Awards of 2015 2015, Archie Roach won Best Original Song Composed for the Screen "The Secret River" from The Secret River.
26.
In November 2015, Archie Roach celebrated the 25th anniversary of Charcoal Lane with a deluxe remastered edition.
27.
In November and December 2015, Archie Roach undertook a national tour to celebrate the album's 25th anniversary.
28.
In November 2016, Archie Roach released his seventh studio album, Let Love Rule, which peaked at number 24 on the ARIA Charts, becoming his highest charting album to date.
29.
At the APRA Music Awards of 2017 in March 2017, Archie Roach won the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music.
30.
On 1 November 2019, Archie Roach published a memoir entitled Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music, and released a companion album, Tell Me Why, on the same day.
31.
Archie Roach's book was shortlisted for the 2020 Victorian Premier's Prize for Nonfiction and won the 2020 Indie Book Non-Fiction Award.
32.
The album's lead single "Open Up Your Eyes" is the first song Archie Roach ever wrote, dating back to the late 1970s, but had not before been recorded.
33.
The film tells of the love story between Hunter and Archie Roach, and is interspersed with vision of The Coorong.
34.
In 2013, shortly after receiving his Lifetime Deadly Award, Archie Roach called on the recently elected prime minister, Tony Abbott, for an end to the Northern Territory Intervention.
35.
Archie Roach was married to the singer Ruby Hunter who was his musical partner.
36.
On 14 October 2010, Archie Roach suffered a stroke while working in the Kimberley region.
37.
Archie Roach survived lung cancer, due to early diagnosis in 2011 and major surgery.
38.
Archie Roach died on 30 July 2022 at Warrnambool Base Hospital.
39.
Archie Roach was regarded as giving a voice to the stories of many Aboriginal people and offering comfort and healing in his words and music.
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Archie Roach was considered a role model who represented an image shown too rarely in public discourse.
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The Archie Roach Foundation was established in 2014 to nurture talent in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to offer them opportunities in the arts, to provide connection to culture and healing.
42.
Archie Roach has received ten ARIA Music Awards from twenty-three nominations.
43.
In 2018, Archie Roach received the JC Williamson Award, the LPA's highest honour, for their life's work in live performance.