Musicians
Archie Roach
- Origin
- Framingham Aboriginal Mission, near Warramboolin, southwestern Victoria, Australia
- Genre/styles
- Folk | Rhythm & Blues Explore more genres
- About Archie
-
Archie Roach, a Gunditjmara and Bundjalung man and a member of the Stolen Generation, was a multi-award winning singer. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2020 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Music Awards. He passed on 30 July 2022.
Archie Roach's long life partner was Ruby Hunter who was also a singer-songwriter.
Website: www.archieroach.com.au
Music is the medicine. You start to realise that this song is not so much about what’s been lost as what’s been found. What you’ve discovered. What you’ve learnt.
— Archie Roach [1]
Discography
Album formats explained Explain formats
Album formats
- 10": 10 inch vinyl records were played at 45 or 33 1/3 rounds per minute (rpm). The former could hold 9, the latter 12 minutes of music per side.
- 7": 7 inch records (often referred to as 45s) were played at 45 rpm or 33 1/3 rpm, with about 4:30 or 6 minutes of music per side.
- LP: Long play, is a vinyl record played at 33 1⁄3 rpm with a 12 or 10-inch diameter.
- EP: Extended play, are vinyl records that allowed two or even three songs on each side.
Charcoal Lane
- Released
- 1990
- Tracks
- Native Born
- Charcoal Lane
- Muntana
- I've Lied
- Down City Streets
- Took The Children Away
- Sister Brother
- Beautiful Child
- No No No
- Summer Of My Life
- Notes
Releases: 1990 (Aurora, Australia), 1992 (Hightone, Canada), May 1999 (Warner).
Jamu Dreaming
- Released
- March 1993
- Tracks
- Weeping In The Forest
- From Paradise
- Mr T
- Love In The Morning
- Tell Me Why
- Walking Into Doors
- Wild Blue Gums
- So Young
- Angela
- Jamu Dreaming
- There Is a Garden
Looking For Butterboy
- Released
- 28 October 1997
- Tracks
- Beggar Man
- A Child Was Born Here
- My Grandmother
- Dancing (With My Spirit)
- F Troop
- Mother's Heartbeat
- Djabugai Lady
- Hold On Tight
- River Song
- Reach For You
- Give Unto Caesar
- Lois St John
- Watching Over Me
Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge
- Released
- 2000
- Tracks
- Play That Funky Music
- Notes
Archie Roach contributed track 26 to this album.
Sensual Being
- Released
- 26 July 2002
- Tracks
- Alien Invasion
- Life Is Worth Living
- Just a Little Time
- Will I See You Tonight
- Mission Ration Blues
- Outside Your Window
- Many Waters Rise
- Cold Wind Blows
- Free To Be a Man
- Morning Star
- Move It On
- Small Child
The Definitive Collection
- Released
- July 2004
- Tracks
- Took The Children Away
- A Child Was Born Here
- Just A Little Time
- Tell Me Why
- Beggar Man
- Alien Invasion
- From Paradise
- Reach For You
- Louis St John
- Free To Be A Man
- Walking Into Doors
- Jamu Dreaming
- Weeping In The Forest
- Beautiful Child
- Small Child
- Charcoal Lane
- Down City Streets
- Watching Over Me
Journey
- Released
- 10 November 2007
- Tracks
- Little Sisters (special place)
- Travellin' Bones
- Old People Singing
- John Pat
- Liyarn Ngarn
- Never Blood
- Too Many Bridges
- Lighthouse (song for two mothers)
- Spirit Of Place
- Your Old Ones
Archie Roach - 1988
- Released
- 13 November 2009
- Tracks
- Weeping In The Forest
- Native Born
- Sister Brother
- Archie's Introduction To 'Took The Children Away'
- Took The Children Away
- Bicentennial Blues
- Beautiful Child
- Archie's Introduction To 'Give Us Back Our Dancing'
- Give Us Back Our Dancing
- F Troop
- Reach For You
- Christmas Eve
- The People Of Sorrow
- Blood And Tears
- Keep Your Handouts Give Us Back Our Land
- Archie Roach Interview (1988)
- Archie Roach Interview (2008)
- Notes
This album captures some of the first ever recordings by a young Archie Roach. As a bonus at the end of the CD is an interview with Archie recorded on March 1st 1988, followed by a short interview recorded 20 years later in September 2008.
Into The Bloodstream
- Released
- 19 October 2012
- Tracks
- Into the Bloodstream
- Song to Sing
- Big Black Train
- Heal the People
- Mulyawongk
- We Won't Cry (feat.Paul Kelly)
- Wash My Soul In the River's Flow
- I'm On Your Side
- Little By Little
- Hush Now Babies (feat.Emma Donovan)
- Top of the Hill
- Old Mission Road
- Notes
The cover shows a blood cell on the left and a detail from a painting by Robert Lowe Snr on the right. The painting depicts the Aboriginal mission at Framingham, south-west Victoria, where Archie grew up. The 18 dots represent the mission huts.
