In the late 1960s, eldest sister Maggie (October 26, 1951[2] – January 21, 2017[3]) and middle sister Terre (pronounced "Terry", born April 10, 1953[2]) attendedPark Ridge High School,[4] but dropped out of school to tour as a duo. Maggie wrote most of the songs, with Terre contributing to a few. The sisters got a break whenPaul Simon brought them in as backup singers on his 1973 albumThere Goes Rhymin' Simon.[5] They got his assistance (along with an appearance bythe Oak Ridge Boys) on their only album as a duo,Seductive Reasoning (1975).[5]
ReviewingSeductive Reasoning inChristgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981),Robert Christgau said, "Female singing duos must function as mutual support groups; last time a women's sensibility this assured, relaxed, and reflective made it to vinyl wasJoy of Cooking. These folkies manque are a little flat here, a little arch there, but in general the shoe fits; no ideological feminism, but plenty of consciousness."[6]
Later in the 1970s youngest sisterSuzzy (rhymes with "fuzzy", born September 29, 1956[2]) joined the group to form the Roches trio.[5]
Around this time, they parlayed bartending jobs at the Greenwich Village folk venueGerde's Folk City into stage appearances, an experience they commemorated in their song "Face Down at Folk City" (fromAnother World, 1985). There they met many of their future singing and songwriting collaborators. Terre was now writing songs as well, and by the time of their first album as a trio,The Roches (1979), Suzzy had also begun writing.[5]Robert Fripp produced the album.[5] Maggie's "The Married Men" from this album was eventually to become the songwriting trio's biggest hit—not for them, but forPhoebe Snow.[5] After Snow andLinda Ronstadt performed the song in a duet onSaturday Night Live, the Roches were invited to performon the show a few months later in 1979 at Simon's behest. They did two songs, both unreleased at the time: "Bobby's Song" and "The Hallelujah Chorus".
Throughout the 1980s, the Roches continued to release their music to small audiences, little or no air play, and only modest record sales. In February 1981 the BBC broadcast a 40-minute performance in its seriesRock Goes to College. A 1983 episode of thePBS concert seriesSoundstage was devoted to an hourlong performance by the trio, and they appeared onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in November 1985, performing their song "Mr. Sellack". In 1990, they returned to their Christmas-caroling roots with the release of the 24-trackWe Three Kings,[5] which included thea cappella "Star of Wonder", written by Terre. After another pop album (A Dove, 1992), they recorded an entire album of children's songs,Will You Be My Friend?, featuring a song by brother David and various young backup singers, including Suzzy's daughterLucy Wainwright Roche.
After a tour interrupted by the death of their father, the Roches releasedCan We Go Home Now (1995),[5] the last original recording they released as a trio until 2007.
In 1997, the sisters formally put their group on long-term hold. They continued to work on solo projects and often collaborated on albums and performances. Terre teaches guitar workshops and has released a solo album. Suzzy, who has acted on the stage and in several movies, released two of her own albums and two with Maggie, with whom she toured. All three sisters periodically participated in New York-area events. At the end of 2005, the three Roches (with brother Dave) reunited for a short but successful holiday tour. Several more appearances in the U.S. and Canada took place in 2006–07, and in March 2007, after a 12-year hiatus, the Roches released a new studio album,Moonswept.[7] After the tour forMoonswept, the Roches announced that they would no longer be touring, but they continued to make isolated appearances individually and as a group, mostly in and around New York City.
On January 21, 2017, Maggie Roche died frombreast cancer at the age of 65.[3][8] In a statement on Facebook, Suzzy wrote that Maggie "was a private person, too sensitive and shy for this world, but brimming with life, love, and talent. She was smart, wickedly funny, and authentic — not a false bone in her body — a brilliant songwriter, with a distinct unique perspective, all heart and soul."[9] She was survived by her partner Michael McCarthy and sonEdward "Felix" McTeigue.[9]
Maggie Roche had an "unusual"contralto voice—"almost a baritone".[10] Terre provided asoprano that bracketed the upper range of the sisters, while Suzzy filled in the middle range. While touring, the sisters accompanied themselves with guitars and keyboards, occasionally with additional musicians.
