Archie Roach
Archie Roach was a prominent Aboriginal Australian singer-songwriter and activist, born on January 8, 1956, in Mooroona, Victoria. He was a member of the Stolen Generation, having been forcibly removed from his family at a young age due to government policies aimed at cultural assimilation of Aboriginal children. Roach's early experiences with trauma and loss profoundly influenced his music, leading to significant works like his debut single "Took the Children Away," which brought global attention to the plight of the Stolen Generation.
Throughout his career, Roach released several acclaimed albums, including *Charcoal Lane* and *Jamu Dreaming*, and collaborated with fellow artists, including his wife Ruby Hunter. His music often explored themes of identity, heritage, and social justice. In addition to his artistic contributions, Roach was deeply committed to activism, supporting Indigenous Australian artists and establishing foundations to promote their work. Despite facing health challenges later in life, including cancer, he continued to create and advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples until his passing. Roach is remembered as an influential figure in Australian culture, whose legacy continues to inspire and educate others about the impact of historical injustices on Aboriginal communities.
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Archie Roach
Singer-songwriter, Musician, Activist
- Born: January 8, 1956
- Birthplace: Mooroopna, Victoria, Australia
- Died: July 30, 2022
- Place of death: Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia
Died: July 30, 2022
Death place: Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia
Significance: Archie Roach was an Aboriginal Australian musician whose career began in the late 1980s and continued until his death in 2022. He attracted a global audience and used his platform to draw attention to the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Also Known As: Uncle Archie
Background
Archie Roach was born on January 8, 1956, in the rural town of Mooroona in Victoria, Australia. Both of Archie’s parents were Aboriginal Australians. His father Archie Roach, Sr. belonged to the Bundjalung people, and his mother Nellie Austin was a member of the Gunditjmara. Roach only lived with his parents for three years before authorities removed him from the home along with his two sisters. He lived in several foster homes before being placed in the care of Alex and Dulcie Cox, a White family living in Melbourne.
Roach and his siblings were victims of an Australian government policy that took Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families to be raised by White parents. The policy was put into place in 1869 as part of the Aboriginal Protection Act and was expanded in 1915 when the government passed the Aborigines Protection Amending Act. Under this policy, the government took at least one hundred thousand children from their families before the abolition of the Aborigines Welfare Board in 1969. The policy massively disrupted these children’s lives, broke apart thousands of families, and caused inter-generational trauma. Further, it contributed to the loss of traditional knowledge. Children taken under this policy, including Roach, are referred to as being part of the Stolen Generation.
When placed into the foster system, Roach believed that his parents had died. However, the goal was cultural assimilation. He learned to play music while living with the Cox family, whom he said treated him with kindness. However, Roach discovered the truth as a teenager when he learned that his mother had only just then died. The experience had a lifelong effect on him and inspired some of his most beloved songs, including his first single “Took the Children Away.”
Life’s Work
After he learned that his mother died, Roach went through a rough patch during his teenage years when he drank heavily, had health problems, was incarcerated, and attempted suicide. While homeless, he met fellow Ruby Hunter, another member of the Stolen Generation. The two fell in love, married, and had two children and fostered many more. Roach and Hunter collaborated on music, art, and activism until Hunter’s death in 2010.
Roach released his first album Charcoal Lane in 1990, which was a critical and commercial success. The album’s first single “Took the Children Away” introduced a global audience to the experiences of the Stolen Generation. The single became the first song to receive the Human Rights Award from Australia’s Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Roach wrote all the songs on Charcoal Lane except “Down City Streets,” which was written by his wife.
Roach continued to explore themes related to his ancestry on his 1993 album Jamu Dreaming. In 1997 he returned to the ancestral lands of his mother in Victoria to record his third album Looking for Butter Boy. In 2002 he released his fourth album Sensual Being and contributed to the soundtrack in the film The Tracker, a story about an Aboriginal Australian accused of murder in 1922. He collaborated with his wife on the production of Ruby’s Story, a stage musical based on her life. In 2007 he participated in the film Liyarn Ngarn, which documented his travels across Australia with British actor Pete Postlethwaite and Australian senator Pat Dodson. Roach also released an album, Journey, in conjunction with the film. Roach and Hunter collaborated with the Black Arm Band, an activist theatrical organization.
Following his wife’s death in 2010, Roach founded the Ruby Hunter Foundation to support Indigenous Australian artists. He stopped performing that year after suffering a stroke that caused temporary paralysis. His health problems continued and in 2011, he developed lung cancer. However, despite his ailments, he continued to record and released several more albums, including 2012’s Into the Bloodstream and 2016’s Let Love Rule. Roach remained active artistically and in his community until his death at a hospital in the coastal city of Warrnambool in Victoria, Australia.
Impact
During Roach’s lifetime, he enjoyed worldwide recognition and continues to be regarded as an icon of Australian arts and culture. His music received several awards and nominations from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). He worked with and devoted himself to supporting many Indigenous Australian musicians. He joined international acts, including Bob Dylan and Patti Smith, on tour, bringing his music and message to international audiences.
Roach is remembered as much for his activism and community-building as for his artistic contributions. In 2014 he established the Archie Roach Foundation, which has goals similar to those of his Ruby Hunter Foundation. In 2022 the Archie Roach Foundation introduced the Ruby Hunter Award to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander female artists. In a partnership with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Aboriginal-led nonprofit organization Culture in Life, in 2020 Roach created the Archie Roach Stolen Generation Educational Resources to provide schools with curricula and various media to help students better understand the effects of the government’s policy of forced child removal.
Bibliography
“Archie Roach.” www.archieroach.com/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
“Archie Roach: A Musical Storyteller in the Ancient Tradition.” First Peoples – State Relations, 5 Oct. 2021, www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au/archie-roach/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Denselow, Robin. “Archie Roach Obituary.” The Guardian, 30 July 2022, www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jul/30/archie-roach-obituary/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
O’Loughlin, Michael. “The Stolen Generation.” Australian Museum, 22 June 2020, australian.museum/learn/first-nations/stolen-generation/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Traub, Alex. “Archie Roach, Who Lived and Sang the Aboriginal Blues, Dies at 66. The New York Times, 2 Sept. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/arts/music/archie-roach-dead.html. Accessed 20 June 2023.