Archie Roach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Archie Roach
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Roach in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Archibald William Roach |
| Born | 8 January 1956 Mooroopna, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 30 July 2022 (aged 66) Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Folk, ballads, Aboriginal rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, storyteller |
| Instruments | Vocals, six-string guitar |
| Years active | 1980s–2022 |
| Labels | Mushroom, Liberation Music, ABC Music |
| Associated acts | The Altogethers, Ruby Hunter |
Archibald William Roach AM (born 8 January 1956 – died 30 July 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter, and Aboriginal activist. Many people called him "Uncle Archie". He was a respected elder from the Gunditjmara and Bundjalung communities. He worked hard to support the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. His wife and musical partner was the singer Ruby Hunter (1955–2010).
Archie Roach first became famous for his song "Took the Children Away". This song was on his first solo album, Charcoal Lane, released in 1990. He traveled and performed all over the world. He opened shows for famous artists like Bob Dylan and Tracy Chapman. His music and activism earned him many awards. In 2013, he received a Deadly Award for his "Lifetime Contribution to Healing the Stolen Generations". In 2020, Archie Roach was added to the ARIA Hall of Fame. His book and album from 2019 were both called Tell Me Why.
Contents
Early life and finding music
Archibald William Roach was born on 8 January 1956 in Mooroopna, Victoria. Mooroopna is an Aboriginal word for a bend in the Goulburn River near Shepparton. Archie had both Gunditjmara and Bundjalung family roots.
When Archie was very young, his family moved to Framlingham. At just two or three years old, Archie and his sisters were taken from their family by government agencies. This was part of a sad time in Australia's history known as the Stolen Generations. Many Indigenous Australian children were forcibly removed from their homes. Archie was placed in an orphanage.
After some difficult times, Archie was adopted by Alex and Dulcie Cox. They were a Scottish family living in Melbourne. Their oldest daughter, Mary, taught Archie how to play guitar and keyboards by singing church hymns. Archie's love for music grew even more from Alex's collection of Scottish music. He later said Alex was a very good influence on him.
When Archie was fifteen, his natural sister found him. She told him their mother had passed away. For the next fourteen years, Archie lived on the streets. He met his future wife, Ruby Hunter, at a Salvation Army center in Adelaide. She was sixteen at the time.
Archie's music career
Archie Roach's music career lasted for thirty years. He toured widely, performing his own shows and opening for many famous singers. These included Joan Armatrading, Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg, Tracy Chapman, Suzanne Vega, and Patti Smith.
Starting out and first albums
In the late 1980s, Archie and Ruby Hunter started a band called the Altogethers. They moved to Melbourne. An elder named Henry "Uncle Banjo" Clark encouraged Archie to write his first song. This song was "Took the Children Away". He performed it on a community radio station in 1988.
The song told the story of the Stolen Generations and Archie's own experience. Australian musician Paul Kelly invited Archie to open his concert in 1989. When Archie sang "Took the Children Away", the audience was silent at first, then gave him huge applause.
In 1990, with Paul Kelly's help, Archie recorded his first solo album, Charcoal Lane. It was released in May 1990. The album sold very well and won two ARIA Awards in 1991. "Took the Children Away" became one of Australia's most important songs. In 1990, it won the first Human Rights Award for songwriting from the Australian Human Rights Commission. Charcoal Lane was also listed among the top 50 albums by Rolling Stone magazine in 1992.
In May 1993, Archie released his second album, Jamu Dreaming. Many other musicians helped him record it, including Tiddas and Vika and Linda Bull.
In 1995, Archie toured a lot in the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe. In October 1997, he released his third album, Looking for Butter Boy. This album was recorded on his traditional land in Victoria. The song "Hold On Tight" from this album won an ARIA Award for Best Indigenous Release in 1997. The album itself won the same award and the Best Adult Contemporary Album in 1998.
Later works and collaborations
In July 2002, Archie released his fourth album, Sensual Being. He also worked on the film The Tracker in 2002.
In 2004, Archie and Ruby Hunter worked with the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) and Paul Grabowsky. They created a concert called Ruby's Story. This show told Ruby Hunter's life story through music and spoken words. It covered her birth, being part of the Stolen Generations, and finding hope. The show was very popular and toured nationally and internationally. The soundtrack album, Ruby, won a Deadly Award in 2004.
Another concert, Kura Tungar – Songs from the River, premiered in October 2004. This show also featured Archie, Ruby, and the AAO. It told stories from their lives and included songs about the Murray River. The music blended their lyrics with contemporary jazz. This concert also received standing ovations and won a Helpmann Award in 2005.
