ABOUT ROJOR
ROJOR was born in the northern industrial town of Middlesbrough on the banks of the River Tees to English parents. His family lineage stretches back to Celtic roots in Scotland & Ireland, fishermen and whisky merchants. His father's line goes as far afield as Germany. This Teesside born singer-songwriter brings a positive and chilled vibe in difficult times and his music never follows trends. Comparisons range from The Blue Nile, Prefab Sprout and Prince to Aimee Mann and Café Del Mar. ROJOR has been described in the press as “the undiscovered genius” and his songs as “sexy”, “extensively moody” and “ethereal”, his lyrics are “intelligent and inspiring”. His music is beautifully arranged and he is at home in many musical fields. His song writing not only deals with “the vagaries of love and inner frustration” but his social agenda is evident in songs like the haunting ‘Primitive’ and the soulful ‘Shelter’. Rojor’s songs mix many musical influences from around the world with a sexy huskiness to his voice that keeps the listener entranced.
ROJOR started his musical life in the late 1980s with Indie popsters “The Screaming Silence” whose single “Same Old Story” flirted with the UK charts, hit American college radio with a storm and was ‘big in Japan’. The band toured extensively through several incarnations and played to audiences of up to 3,000. Single “Same Old Story” is now very collectable with copies signed by ROJOR fetching big dollar. Indeed moves are afoot for the song to feature on an 80s Compilation CD in the near future.
After his flirtations with pop stardom ROJOR embarked on his solo pursuits in the mid 1990s, initially under the guise Crocodile Jesus. An early demo consisting of 5 songs - “When U Luv Somebody”, “Stay”, “Primitive” "Way That UR" and “Sacred Heart” - was well received and legendary promoter Graham Ramsay of Ten Feet Tall heard the demo and booked him “within 1min of hearing it” (ROJOR - "Primitive - Crocodile Jesus Sessions EP" now available at I-TUNES). A first ROJOR VIDEO was shot for the track "Way That UR". Support slots with Martin Stephenson and the mega Primal Scream followed as did John Peel airplay. The track “Primitive” was an environmental rant in a time before it was trendy and lay a marker for ROJOR’s frequent moves in the realms of social comment. Indeed this had been an even earlier feature of his songwriting with “Same Old Story” critisising the Apartheid regime in South Africa even before the release of Mandela.
ROJOR was a press darling by 1997 but despite critical acclaim (“the songs are faultless”, The Northern Echo) the subtle and sensitive work landed in the middle of the Brit Pop noise and was largely unheard. A gig at the legendary 'Riverside' in Newcastle Upon Tyne during 1998 helped promote a growing reputation and two live sessions were recorded for the BBC. An album “God Sleeping” (available at I-TUNES) was produced in 1999 and ROJOR was labelled “the undiscovered genius” – the album was largely passed over by the mainstream but it had picked up some radio play in the dead of night and there was a ‘cool and cult following’ for the work. ROJOR headlined the ‘FTWL’ stage at BBC Music Live (Middlesbrough) in 2001 and hard hitting track “Mercy” from the “God Sleeping” album rocked out across his hometown.
Next came the fantastic “Ghosts That Haunt This Space” album (I-TUNES) with its beautiful tones and messages. Looking inwardly ROJOR had created a very spiritual album with songs like “Sunlight”, “Frozen”, “Sooner or Later” and “Been Healing”. The music press were again impressed and ROJOR was labelled, "songwriter extraordinaire". But this fragile songwriting style was unlikely to bring forth a radio hit and so it was.
Then out of the blue in 2004 ROJOR hit BBC Radio Newcastle daytime playlist with an acoustic based track “Kane’s Song” and he was nominated as Best Solo Artist in the 2005 TME Awards. Art house gigs followed at ARC on Teesside and GALA Theatre (Durham) with ROJOR at his intimate best in these medium sized venues..
“Faint Signal” (I-TUNES) was the next album and was released in 2006. The album has a core of songs born out of ROJOR’s quest to find his family roots, which accounted for the distinct pop & Celtic feel. Artwork photos and VIDEOS were shot at HOLY ISLAND in Northumberland, England reflecting this heritage. Radio hit “Sail Away with Me” reached No.2 UKSounds download chart and was followed up by “In the Shoes of The Fisherman”, which also received much airplay. Acoustic guitars, mandolins, flutes, fiddles, Northumbrian pipes and great pop songs made for a fantastic eclectic mix.
