Photo: WENN
"I don’t play the music, the music’s playing me," says British singer-songwriter Roachford after being asked what has kept him going all these years. "I have no choice. I can’t stop. It’s what defines me."
With over 25 years in the music industry under his belt and a solid back catalogue to boot, you should know exactly who Andrew Roachford is. If you don't then you'll enjoy doing your research. Much more than his 1988 hit 'Cuddly Toy', he and his band were Sony Columbia's biggest selling UK act for 10 years during the 90s. Whether it was his self titled debut LP or the albums Get Ready!, Permanent Shade of Blue or Feel, musicality was always at the top of his agenda.
Alongside the likes of Omar, Terence Trent D'Arby, Soul II Soul, Neneh Cherry, The Brand New Heavies, Sade, Noel McKoy, Michael Kiwanuka, Seal, Beverley Knight, Lynden David Hall, Billy Ocean, Shaun Escoffery, and so many more, Roachford is a name that will forever be mentioned amongst some of the best black musicians the UK has ever birthed.
Fast forward to now and he's still making music, still touring and still representing for the British soul scene. Offering up an album of soul covers, his latest project, Encore, hears him put his own spin on classics such as Sly & The Family Stone's 'Family Affair', Simply Red's 'Holding Back the Years', and Bill Withers' 'Ain't No Sunshine'.
Taking some time out during soundcheck at his recent Milton Keynes gig at The Stables to talk to Gigwise, Roachford revisits his time on a major label, talks black music being whitewashed, his old band, Michael Jackson wanting to sign his publishing and Alan Partridge being a fan of his.
You recently released your Encore album. Why the decision to release a covers album?
“You know what, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with covers over the years. Because when I started playing music I started playing music in my uncle’s band - this was before I left school, I was 14. I then began to get ideas as far as writing music goes and by the time I got to 17 I started writing a few songs. I would then say to my uncle that we should play one of my songs and he was always like, ‘No, they don’t wanna hear that. They wanna hear songs that they know.’ So we always played standard Stax soul tracks and jazz covers or something, and I finally got to a point one day where I said that I would never sing another cover again. And I stuck to my word for quite a while because I became known for my own stuff. But occasionally I would hear a song that I loved and be on the piano messing with it and so then I’d start doing something with it - I’m an artist so of course I would never do something exactly the same as I heard it. So I started putting these little things in at the end of my set during the encores with a twist, and it was actually my brother who said I should record a couple of them.
“Some people were hearing the songs and they didn’t know the originals, which was shocking. I remember in one of the gigs I did a version of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ and as a joke I said, ‘Here’s a song I wrote for a bloke called John,’ and singing it I just thought everyone straight away was going to know I was joking. Some people thought I was deluded by saying that I had written it while some people actually thought I did write it. At one of my gigs I did ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis and I had a couple of younger cats come up to me asking, ‘Did you write that then?’ So then I thought I was doing them some kind of justice if people were thinking that.
“I realised as well when I went back into the catalogue of some of my favourite performers like the Stevie Wonders, the Marvin Gayes, they’ve all done covers or cover albums at some point in their career. Stevie did ‘Blowing In The Wind’ and Marvin did a version of ‘Yesterday’. So they had all done it except me so I decided it had to be done. There was loads of reasons why I decided to do it.”
Some of the covers on Encore are very different, especially when it comes to the instrumentation. How did you decide the arrangement of them?
“It was all done on the fly in the sense that I went into the studio and knew the songs that I wanted to sing but I wasn’t exactly sure how I wanted to do it. I worked with a guy called Robert Strauss, who I literally just met at the 606 club [in London] a few weeks before making the album. We got talking about music as he’s a producer and he was aware of my stuff, plus he’s quite eclectic with his tastes, so I thought he had the right mix of ingredients. We went to the studio with a couple of other musicians and they all looked at me and went, ‘Right, what are we doing?’ So first of all we did ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, and I started it in the more traditional way, which is actually perfect. There’s nothing wrong with Bill Withers’ version, there’s no better perfection because it is what it is.
“So then it was like where to go next and Robert said just to play around with it and come up with some riffs and stuff. That’s how we kinda did the album, we were all in a room together just jamming different versions. We just liked the audacity of the way we were doing it because it was audacious. I loved it! I do like sometimes to challenge people because I do believe that's one of my purposes in life. As someone who is always straddling between soul and the guitar music world, that in itself is a challenge to people so I feel like I need to continue down that road.”
Were there any covers you wanted to do for this album but they didn’t make the cut?
