{{Short description|British singer-songwriter and actor (born 1961)}} {{Use British English|date=November 2023}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Roland Gift | image = Roland Gift 1990.jpg | caption = Gift pictured at a Grammy rehearsal in 1990 | birth_name = Roland Lee Gift | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1961|05|28}} | birth_place = Birmingham, England, UK | occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|actor}} | years_active = 1978−present | known_for = Member of Fine Young Cannibals and Akrylykz | children = 2 }}
'''Roland Lee Gift''' (born 28 May 1961)<ref>{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p152631}}</ref> is a British singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the former lead vocalist of the pop rock band Fine Young Cannibals.
==Early life== Gift was born on 28 May 1961 in the Sparkhill district of Birmingham to an English mother and an Afro-Caribbean father. He lived in Sparkhill until the age of 11, receiving his early formal education at Anderton Park School and Arden Primary School.<ref>{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Robertson|title=Home truths: Roland Gift.|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-90276709.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611025624/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-90276709.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 June 2014|newspaper=Daily Mirror|publisher=Trinity Mirror|date=10 August 2002|access-date=2014-01-25}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=tabloid|date=November 2025}}
==Music career== Gift's first recording was as a saxophonist with Akrylykz, a ska band from Hull. The album was the second release on York's Red Rhino Records.<ref name="Indie, Tony K obit">{{cite journal |journal=The Independent |title=Tony Kostrzewa: Founder of Red Rhino Records |date=9 May 2008 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/tony-kostrzewa-founder-of-red-rhino-records-824290.html }}</ref> Although this record was unsuccessful, it did bring him to the attention of Andy Cox and David Steele of the Beat. Akrylykz toured with the Beat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://therebelmagazine.blogspot.com/2011/01/q-with-roland-gift.html |title=The Rebel Magazine: Q & A with Roland Gift |work=Therebelmagazine.blogspot.com |date=12 January 2011 |access-date=2012-12-09}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=blog|date=November 2025}}
Cox and Steele asked Gift to become the lead singer of their new band, Fine Young Cannibals, after the Beat had disbanded. Fine Young Cannibals' eponymous debut album was released in 1985, spawning two UK hit singles, "Johnny Come Home" and a cover of Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds".<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{cite book| first= Martin C.| last= Strong| year= 2000| title= The Great Rock Discography| edition= 5th| publisher=Mojo Books| location= Edinburgh| pages= 343–344| isbn= 1-84195-017-3}}</ref> The band released the singles "She Drives Me Crazy" and "Good Thing" from the 1989 album ''The Raw & the Cooked''; both songs reached #1 in the United States.<ref name="billboard.com">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/fine-young-cannibals/chart-history/hsi/|title=Fine Young Cannibals > Chart History > Hot 100|magazine=Billboard|access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref> In 1990, the band won two Brit Awards: Best British Group and Best British Album (for ''The Raw & the Cooked'').<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brits.co.uk/artist/fine-young-cannibals|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530134341/http://www.brits.co.uk/artist/fine-young-cannibals|url-status=dead|title=Brits.co.uk|archive-date=30 May 2012|access-date=18 June 2021}}</ref>
Gift has performed as a solo artist, appearing at the Rewind Festival in Henley.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/photos/Rewind-2012/21398/Roland-Gift.html |title=Roland Gift – Rewind 2012 |publisher=Absolute Radio |access-date=2014-06-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809081630/http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/photos/Rewind-2012/21398/Roland-Gift.html |archive-date=9 August 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
He also appeared in Jools Holland's 20th annual ''Hootenanny'' show, which aired overnight on BBC2 on 31 December 2012/1 January 2013,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pm9s9 |title=BBC Two – Jools' Annual Hootenanny, Jools' 20th Annual Hootenanny – 2012 |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=31 December 2012 |access-date=2014-06-28}}</ref> the last to be recorded at BBC Television Centre. Gift sang the Fine Young Cannibals hits "Good Thing" and "Suspicious Minds". Gift was a guest vocalist on Jools Holland's 2013 tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joolsholland.com/tourdates.htm |title=Official Web Site | Tour Dates |publisher=Jools Holland |access-date=2014-06-28}}</ref>
