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| Roey has a love for British music that goes back to his childhood. Born in 1966, he was raised on Beatles and other 1960s British Invasion bands, which gave him an early appreciation for well crafted, melodic music with a decidedly English 'flavour'. His earliest musical performance was a grade school production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" where he sang in the chorus. Coincidentally, the first 45 rpm single he ever bought was "Turn It on Again" by Genesis. In high school, Roey was involved in theater and choir. Although naturally a baritone, he nailed his audition to the choir by pulling off the tenor part, which the choir lacked. He also had his first exposure to progressive rock, buying a used copy of King Crimson's "Red" for 99 cents, and listening to it nonstop for a week. |
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| During a four-year stint at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Roey had three musical revelations: he joined his first rock band as a lead singer, learned to play the drums, and heard "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" for the first time. Since then, he has played in several bands as a drummer/vocalist. The music was typically Top 40, classic rock and power pop, although it occasionally wandered into progressive territory in rehearsals. He also became a lifelong Hackett-era Genesis fan. "They were pretty unusual for the progressive rock era. They wrote these great, quirky songs and performed them with taste and restraint. Yes and ELP may have had flashier soloists, but Genesis always played what best served the song." |
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| While Roey still thinks of himself as drummer first, he is very excited about the chance to sing with Grand Parade. "I'm still pinching myself about taking on the 'Gabriel' role in Grand Parade. I will get to perform these amazing songs with group of superb musicians that love the music just as much as I do. For me, this is a dream gig." |
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