“Yeah, after I recorded the album I realised there were other songs, as well as artists, where I was like, ‘Why the fuck didn’t I do that?’ There were loads actually. Still to this day people scream out at gigs that they’d love to hear me do this or do that. There were these guys at one gig and they were really drunk and on my case about this one song, ‘Why Can’t We Live Together’, and then you realise going through it that there’s an endless number of records that could have been done. I like for example Bobby Womack, and when he did ‘If You Think You’re Lonely Now’, that mix of, well, it’s old soul, it’s got that earthy rhythm and blues feel to it, when it was still called rhythm and blues, it’s right up my street man. So maybe in the future I’ll do another [covers album], we’ll see.”
During the 90s you were one of Sony Columbia’s most successful artists. Why did you leave the label?
“The funny thing is if you’ve been on a label that long you start to outlive the personnel. So the people you signed up with, who were there when you started, are long gone by a certain point. So there’s always these shifts and you end up with a whole new crew who are younger who don’t have the same emotional attachment to you, and they don’t always get it. So you have to start from scratch re-educating people, taking them to the gigs and eventually they’ll get it - it can be quite tedious.
“When I first signed to Sony everyone there were real music fans and coming from the same time as me so they got the whole picture. And then eventually they were starting side labels and went off so there were all these shifts going on and then I began to feel a bit like a mascot because big labels will sometimes keep artists on because they know it’s quite attractive to other musos when they ask, ‘Who have you got?’ and then they say, ‘Well, we’ve got Roachford.’ To them then they see the musical aspect and not just full on pop boybands, you know? So Sony are quite clever at doing that, but the danger is you can get shelved. You can be in a label signed and nothing’s going out because you’re held in a stalemate.
“I had a really good relationship with them but by the time I had finished the Feel album it felt like the energy was gone, it wasn’t really the same anymore. Things at the label were really changing and they weren’t really seeing their best days, the energy wasn’t good there. I think the chemistry between me and label was gone and I think it was mutually agreed. I wanted to move on and do something different, I wanted to see what it would be like to have that kind of freedom again."
You then went straight out to America, right?
"Yeah, I literally got on a plane after that and went off to America because my girlfriend at that time was co-managing The Roots in Philadelphia and so obviously she had to live there. She moved from the middle of nowhere in Surrey to Philly and she kept telling me that I should go out there because they’d love me. And it was totally different for me because I was out of my comfort zone.
“I spent the first couple of days having my mind blown by different artists and realising this was what is was all about. It was scary because Philly is a big church town so all of these artists come straight out of the church and into music. They don’t just do hip-hop, they live it. To live in New York you’ve got to have a bit of money and Philly is like the poor man’s New York and there are certain areas that are really poor. There’s no bluffing, it’s pretty hardcore. Loads of people are rapping to find themselves a way out and make things happen. But at the same time they were incredibly open to things. It’s like if you said, ‘I want to try a little punk guitar riff here,’ they’re like, ‘Yeah! Go for it.’
"If you go to the Black Lily at the Five Spot on a Wednesday night it’s where the new artists get up and showcase what they’ve got. You could be there one night and you’ve got Bilal, Musiq Soulchild, all on the same day, and that’s where I met Jazmine Sullivan and first heard a band called Kindred the Family Soul. They killed me! I felt like I was starting from scratch again. But they loved me. When I started performing there, because they didn’t know me they didn’t have this ‘Cuddly Toy’ connection at all they were just hearing me fresh and they liked what I was doing."
Did you miss being on a major label?
“You know what’s weird, I had some friends who had left Sony, or been dropped or whatever, and they were all freaking out like it was the end of the world. I remember leaving Sony and one of the marketing guys came up to me almost in tears and said, ‘I’m gonna miss you.’ He was talking to me as if I wasn’t going to make music anymore, or as if I was dying or something, and I was baffled. In my mind I was just thinking, ‘Here’s to another chapter.’ Aretha Franklin ran through so many labels, she left Sony went to Atlantic and then came back to Sony. It just baffled me that people didn’t think there was life after Sony. I still felt like I had my best material left in me yet so I wasn’t freaking out at all. For me it was like leaving school and I loved leaving school, I was going out into the big wide world.”
How has the UK music industry changed from when you were first in it to now?
“I think the UK music industry went away from live music for a while, bands and stuff like that. Then it kinda found its way back, which is a good thing! Another thing, when I was a kid growing up there wasn’t many black artists to aspire to as far as British black artists go, especially people who were doing something a little different, there wasn’t that. But now… like there’s this cat called Angel who I think is very brave, he’s very brave for doing what he’s doing, and it’s real, it’s not like he's trying to be a certain way. He obviously listens to a lot of stuff. And I’m meeting people now, younger people, who are really more savvy. They’re more savvy now in terms of the business side of music - more than I was back then - and they’re more musically open. The only thing that’s missing for me is the culture of soul music, it’s kinda gone to the side now.”
