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'One of the most powerful and highly anticipated Australian stories to be told.
'No one has lived as many lives as Archie Roach – stolen child, seeker, teenage alcoholic, lover, father, musical and lyrical genius, and leader – but it took him almost a lifetime to find out who he really was.
'Roach was only a few years old when he was forcibly removed from his family. Brought up by a series of foster parents until his early teens, his world imploded when he received a letter that spoke of a life he had no memory of.
'In this intimate, moving and often shocking memoir, Roach’s story is an extraordinary odyssey through love and heartbreak, family and community, survival and renewal – and the healing power of music. Overcoming enormous odds to find his story and his people, Roach voices the joy, pain and hope he found on his path through song to become the legendary singer-songwriter and storyteller that he is today – beloved by fans worldwide.
'Tell Me Why is a stunning account of resilience and the strength of spirit – and of a great love story.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
- Large print.
- Dyslexic edition.
Works about this Work
-
Anthony Merlino Review of Archie Roach, Tell Me Why : The Story of My Life and My Music
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Journal of Biography and History , August no. 5 2021; (p. 281-286)
— Review of Tell Me Why : The Story of My Life and My Music 2019 single work autobiography'On 25 January 1988, Archie Roach broke silences and unsettled history. Standing on a makeshift stage in La Perouse, Sydney—and armed with a guitar—Roach strummed one chord. And then he sang:
This story’s right, this story’s true
I would not tell lies to you
Like the promises they did not keep
And how they fenced us in like sheep.
Said to us come take our hand
Sent us off to mission land.
Taught us to read, to write and pray
Then they took the children away,
Took the children away, T
he children away.
Snatched from their mother’s breast
Said this is for the best
Took them away
(Introduction)
-
Tell Me Why Review : Archie Roach’s Pain Is the Pain of All of Us
2020
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 14 January 2020;'Singer songwriter Archie Roach’s new autobiography Tell Me Why, is a grim portrayal of his life of suffering at the hands of 20th century white Australia.' (Introduction)
-
y
Live Recording : Archie Roach on Resilience, Creativity and Music
Archie Roach
(presenter),
Melbourne
:
Readings
,
2019
23469855
2019
single work
podcast
interview
'Legendary singer-songwriter and storyteller Archie Roach shares stories from his life. This is a live recording from our event.' (Production summary)
-
Finding Triumph
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 28 December 2019; (p. 14)
— Review of Tell Me Why : The Story of My Life and My Music 2019 single work autobiography 'A biography reveals the origins and sometimes brutal life story of Archie Roach — a magnificent musician and great Australian, writes Andrew McMillen.' -
This Story's Right, This Story's True
2019
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Adelaide Review , November no. 477 2019; (p. 8) 'Anyone who has attended an Archie Roach concert knows the stories and anecdotes that bookend his songs are almost as memorable as the memories. In his memoir Tell Me Why, Roach reaches deeper into his past than he ever has onstage.'
-
Finding Triumph
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 28 December 2019; (p. 14)
— Review of Tell Me Why : The Story of My Life and My Music 2019 single work autobiography 'A biography reveals the origins and sometimes brutal life story of Archie Roach — a magnificent musician and great Australian, writes Andrew McMillen.' -
Anthony Merlino Review of Archie Roach, Tell Me Why : The Story of My Life and My Music
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Journal of Biography and History , August no. 5 2021; (p. 281-286)
— Review of Tell Me Why : The Story of My Life and My Music 2019 single work autobiography'On 25 January 1988, Archie Roach broke silences and unsettled history. Standing on a makeshift stage in La Perouse, Sydney—and armed with a guitar—Roach strummed one chord. And then he sang:
This story’s right, this story’s true
I would not tell lies to you
Like the promises they did not keep
And how they fenced us in like sheep.
Said to us come take our hand
Sent us off to mission land.
Taught us to read, to write and pray
Then they took the children away,
Took the children away, T
he children away.
Snatched from their mother’s breast
Said this is for the best
Took them away
(Introduction)
-
A Way Home
2019
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Monthly , November no. 161 2019; (p. 68-70) “I’d thought it had just been me and my brothers and sisters who’d been taken,” writes Archie Roach in Tell Me Why (Simon & Schuster), his newly published memoir. The singer-songwriter is recalling one of the first times that he performed his best-known song, “Took the Children Away”, in public. It was 1988, and Roach and his partner, the late musician and artist Ruby Hunter, had travelled with their two sons to La Perouse – “the only place in Sydney where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have continuously lived from before 1788 to this day” – in order to join protests against the bicentennial celebrations. It was January 25, the day before the 200th anniversary of British invasion, and at the protest camp Hunter encouraged Roach to get onstage and play a song, in an effort to diffuse a growing argument among the crowd over the route of the next day’s march. “I didn’t sing to impress or to educate,” Roach writes, of his performance that day. “I sang to honour.” (Introduction) -
This Story's Right, This Story's True
2019
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Adelaide Review , November no. 477 2019; (p. 8) 'Anyone who has attended an Archie Roach concert knows the stories and anecdotes that bookend his songs are almost as memorable as the memories. In his memoir Tell Me Why, Roach reaches deeper into his past than he ever has onstage.' -
Tell Me Why Review : Archie Roach’s Pain Is the Pain of All of Us
2020
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 14 January 2020;'Singer songwriter Archie Roach’s new autobiography Tell Me Why, is a grim portrayal of his life of suffering at the hands of 20th century white Australia.' (Introduction)
-
y
Live Recording : Archie Roach on Resilience, Creativity and Music
Archie Roach
(presenter),
Melbourne
:
Readings
,
2019
23469855
2019
single work
podcast
interview
'Legendary singer-songwriter and storyteller Archie Roach shares stories from his life. This is a live recording from our event.' (Production summary)
Awards
- 2021 shortlisted National Biography Award
- 2021 winner Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Audiobook of the year
- 2021 winner Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Prize for Indigenous Writing
- 2020 shortlisted Booksellers Choice Award — Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year
- 2020 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Australian Biography of the Year