Colour of Your Jumper (Single)
- Released
- 24 May 2013
- Tracks
- Colour of Your Jumper
- Heal the People
Creation
- Released
- 27 September 2013
- Tracks
- Native Born (2013 Remastered)
- Charcoal Lane (2013 Remastered)
- Munjana (2013 Remastered)
- I've Lied (2013 Remastered)
- Down City Streets (2013 Remastered)
- Took the Children Away (2013 Remastered)
- Sister Brother (2013 Remastered)
- Beautiful Child (2013 Remastered)
- No No No (2013 Remastered)
- Summer of My Life (2013 Remastered)
- Koorie Koorie (Demo)
- Took the Children Away (Demo)
- Hungover (Demo)
- Weeping In the Forest (2013 Remastered)
- From Paradise (2013 Remastered)
- Mr. T (2013 Remastered)
- Love In the Morning (2013 Remastered)
- Tell Me Why (2013 Remastered)
- Walking Into Doors (2013 Remastered)
- Wild Blue Gums (2013 Remastered)
- So Young (2013 Remastered)
- Angela (2013 Remastered)
- Jamu Dreaming (2013 Remastered)
- There Is a Garden (2013 Remastered)
- Weeping In the Forest (Live)
- Tell Me Why (Live)
- Album Only
- Walking Into Doors (Live)
- There Is a Garden (Reprise)
- Beggar Man (2013 Remastered)
- A Child Was Born Here (2013 Remastered)
- My Grandmother (2013 Remastered)
- Dancing (With My Spirit) (2013 Remastered)
- F Troop (2013 Remastered)
- Mothers Heartbeat (2013 Remastered)
- Djabugai Lady (2013 Remastered)
- Hold On Tight (2013 Remastered)
- River Song (2013 Remastered)
- Reach For You (2013 Remastered)
- Give Unto Caesar (2013 Remastered)
- Louis St. John (2013 Remastered)
- Watching Over Me (2013 Remastered)
- Beggar Man (Demo)
- Dancing Shoes (Demo)
- Nowhere To Go (Demo)
- Colour of Your Jumper (Demo)
- Alien Invasion (2013 Remastered)
- Life Is Worth Living (2013 Remastered)
- Just a Little Time (2013 Remastered)
- Will I See You Tonight (2013 Remastered)
- Mission Ration Blues (2013 Remastered)
- Outside Your Window (2013 Remastered)
- Many Waters Rise (2013 Remastered)
- Cold Wind Blows (2013 Remastered)
- Free To Be a Man (2013 Remastered)
- Morning Star (2013 Remastered)
- Move It On (2013 Remastered)
- Small Child (2013 Remastered)
- This Woman (Demo)
- Take Your Time (Demo)
- Mulyawongk (Demo)
- I Don't Wanna Go (Demo)
Charcoal Lane: 25th Anniversary Collection
- Released
- 6 November 2015
- Tracks
CD/side 1
- Native Born
- Charcoal Lane
- Munjana
- Ive Lied
- Down City Streets
- Took The Children Away
- Sister Brother
- Beautiful Child
- No, No, No
- Summer Of My Life
CD/side 2
- Charcoal Lane - Paul Kelly & Courtney Barnett
- Munjana - Dan Sultan & Emma Donovan
- Ive Lied - Marlon Williams & Leah Flanaghan
- Beautiful Child - Ellie Lovegrove & Nancy Bates
- Down City Streets- Emma Donovan & The Putbacks (Feat. Archie Roach)
- No, No, No (Prod. Trials) - Radical Son & Urthboy
- The Children Came Back - Briggs & Gurrumul & Dewayne Everettsmith
- Charcoal Lane - Archie Roach & Ruby Hunter (Triple J Live At The Wireless, 1990)
- Down City Streets - Archie Roach & Ruby Hunter (Triple J Live At The Wireless, 1990)
- Native Born - Archie Roach & Ruby Hunter (Triple J Live At The Wireless, 1990)
- Sister Brother - Archie Roach & Ruby Hunter (Triple J Live At The Wireless, 1990)
- Took The Children Away - Archie Roach & Ruby Hunter (Triple J Live At The Wireless, 1990)
- Notes
This is a new edition of Archie's classic debut album Charcoal Lane to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It includes a 2-CD set featuring Archie’s ARIA-winning 1990 debut album remastered, together with a second disc featuring previously unreleased Triple-J Live At The Wireless recordings and new interpretations of classic Charcoal Lane material.
