Archie Roach is a singer/songwriter and guitarist who, after suffering a traumatic childhood, became a voice and storyteller for indigenous Australians. After being forcefully seperated from his family and placed in an orphanage, Roach was placed and removed from two foster care homes before he was taken in by the Coxes. With the help of his new sister Mary, he learned how to play guitar and piano while building inspiration from his father's record collection, which included songs by Nat King Cole, The Drifters and Billie Holiday. Upon receiving a letter from his birth sister with details on his childhood, he left his home and traveled around Australia with nothing but a guitar. Roach began making powerful roots rock music with politically driven lyrics about his past. His work was quickly recognized in the music world, particulary after his 1992 album Charcoal Lane, which was featured as one of Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of the Year. His music and the story of Australia's "Stolen Generation" reached a global audience when he traveled to the US to perform at the 1993 South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin.