In October 2007, Archie released Journey. This album was a companion to a documentary film called Liyarn Ngarn. In November 2009, ABC Music released some of Archie's earlier recordings from 1988 as the album 1988.
In October 2012, Archie released Into the Bloodstream. He said this album was created after the pain of losing his wife, Ruby, in 2010. In 2013, this album won a Deadly Award for Album of the Year. He also received a "Lifetime Contribution to Healing the Stolen Generations" award.
In November 2015, Archie celebrated the 25th anniversary of Charcoal Lane. A special remastered edition was released. He also went on a national tour to celebrate this milestone.
In November 2016, Archie released his seventh album, Let Love Rule. This album reached number 24 on the ARIA Charts, making it his highest-charting album ever.
Recent years and final works
In March 2017, Archie won the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music at the APRA Music Awards of 2017. In April 2018, he performed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony with Amy Shark.
In May 2019, Archie released The Concert Collection 2012–2018. On 1 November 2019, he published his life story, a memoir called Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music. He released a companion album, Tell Me Why, on the same day. His book won several awards, including the 2020 Indie Book Non-Fiction Award. The album Tell Me Why became his first top-ten album on the ARIA Charts.
A documentary film called Wash My Soul in the River's Flow was released in 2021. It was based on the 2004 concert Kura Tungar-Songs from the River. The film told the love story between Archie and Ruby and featured their songs about the Murray River.
In March 2022, Archie released My Songs: 1989–2021, a collection of songs from his entire career. It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2022 National Indigenous Music Awards, just weeks before he passed away.
Archie's activism
Archie Roach was a strong voice for social justice. In 2013, after receiving his Lifetime Deadly Award, he spoke out. He asked the Prime Minister at the time, Tony Abbott, to end the Northern Territory Intervention. This was a government action that affected Aboriginal communities. Archie believed it was important to stand up for his people.
Discography
- Charcoal Lane (1990)
- Jamu Dreaming (1993)
- Looking for Butter Boy (1997)
- Sensual Being (2002)
- Journey (2007)
- Into the Bloodstream (2012)
- Let Love Rule (2016)
- Dancing with My Spirit (2018)
- Tell Me Why (2019)
- The Songs of Charcoal Lane (2020)
Personal life and health
Archie Roach was married to singer Ruby Hunter. She was also his musical partner. They had two sons, Amos and Eban. Ruby passed away in 2010.
In October 2010, Archie had a stroke. This happened while he was working in the Kimberley region. After getting better, he started performing again in April 2011. He also survived lung cancer. Doctors found it early in 2011, and he had major surgery.
Death and lasting impact
Archie Roach passed away on 30 July 2022. He died at Warrnambool Base Hospital after a long illness. His sons, Amos and Eban, have given permission for his name and image to be used. They want his legacy to keep inspiring people.
Many famous people from arts, politics, and sports shared their sadness. These included Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and musicians like Paul Kelly and Billy Bragg.
"Uncle Archie" was loved by many. He was seen as someone who gave a voice to the stories of many Aboriginal people. His words and music brought comfort and healing. Bhiamie Williamson, a scholar, described Archie as an "Emu Man". This is based on the male emu, which cares deeply for its family. Archie was a role model who showed a gentle and humble image of an Aboriginal man. He was devoted to his wife, his sons, and his people.
The Archie Roach Foundation was started in 2014. Its goal is to help young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It supports their talent in the arts and helps them connect to their culture. The foundation has helped hundreds of young people. Archie's work in youth detention centres also touched many lives.
Honours and awards
Archie Roach received many honours and awards for his music and his work for social justice.
- In 2011, he was one of the first people added to the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll.
- In 2015, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). This was for his services to music and his support for social justice.
- In 2020, he was named the 2020 Victoria Australian of the Year.
- In 2022, two monuments were built in his and Ruby Hunter's honour. They are on the shores of Lake Bonney at Barmera. The monuments show Ruby's pelican totem and Archie's eagle totem.
His song "Took the Children Away" was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry in 2013.
Archie Roach won nine ARIA Music Awards from twenty-one nominations. He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2020. He also won several Deadly Awards, including Male Artist of the Year multiple times and a Lifetime Contribution Award. In 2011, he received the Red Ochre Award from the Australia Council for the Arts for his lifetime achievement. In 2015, he won the Don Banks Music Award, another major honour for his contribution to music in Australia. He also won the Double J Artist of the Year at the J Awards of 2020.