Let Love Rule
- Released
- 11 November 2016
- Tracks
- Let Love Rule
- Always Be Here
- Mighty Clarence River
- Love Is Everything
- It's Not Too Late
- There's a Little Child
- Get Back To the Land
- Spiritual Love
- Please Don't Give Up On Me
- Love Sweet Love
- No More Bleeding
Dancing With My Spirit
- Released
- 13 April 2018
- Tracks
- A Child Was Born Here
- Dancing With My Spirit
- Heal the People, Heal the Land
- Morning Star
- Hold on Tight
- F-Troop
- Dancing Shoes
- Nowhere to Go
- Give Unto Caesar
- Colour of Your Jumper
- My Grandmother
- The River Song
The Concert Collection 2012 - 2018
- Released
- 17 May 2019
- Tracks
CD/side 1
- Sunrise / Into The Bloodstream
- Hush Now Babies (feat. Emma Donovan)
- Old Mission Road
- Big Black Train
- Little By Little
- Dancing Shoes (feat. Dan Sultan)
- Heal The People
- I'm On Your Side (feat. Vika & Linda Bull)
- Mulyawongk
- We Won't Cry (feat. Paul Kelly)
- Wash My Soul In The River's Flow
- Top Of The Hill
- Song To Sing
- We Won't Cry (feat. Jack Charles)
CD/side 2
- Concert Intro
- Let Love Rule (feat. Jessica Hitchcock with Dunghala Childrens Choir)
- Get Back To The Land - Intro
- Get Back To The Land
- There's A Little Child - Intro
- There's A Little Child
- Please Don't Give Up On Me - Intro
- Please Don't Give Up On Me
- Love Sweet Love - Intro
- Love Sweet Love (feat. Emma Donovan)
- Spiritual Love - Intro
- Spiritual Love
- Always Be Here - Intro
- Always Be Here
- It's Not Too Late - Intro
- It's Not Too Late
- Mighty Clarence River - Intro
- Mighty Clarence River (feat. Emma Donovan)
- No More Bleeding - Intro
- No More Bleeding (feat. Jessica Hitchcock with Dunghala Childrens Choir & Short Black Opera)
- Notes
CD 3:
1. Dancing With My Spirit (feat. Tiddas)
2. My Grandmother (feat. Tiddas)
3. The River Song (feat. Tiddas)
4. A Child Was Born Here (feat. Tiddas)
5. Morning Star (feat. Amy Saunders & Tiddas)
6. F Troop
7. Louis St John
8. Ever Watching (feat. Tiddas)
9. Heal The People (feat. Tiddas)
10. Come Into My Kitchen
11. Anthem
12. Wild Mountain Thyme
13. Dancing Shoes (feat. Tiddas)
Open Up Your Eyes (Single)
- Released
- 27 September 2019
- Tracks
- Open Up Your Eyes
- Notes
Open Up Your Eyes is the first song Roach ever penned, but it was never been recorded.
Tell Me Why
- Released
- 1 November 2019
- Tracks
CD/side 1
- Took the Children Away
- A Child Was Born Here
- F Toop
- Nopun Kurongk
- Just a Closer Walk with Thee (with Emma Donovan)
- Lighthouse (Song for Two Mothers)
- One for Each Person, And One for the Pot
- Little By Little
- Down City Streets
CD/side 2
- Rally Round the Drum (featuring Paul Kelly)
- Small Child
- The Jetty Song
- Always Be Here (featuring Sally Dastey)
- Tell Me Why (featuring Sally Dastey)
- Let Love Rule
- Open Up Your Eyes
- I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
- Place of Fire
- Notes
This album re-imagines 11 songs that have defined Archie's career, together with two songs that were penned but never recorded, two songs of early-influence, and three brand new recordings. Hardcover cloth-bound book, with 32 pages of extensive notes and exclusive photos. Limited edition and individually numbered. The cover shows a gunggayay (red-bellied black snake) encircling a kneeangar (wedge-tailed eagle) which are representatives of Archie's parents' heritage.
Winner Best Adult Contemporary Album at the 2020 ARIA Music Awards.
The Songs Of Charcoal Lane
- Released
- 13 November 2020
- Tracks
- Native Born
- Charcoal Lane
- Munjana
- I've Lied
- Down City Streets
- Took The Children Away
- Sister Brother
- Beautiful Child
- No No No
- Summer Of My Life
- Notes
The Songs Of Charcoal Lane celebrates the 30th anniversary of the release of the 1991 album Charcoal Lane.
It includes all of the 10 impassioned tracks from his landmark debut album, re-recorded in Archie's home in 2020.
Find Archie Roach albums & CDs
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