Andrew Roachford (born 22 January 1965) is a British singer-songwriter and the main force behind the band Roachford, who scored their first success in 1989 with the

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

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" and "Family Man". He has also had a successful solo career. He was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

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for services to music.

Early life and career

Andrew Roachford was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. The band of the same name was formed in 1987, the line-up featuring Andrew Roachford (vocals, keyboards, percussion), Chris Taylor (drums), Hawi Gondwe (guitars) and Derrick Taylor (bass guitar). By 1988, the band were touring, supporting acts such as

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and The Christians. Shortly afterward, a seven-album

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with Columbia was signed. They went on to have a string of success throughout the 1990s, becoming Columbia's biggest-selling UK act for ten years.Biography
''Roachford.co.uk''. Retrieved 5 November 2009. Roachford released his first solo album, ''Heart of the Matter'', in 2003. His next album ''Word of Mouth'' was released in June 2005 under the band name Roachford. In 2010, Roachford joined

Mike + The Mechanics Mike and the Mechanics (stylised as Mike + The Mechanics) is an English rock supergroup formed in Dover in 1985 by Mike Rutherford, initially as a side project during a hiatus period for his earlier group Genesis. The band is known for hit singl ...

along with

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. The following year the album ''

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'' was released featuring Roachford and Howar as lead vocalists, as well as the 2017 album '' Let Me Fly''. Roachford collaborated with

Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English recording artist and musical theatre actress. She released her first album, ''The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke and ...

on a joint album ''Twice In a Lifetime'', which was released in September 2020. It charted at number 31 on the UK Albums Chart. This was the first Roachford album to chart in the top 40 after a 23-year absence, last charting in 1997 with ''

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''.

Discography

Albums

Singles

*⁺ "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by MOBO Allstars was a charity single released collectively by

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nominees in 1998, reaching No. 47 on the

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. The artists featured on the recording were Another Level,

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, Celetia,

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, Kelle Bryan, Roachford,

Byron Stingily Byron Stingily is an American R&B and house-music singer born in Chicago, Illinois, known for his falsetto voice. He is now a part-time principal at a school in Chicago while still performing. Career Stingily had several hit records in the 1 ...

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References

External links

Roachford official UK site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roachford, Andrew 1965 births Living people 21st-century Black British male singers Mike + The Mechanics members 20th-century Black British male singers Black British rock musicians CBS Records artists English people of Barbadian descent Members of the Order of the British Empire