Brother David is also a singer-songwriter with his own solo album, and often backed up the trio on their recordings.[12][13][14] Maggie's son,Felix McTeigue, has recorded three albums (one with his group Filo).[15][16] Suzzy's daughter,Lucy Wainwright Roche, has also contributed vocals on the Roches' and McTeigue's albums,[17][18] and in 2007 produced an EP of her own,8 Songs, followed by8 More in 2008 and tours opening for acts such asAmos Lee and theIndigo Girls.[19][20] Lucy has released three full-length albums:Lucy (2010),There's a Last Time for Everything (2013), andLittle Beast (2018).[21] Her father isLoudon Wainwright III, and she is the half-sister of singersMartha andRufus Wainwright.
There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973). Maggie and Terre are credited on "Was a Sunny Day" on Simon's second solo album.
Saturday Night Live (1979). The Roches were the musical guest on November 17, 1979 (1979-11-17), singing "Bobby's Song" and their a cappella "Hallelujah Chorus".
Exposure (1979), a Robert Fripp album featuring vocals by Terre
Soundstage (1983). The Roches were the featured group in one episode of this televised music series.
Crossing Delancey (1988), starringAmy Irving. Suzzy played Marilyn, a friend of Isabelle (Irving). The Roches provided several songs for the soundtrack. One of the songs that was featured in the film,Nocturne, is also featured on the group's 1989 albumSpeak. An earlier arrangement of their cover ofCome Softly to Me is featured on their albumAnother World.
Stay Awake (1988). The Roches contributed to two tracks on thistribute album of music from vintage Disney films.
Tiny Toon Adventures, episode "New Character Day" (February 20, 1991 (1991-2-20)). The Roches played a trio of singing cockroaches also called "the Roches."
Princesses (1991). The trio performs the short-lived TV series' theme song "Someday My Prince Will Come".
A Weekend in the Country (1994). The trio play themselves, performing "Pregnant Pause" at a concert.
A Family Concert (K-tel VHS, 1995). Includes performances by the Roches and the Music Workshop for Kids
Anthem (Intersound, 1996), by the Desolation Angels, a supergroup consisting of the Roches,Karla DeVito,Kit Hain, Deborah Berg, the Blister Sisters, and Jane Kelly Williams.
Christmas Songs (One Voice/Satellites Records, 1996), by the Carolling Carollers, another supergroup consisting of the Roches, Ilana Iguana, Margaret Dorn, Libby Mclaren, and Bonnie Mann
Moms That Cook (Baby Boom, 1999), by the Music Workshop for Kids. Suzzy produced as well as performed on this album by various artists
Rites of Passage, fourth album by theAtlanta, Georgia duoIndigo Girls. Maggie, Terre, and Suzzy sing backing vocals on "Virginia Woolf" and "Airplane".
Nod to Bob: An Artist's Tribute to Bob Dylan on His 60th Birthday (Red House, 2001). Suzzy and Maggie perform "Clothes Line Saga" fromThe Basement Tapes.
Some Assembly Required (Shanachie, 2002), by theFour Bitchin' Babes. Suzzy was one of the latter-day Babes in this rotating-membership pop-folk group founded byChristine Lavin.
Please Give (2010). The Roches sing "No Shoes" by Paranoid Larry.
Amen & Goodbye (2016). Suzzy appears on the songs "I Am Chemistry," "Half Asleep," and "Gerson's Whistle" on the fourth album by the Brooklyn indie trioYeasayer.
^Cocks, Jay (May 7, 1979)."Valentines from the Danger Zone".Time. Archived fromthe original on September 30, 2007. RetrievedOctober 16, 2007.She and Terre performed them first in the family living room in Park Ridge, N.J., then later on the back of a flat-bed truck in nearby shopping centers for the benefit of a local politician and the glory of the Democratic Party.
^Karas, Matty."'Uncool' Roches finally fitting into the music scene",Asbury Park Press, June 20, 1991. Accessed December 9, 2017. "Terre Roche wasn't one of the cool kids at Park Ridge High School in the late 1960s.... She and Maggie sang together from a young age, with Maggie teaching Terre the harmony parts to songs. When they were in high school, their father, who lived in Greenwich Village before they were born and entertained them with stories about those days, drove them into the Village to sing in hootenannies at clubs such as the Gaslight and Kettle of Fish."
.jpg)