Ten years after his first ''Hootenanny'' appearance, Gift re-appeared in Jools Holland's annual ''Hootenanny'' show again, which aired overnight on BBC2 on 31 December 2022/1 January 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001gpq1 |title=BBC Two – Jools' Annual Hootenanny – 2022 |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=31 December 2022}}</ref> Gift sang the Fine Young Cannibals hits "Suspicious Minds" and "Good Thing". Gift announced a two-show tour in 2025 billed as "Roland Gift Presents Fine Young Cannibals".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Biggane |first=Dan |date=2025-04-22 |title=Roland Gift presents Fine Young Cannibals at 40 shows |url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/news/fine-young-cannibals-celebrate-40-years-with-anniversary-shows/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=Classic Pop Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Acting career== [[File:Rolandgift.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.25|Roland Gift at Guilfest 2011 ]] Gift had his first screen role in a Clash movie (he was a roadie for them at the time), and also appeared in ''Out of Order'' the same year. In 1990, he did his first stage work, playing Romeo in the Hull Truck Theatre's production of Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'', a production which had a brief run in the United States at the Staller Center for the Arts.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE6D9113AF937A25754C0A966958260 |title=Review/Theater; Pop Star as a Nontraditional Romeo |newspaper=The New York Times |date=14 July 1990 |access-date=2012-12-09}}</ref> He also appeared as a lounge singer (singing songs that were included in the Fine Young Cannibals' album ''The Raw and the Cooked'') in the 1987 film ''Tin Men'', directed by Barry Levinson.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metroweekly.com/2014/02/classic-album-revisited-fine-y/|work=Metro Weekly|title=Classic album revisited: Fine Young Cannibals "The Raw and The Cooked"|author=Gerard, Chris|date=February 11, 2014}}</ref>
In 2020, he starred as Johnny Holloway, an ex-pop star sent to prison, in the BBC Radio 4 musical drama ''Return to Vegas''. Gift wrote the play and co-composed the music together with Ben Barson, brother of Madness's Mike Barson.<ref name=Guardian2020>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/dec/03/fine-young-cannibal-roland-gift-i-went-back-to-where-being-pretty-didnt-matter|title=Fine Young Cannibal Roland Gift: 'I went back to where being pretty didn't matter'|date=3 December 2020|author=Simpson, Dave|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-roland-gift-9256822.html|title=Album: Roland Gift|date=13 April 2014|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2020/14/return-to-vegas-a-music-drama |title=Return to Vegas: A Music Drama - Media Centre |access-date=3 December 2020 |archive-date=28 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928160512/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2020/14/return-to-vegas-a-music-drama |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Personal life== Gift has two sons. His wife Louise died in 2019.<ref name=Guardian2020 />
==Discography== ===Albums=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |- !Year !Information |- !scope="row"|''Roland Gift'' | *Released: 18 March 2002 *Formats: CD, digital download |}
===Singles=== {| class="wikitable" |- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" ! Year ! Single ! UK Singles Chart ! Album |- || 2002 | "It's Only Money" |{{center| 123}} ||{{center| ''Roland Gift''}} |- || 2009 | "Crushed"<br><small>(as Roland Lee Gift)</small><br/> |{{center|—}} ||{{center|Non-album single}} |}
==Filmography== ===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 1987 || ''Tin Men'' || Band Member || |- | 1987 || ''Sammy and Rosie Get Laid'' || Danny || |- | 1987 || ''Out of Order'' || Customer || |- | 1989 || ''Scandal'' || Johnny Edgecombe || |- | 2001 || ''The Island of the Mapmaker's Wife'' || Bernard Ivens || |- | 2002 || ''Ten Minutes Older'' || Co-Pilot || Segment: "Addicted to the Stars" |- | 2006 || ''Money'' || The Man || Short film |- | 2016 || ''Brakes'' || Rhys || |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 1993 || ''Heartbeat'' || Ken Marston || Episode: "Over the Hill" |- | 1993–1997 || ''Highlander: The Series'' || Xavier St. Cloud || 5 episodes |- | 1997 || ''Painted Lady'' || Eddie Mullen || |- | 2021 || ''Meet the Richardsons'' || Roland Gift || 2 episodes |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000304916}} *{{discogs artist}} *{{IMDb name|id=0317558|name=Roland Gift}}
{{Fine Young Cannibals}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gift, Roland}} Category:1961 births Category:Black British rock musicians Category:Black British male actors Category:English pop singers Category:Fine Young Cannibals members Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Kingston upon Hull Category:Singers from Birmingham, West Midlands Category:20th-century Black British male singers Category:20th-century British male actors Category:20th-century British male singers Category:English male film actors Category:English male television actors Category:English people of West Indian descent Category:21st-century Black British male singers Category:21st-century British male actors Category:21st-century British male singers Category:English tenors Category:British male saxophonists