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2007 saw the album “The Book of Secret Songs” (I-TUNES) and brought forth singles “Made of Clay” and “November Song” both of which picked up airplay across the BBC night-time network, as well as in Germany, France and the Netherlands. The album was dedicated to his father who had died during its making and several songs reflected this fact, especially the song that signs off the work – “The Old Road”. 'The Crack' magazine noted ROJOR as a "stella talent" and Live acoustic sessions on BBC Tees, BBC Shropshire and BBC Newcastle were supplemented with interviews at BBC Northampton, Student radio and Internet stations across the UK.
2008 brought forth ROJOR's "The Thief Who Stole The Truth" (I-TUNES) with 12 new songs including radio singles "Light Up The World" and "Echoes of the Earth".
BUY ROJOR albums at I-TUNES.
ROJOR started his musical life in the late 1980s with Indie popsters “The Screaming Silence” whose single “Same Old Story” flirted with the UK charts, hit American college radio with a storm and was ‘big in Japan’. The band toured extensively through several incarnations and played to audiences of up to 3,000. Single “Same Old Story” is now very collectable with copies signed by ROJOR fetching big dollar. Indeed moves are afoot for the song to feature on an 80s Compilation CD in the near future.After his flirtations with pop stardom ROJOR embarked on his solo pursuits in the mid 1990s, initially under the guise Crocodile Jesus. An early demo consisting of 5 songs - “When U Luv Somebody”, “Stay”, “Primitive” "Way That UR" and “Sacred Heart” - was well received and legendary promoter Graham Ramsay of Ten Feet Tall heard the demo and booked him “within 1min of hearing it” (ROJOR - "Primitive - Crocodile Jesus Sessions EP" now available at I-TUNES). A first ROJOR VIDEO was shot for the track "Way That UR". Support slots with Martin Stephenson and the mega Primal Scream followed as did John Peel airplay. The track “Primitive” was an environmental rant in a time before it was trendy and lay a marker for ROJOR’s frequent moves in the realms of social comment. Indeed this had been an even earlier feature of his songwriting with “Same Old Story” critisising the Apartheid regime in South Africa even before the release of Mandela. ROJOR was a press darling by 1997 but despite critical acclaim (“the songs are faultless”, The Northern Echo) the subtle and sensitive work landed in the middle of the Brit Pop noise and was largely unheard. A gig at the legendary 'Riverside' in Newcastle Upon Tyne during 1998 helped promote a growing reputation and two live sessions were recorded for the BBC. An album “God Sleeping” (available at I-TUNES) was produced in 1999 and ROJOR was labelled “the undiscovered genius” – the album was largely passed over by the mainstream but it had picked up some radio play in the dead of night and there was a ‘cool and cult following’ for the work. ROJOR headlined the ‘FTWL’ stage at BBC Music Live (Middlesbrough) in 2001 and hard hitting track “Mercy” from the “God Sleeping” album rocked out across his hometown. Next came the fantastic “Ghosts That Haunt This Space” album (I-TUNES) with its beautiful tones and messages. Looking inwardly ROJOR had created a very spiritual album with songs like “Sunlight”, “Frozen”, “Sooner or Later” and “Been Healing”. The music press were again impressed and ROJOR was labelled, "songwriter extraordinaire". But this fragile songwriting style was unlikely to bring forth a radio hit and so it was.“Faint Signal” (I-TUNES) was the next album and was released in 2006. The album has a core of songs born out of ROJOR’s quest to find his family roots, which accounted for the distinct pop & Celtic feel. Artwork photos and VIDEOS were shot at HOLY ISLAND in Northumberland, England reflecting this heritage. Radio hit “Sail Away with Me” reached No.2 UKSounds download chart and was followed up by “In the Shoes of The Fisherman”, which also received much airplay. Acoustic guitars, mandolins, flutes, fiddles, Northumbrian pipes and great pop songs made for a fantastic eclectic mix.2007 saw the album “The Book of Secret Songs” (I-TUNES) and brought forth singles “Made of Clay” and “November Song” both of which picked up airplay across the BBC night-time network, as well as in Germany, France and the Netherlands. The album was dedicated to his father who had died during its making and several songs reflected this fact, especially the song that signs off the work – “The Old Road”. 'The Crack' magazine noted ROJOR as a "stella talent" and Live acoustic sessions on BBC Tees, BBC Shropshire and BBC Newcastle were supplemented with interviews at BBC Northampton, Student radio and Internet stations across the UK.2008 brought forth ROJOR's "The Thief Who Stole The Truth" (I-TUNES) with 12 new songs including radio singles "Light Up The World" and "Echoes of the Earth".