So what has happened to UK soul? It used to be so rich with artists. The likes of yourself, Terence Trent D'Arby, Beverley Knight, Omar, and even the acid jazz artists like The Brand New Heavies and Jamiroquai, were killing it. What happened?
“That’s a good question. People have stopped playing instruments. And as much respect as I have for the DJ culture I felt like it was ruling to a point where… if you remember black music historically was made for the clubs so the live element kinda got put to one side and it’s became very specialist. I think in the 90s there was a bit of an explosion because there was a scene - like you said: acid jazz - but they all went out and gigged. Now, if you’re an R&B soul artist people expect you to be a part of that DJ culture and I think that’s killed any chance of a scene happening. But there aren’t even really scenes like there used to be but there’s still talent. I’ve been to some open mic nights at Ronnie Scotts in the bar upstairs and there have been some guys singing, like really singing, ridiculously, like how Terence used to - well, he still does. Then they get themselves a little slot on Pop Idol maybe and then they’re done, that’s it. That’s the nail in the coffin.
“I also think that middle England just doesn’t get groove-based music. They get a good strong melody and a good lyric but if your music is more about generating stuff, like the feeling of the groove, there’s a big portion of middle England in my opinion that doesn’t quite speak that language. So it just sounds like jazz to them in the sense. It’s almost going over their heads, and it’s almost the same to a certain extent in America except it’s a bigger place so it can survive.
"I remember being in Philly hearing one of the manager’s out there talking to some of those neo soul groups, ‘This is good music but it’s for a limited crowd,’ he said. They were just trying to survive. So then when they switch it up people say they’re selling out but if you’re not making any money then you can get pretty hungry. They have real ghettos. We don’t have that here. So I think that that’s part of the problem, it’s that it’s hard for these artists to sustain a career. I know loads of guys around London in the R&B and soul world that are struggling to make a proper living. Touring thankfully has kept a lot of us going, and that’s cool for me because that’s how I started. I made albums and new material just so I could tour it.”
Over the last couple of years one of the big discussions in music has focused on how industry big wigs have been purposely whitewashing music and its artists, especially in the realms of hip-hop, R&B and soul. Would you agree with this?
“I think it is a thing that’s happening. I remember many moons ago I was working with this guy, a white guy, who was trying to do this Sam & Dave Stax-esque soul thing. He said to me, ‘The problem isn’t that it’s direct overt conscious racism it’s just people tend to relate to people that look like them.’ That’s a subconscious thing that goes on. People tend to relate more to that bloke you would go to the pub with than the guy that looks a bit different and comes from a different culture. I think it’s not as palatable. And because of that sort of thing record companies are less inclined to take what they consider a risk on an artist unless there’s something quirky about them.
"People are spoilt! They’re so used to black artists that can sing really well and play really well so there’s no novelty there to them. It’s like, ‘Yeah, so what? You can sing and play really well. That’s not enough. What’s the twist?’ So with Adele the twist is she’s white. Amy Winehouse, well, she’s white. That is the twist, and she sounds like that and there’s a story to tell. I also think the musicality of the black race in the western world is harmful because we expect it to be of a certain standard. It’s a weird thing. People take it for granted.”
Do you feel you get the respect you deserve?
“I think musicians and other artists love me, they love what I do and I’ve had props from... well, you name it really. And if you ever did need any confirmation, when you’ve got the Chaka Khans and the Michael Jacksons, and people I grew up listening to giving you the thumbs up and wanting to work with you do you need any more confirmation than that However, I do feel because of the perceptions from my first big hit - which was ‘Cuddly Toy’ - I think England especially has the wrong impression of me generally. They put me in a bag with the likes of Bros and other artists who were around at that time, like the boybands. But I’m not that. And it’s a shame because they’ve totally missed the bigger picture. Those people were pop stars and pop stars come and go. Musicians, writers and artists - which is what I am - this is what we do. Whether we’re on the television and the radio or not this is what we do.
