The show is open to 14+ but all
under 18's must be accompanied by an adult/18+
Biography
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.
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 Curtis
Mayfield and Al Green to The Roots, D'Angelo and Jill Scott,
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 whose claims to fame includes teaching Ronnie Scott
and Femi Kuti how to play Sax. 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.
In June
2005 Andrew released the album 'Word of Mouth' after having
toured the UK, Europe and Australia spreading the word.
He is now
back in the studio working on his new album 'ADDICTIVE' which
will be released later this year.
