The Roches were an American vocal trio of sisters Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche, from Park Ridge, New Jersey.
Contents
Career
In the late 1960s, eldest sister Maggie (October 26, 1951 – January 21, 2017) and middle sister Terre (pronounced "Terry", born April 10, 1953) attended Park Ridge High School, 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 when Paul Simon brought them in as backup singers on his 1973 album There Goes Rhymin' Simon. They got his assistance (along with an appearance by the Oak Ridge Boys) on their only album as a duo, Seductive Reasoning (1975).
Reviewing Seductive Reasoning in Christgau'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 was Joy 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."
Later in the 1970s youngest sister Suzzy (rhymes with "fuzzy", born September 29, 1956) joined the group to form the Roches trio.
Around this time, they parlayed bartending jobs at the Greenwich Village folk venue Gerde's Folk City into stage appearances, an experience they commemorated in their song "Face Down at Folk City" (from Another 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. Robert Fripp produced the album. Maggie's "The Married Men" from this album was eventually to become the songwriting trio's biggest hit—not for them, but for Phoebe Snow. After Snow and Linda Ronstadt performed the song in a duet on Saturday Night Live, the Roches were invited to perform on 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 series Rock Goes to College. A 1983 episode of the PBS concert series Soundstage was devoted to an hourlong performance by the trio, and they appeared on The 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-track We Three Kings, which included the a 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 daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche.
After a tour interrupted by the death of their father, the Roches released Can We Go Home Now (1995), 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. After the tour for Moonswept, 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 from breast cancer at the age of 65. 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." She was survived by her partner Michael McCarthy and son Edward "Felix" McTeigue.
Family
Maggie Roche had an "unusual" contralto voice—"almost a baritone". Terre provided a soprano 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.
Terre Roche continues to perform publicly in New York City, and since 2002 she has led a "Sunset Singing Circle" at Battery Park in Manhattan under the auspices of the Parks Department.
Brother David is also a singer-songwriter with his own solo album, and often backed up the trio on their recordings. Maggie's son, Felix McTeigue, recorded three albums (one with his group Filo) and was a producer for others. Suzzy's daughter, Lucy Wainwright Roche, has also contributed vocals on the Roches' and McTeigue's albums, and in 2007 produced an EP of her own, 8 Songs, followed by 8 More in 2008 and tours opening for acts such as Amos Lee and the Indigo Girls. Lucy has released three albums: Lucy (2010), There's a Last Time for Everything (2013), and Little Beast (2018). Her father is Loudon Wainwright III, and she is the half-sister of singers Martha and Rufus Wainwright.
Discography
Maggie and Terre Roche
Seductive Reasoning (Columbia, 1975)
I Gave My Love a Kerry (Earth Rock Wreckerds, 2004)
Suzzy Roche
Holy Smokes (Red House, 1997)
Songs from an Unmarried Housewife and Mother, Greenwich Village, USA (Red House, 2000)
Terre Roche
The Sound of a Tree Falling (Earth Rock Wreckerds, 1998)
Imprint (Earth Rock Wreckerds, 2015)
Inner Adult (Terre Roche, 2024)
Suzzy and Maggie Roche
Zero Church (Red House, 2002)
Why The Long Face (Red House, 2004)
Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche
Fairytale and Myth (2013)
Mud and Apples (2016)
I Can Still Hear You (2020)
Terre Roche, Sidiki Conde and Marlon Cherry (as Afro-Jersey)
Afro-Jersey (2013)
Other appearances
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.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (November 20, 1985 (1985-11-20)). The Roches performed "Mr. Sellack" and "Another World".
Songs from Liquid Days (1986). The Roches are featured in two songs in this collection of music by Philip Glass, the title track and "Forgetting" (with Linda Ronstadt).
Crossing Delancey (1988), starring Amy 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 album Speak. An earlier arrangement of their cover of Come Softly to Me is featured on their album Another World.
Stay Awake (1988). The Roches contributed to two tracks on this tribute album of music from vintage Disney films.
Tiny Toon Adventures, episode "New Character Day" (February 20, 1991 (1991-02-20)). 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".