JONESBORO — The Clayton County Board of Commissioners recently honored R&B legend Jimmy Roach — who has lived in Clayton County for 25 years.
The County Commission proclaimed March 19, 2024 as “Jimmy Roach Day” and made the presentation at its March 19 meeting.
When Jimmy Roach was growing up in New York City, music was always a part of his life.
His parents — who were originally from Barbados — instilled a love of music in their children and everyone sang, played instruments and wrote songs.
But Roach was the only one who could write out the songs on sheet music.
It was a skill Roach used to pursue a music career and went on to work with a who’s who of R&B legends.
Roach’s first songwriting hit was “The Kitty Cat Song” — first recorded by Lee Dorsey and later covered by British rock band The Troggs.
After a stint in the Army, Roach co-wrote the song “My Whole World Ended” — David Ruffin’s first solo single after leaving The Temptations.
In 1969, Roach moved to Detroit and began a successful career with Motown.
In 1970, he received a Gold record for arranging “Still Waters Run Deep” by The Four Tops.
Throughout his career, Roach also worked with such artists as The O’Jays, The Manhattans, Brenda and the Tabulations, The Supremes, Jimmy Ruffin, Martha Reeves, and Kiki Dee, among others.
In 2015, Roach was the first to receive the Willie Dixon Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting from the Jus’ Blues Music Foundation.
In 2019, he was inducted into the National R&B Hall of Fame.
Roach continues to write, produce and arrange music and work with new artists.
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