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 "Cuddly Toy" and "Family Man". He has also had a successful solo career. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to music.

Early life and career

Andrew Roachford was born in London, England to parents of West Indian descent. A 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 Terence Trent D'Arby and the Christians. Shortly afterward, a seven-album recording contract 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. Roachford released his first solo studio album, Heart of the Matter, in 2003. His next studio album Word of Mouth was released in June 2005 under the band name Roachford. In 2010, Roachford joined Mike + The Mechanics along with Tim Howar. The following year the band's seventh studio album The Road was released featuring Roachford and Howar as lead vocalists, as well as their eighth studio album Let Me Fly (2017). Roachford collaborated with Beverley Knight on his studio 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 Feel.

Discography

Albums

Singles