RGG November 2016 - p.15
Like any artist worth their salt, Andrew
Roachford’s music is the result of many things.
Raised in south London to West Indian
parents, as a child of the 70s and 80s, it’s no
wonder that his music sounds the way it
does. Influenced by everyone from Al
Green, Michael Jackson to David Bowie
Andrew’s formative years were also
spent listening to Radio One, reggae and
jazz. Pinpointing the beginning of his
musical career as a child he vividly
remembers being mysteriously drawn
from his bed to play the piano in his
living room. “There was always a
piano in the house and I just got up
and started playing even though I’d
never played before. There was
something quite surreal and
magical about it.” Looking at
Andrew Roachford’s family history,
though, it shouldn’t come as any
surprise.
Born into a musical dynasty, his uncle Bill
Roachford was a virtuoso saxophonist. The
musical ball really started to roll however, when
Andrew hit the road with his uncle. Playing gigs
on the jazz circuit in those days, gave him a
good grounding for things to come. “I got lucky
enough to start gigging when I was about 14. I
was in the middle of that whole jazz scene
which was an interesting education. It taught
me musically, how to listen and how to
entertain. My uncle always told me that you
had to give people a show.”
Andrew was Columbia’s biggest selling domestic
act for over ten years. As if any more proof were
needed, the fact that Andrew Roachford has
been approached by such luminaries as Michael
Jackson and Chaka Khan to write songs, speaks
volumes.
Andrew’s trademark has become his rare ability
to put into words, feelings you didn’t even know
you had, “It’s one of the reasons why I make
music; to bring out those things that people feel,
but haven’t always got a voice for. I like to bring
the inner person to the forefront”. And over the
year’s, anthems like ‘Lay Your Love Out On Me’,
‘Naked Without You’ and ‘Complicated’ to name
but a few have done just that.
“I’m always pushing myself as an artist. When
it comes to songwriting, I naturally gravitate to
digging deep. That’s how it works for me”. With
Platinum and Gold selling albums, a career that
spans two decades, and the last five years
seeing him writing and singing on everything
from top-five selling international dance tracks
to co-writing and touring with Mike and the
Mechanics, Andrew is undeniably a prolific and
unique talent.
With his latest offering Andrew delivers a deeply
honest and powerful album. He is back doing
what he does best – taking the daily challenges
of life and love and helping the rest of us make
sense of it all. “You start off being what you’re
not in life and then the path has this uncanny
way of bringing you back to who you really are.
Life is really just a journey back home”.
RGG have a pair of tickets to give away for this
gig at The Robin 2, Wolves on 6th December.
Just send an email to the address below with
‘Roachford’ in the subject title to be in with a
chance of winning.
r
gg
21
YEARS
1995-2016
Ever since bulldozing his way onto the scene with unforgettable tracks
like ‘Cuddly Toy’ and ‘Family Man’ in the late 80s, Andrew Roachford’s
maverick take on music has spread far and wide. As the first artist to sign
a staggering seven-album deal with Columbia Records, it heralded the
beginning of something big. “Getting signed and being a black British
artist gave me a sense of pride” enthuses Andrew.