“I’m working on trying to change the perception people have of me. I don’t know if I ever will in the general British public’s sort of eyes. Anytime I’m touring around Europe or anywhere where ‘Cuddly Toy’ wasn’t a big hit so they have a different perception of me, they see me as the guy that makes albums and makes music, which is what I am. But I’m just someone having a lot of fun and when I do do my gigs I look out at the crowd and they’re just sort of lifted and I go, ‘This is why I’m doing it.’ And I get people coming up to me every day telling me that one of my songs got them through chemo, or when their son was going through it, or that they were contemplating ending it all and my song helped them not end it all. When you hear that it doesn’t get any better than that and makes it all worth it.”
You just mentioned Michael Jackson, do you have a Michael Jackson story?
“Yeah, I have a Michael Jackson story, and it’s nuts. I never actually got to work with him before he passed away but I did a gig right at the beginning of my career when I first put out my album and this guy comes backstage - I have no idea how he even got backstage - and he says, ‘I work with this publishing company and my boss Michael - he kept saying Michael and didn’t say the last name - really loves your music and he’s always looking out for songwriters. Is your publishing free because he’d like to sign your publishing?’ And then he said, ‘Michael says that you remind him of Sly & the Family Stone and it’s what inspired him to get into music.’ So I said, ‘Who are we talking about?’ He tells me it’s Michael Jackson and I say, ‘I don’t believe you mate.’ He gave me his card and I checked him out and sure enough the next time I saw him he was with the backstage entourage and he was just like, ‘Why didn't you call me? I’m genuine. This is real.’ And then when I realised it was real my publishing was already taken up by Universal and I was gutted because I would have loved to have just been connected to that situation."
Do you miss the original Roachford band?
“There’s moments when I miss us hanging out together, and they were all amazing players but we did a good stint together and it was like having a relationship that had run its course. There are occasions I miss my ex-girlfriends but I know it ran its course. I still occasionally say hi and I see my old guitarist is working with Omar and he had worked with Amy Winehouse, they’ve all gone on to do wonderful things.”
So there’s no bad blood there?
“Not as far as I know. I hope not. When you’ve been in a band with guys and you do business and there’s a frontman it’s difficult not to have some feelings about certain stuff. You know, some people are going to feel like they didn’t get enough recognition or whatever but for me, no. I love them all and think they’re really talented people and great people.”
You’ve got the soul covers album out, what’s going on with your next official studio album?
“I’m kinda doing bits of writing with different people trying to find the thread and the energy. So once I find my thing I go bang and the album starts coming together. At the moment it’s still in an experimental stage and I’m trying to find a home for it to go because it could go any way. It’s definitely not gonna be a more rocky album, it’s gonna be a soul album but I wanna find that special something and when I do I want it to be quick and for it to come out next year.”
‘Cuddly Toy’ was used right at the beginning of the Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa movie. How did that happen and is Steve Coogan a fan of yours?
“Yeah, Steve Coogan is a fan - I found that out from his people. How it came about, he just wanted to use the track and obviously I got the phone call. Initially they wanted to use it in the end credits and I said, ‘Yeah, that’s fine by me.’ And he then said to his people he wanted to write it into a whole scene and so they got back on the phone to my brother and told him it would be in a whole scene and it would be the opening credits instead of the end and they asked if that would be ok. I was a big Steve Coogan fan and I used to record and watch his stuff all the time so it was a no brainer really. I knew it would get played all over and it would bring that track back. I did ok by it, I can’t complain and it got some of the people who had forgotten about me wondering what I was doing.”
Did you see a surge in royalties from the record after this point?
“I saw on iTunes ‘Cuddly Toy’ started selling like it had just been released. I also saw people at my gigs that didn’t know the new material from over the past few years, which was unusual because for many years it was people that knew my albums, my core fans, who were coming to the shows. They only knew ‘Cuddly Toy’ and they were looking around at everyone else singing all the new material and wondering what was going on.”
Roachford's Encore is out now.
Meanwhile, Roachford's upcoming shows are below. For tickets and more information, visit here.
Thu November 03 2016 - SOUTHAMPTON The Bridge
Fri November 04 2016 - STURMINSTER Exchange
Wed November 09 2016 - SELBY Town Hall
Thu November 10 2016 - DERBY The Venue
Fri November 11 2016 - OXFORD O2 Academy
Fri November 18 2016 - COVENTRY Kasbah
Sat November 19 2016 - WIGAN Old Courts
Sun November 20 2016 - LIVERPOOL Epstein
Tue November 29 2016 - BRIGHTON Komedia
Wed November 30 2016 - HARPENDEN Public Halls
Thu December 01 2016 - LONDON Jazz Cafe
Sun December 04 2016 - EDINBURGH Voodoo Rooms
Tue December 06 2016 - BILSTON Robin
Fri December 09 2016 - HERNE BAY The Front
