‘He was the blues’: Rock Hill SC legendary performer Willie “Bluesman” Roach dies at 76
When it came to singing the blues in the South and across America, the playlist for half a century has often included a man from Rock Hill named Willie Roach.
Willie Roach was such a legend that his nickname was simply “Bluesman.”
“People tell me I was born to sing the blues,” Roach told The Herald in 2008. “Maybe they are right.”
Roach died Monday at age 76, according to an obituary from Wright Funeral Home and his family.
“Man, Willie Roach, he was the blues,” said another longtime York County legendary musician, guitarist and singer Johnny “Boggie” King. He and Roach played music together for six decades. “He could sing and reach people in places they didn’t know they had.”
Roach started singing in Rock Hill groups as a teen and gained a reputation as a singer. He sang in bands that toured several states. He moved to New York in the 1960s and started a music career before he was drafted. He served two tours in the Vietnam War.
After the service, Roach performed most of the rest of his life and garnered a reputation as a blues singer that was national in scope. He sang the blues, he sang gospel, and his voice mesmerized all who heard it, his peers said.
Roach was not just one of the best singers to ever come out of Rock Hill, but the entire state of South Carolina, said George Garrison, a Rock Hill native and retired Kent State University professor who grew up with Roach. The men played performed together for years In Rock Hill, and in New York and other states, and remained close friends all their lives.
“Willie Roach represented Rock Hill well,” Garrison said. “He was a consummate professional. He took advantage of the opportunities he had and he was a superb example for others to follow.”
Later in his life, Roach often performed at Rock Hill music festivals and other area gigs.
“Music was not just a part of my father’s life, it was a part of him,” said Roach’s daughter, Lavell. “He loved to share it with all people.”
Roach is survived by his wife, Iris Roach, and children Cher Jones, Jermaine Jefferson, Willie M. Haynes Sr., and Lavell Roach.
The funeral for Roach will be July 11 at 1 p.m. at Union Baptist Church. The family will receive friends for an hour before the service.
Burial with full military honors follows on Tuesday at Grandview Memorial Park, Hollis Lakes.
