Rose Royce is an
American soul and
R&B; band. The group is best known for several
hit singles including "
Car Wash," "
I Wanna Get Next to You," "
Wishing on A Star", "
Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and "
I'm Going Down".
Career
The
Los Angeles-based group composed of Henry Garner (drums), Terral "Terry" Santiel (congas), Lequeint "Duke" Jobe (bass), Michael Moore (saxophone), Gwen Dickey (lead vocals), Kenny Copeland (trumpet, lead vocals), Kenji Brown (guitar, lead vocals), Freddie Dunn (trumpet), and Michael Nash (keyboards). The group began in the early 1970s, when members of several backup bands from the
Watts and
Inglewood areas of Los Angeles united under the name Total Concept Unlimited. In 1973, this collective toured England and Japan behind Motown soul star
Edwin Starr. Starr introduced them to
Norman Whitfield,
Motown's 'psychedelic shaman' who was responsible for bringing a progressive funk-rock slant to the company, via such productions as Starr's "
War",
The Undisputed Truth's "
Smiling Faces Sometimes" and
The Temptations "
Papa Was A Rolling Stone".
Whitfield, after a decade at Motown, wanted to start a company of his own. He took the T.C.U. octet under his wing and signed them to his label. The group, now called Magic Wand, began working with Yvonne Fair and became the studio and concert band for The Undisputed Truth. During a tour stop in Miami, Undisputed Truth leader Joe Harris stumbled upon a singer named Gwen Dickey, then a member of a local group called The Jewels. Harris informed Whitfield of his discovery and Dickey was flown to Los Angeles to audition. In Dickey, Whitfield found the ingredient he felt was missing in Magic Wand: a charismatic female singer. He gave her the stage name Rose Norwalt. The original band lineup, now complete, prepared their debut album.
During this time Whitfield was contacted by film director Michael Schultz, fresh from the success of his first feature Cooley High. Schultz offered Whitfield the opportunity to score his next picture Car Wash. Whitfield would utilize the film to launch his new group, and began composing music based on script outlines. He and the band visited the film set, soaking up the atmosphere. This was one of the rare instances in Hollywood in which the music was composed concurrently with the picture instead of after the fact. In the spirit of the soundtrack, the band's name was changed one final time to 'Rose Royce'. The name not only referenced the movie's automotive theme, but it also placed Gwen "Rose" Dickey, front and center. Further, it hinted at a touch of class the band strove to bring to 1970s soul-funk.
The movie Car Wash and the soundtrack were great successes, bringing the group national fame. Released in late 1976, the soundtrack featured three Billboard R&B; Top Ten singles: "Car Wash," "I Wanna Get Next to You," and "I'm Going Down." The first of these was also a number one single on the Billboard popular music charts, and "I Wanna Get Next to You" reached number ten.
The group's follow-up album, Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom, produced two Top Ten singles, "Do Your Dance" and "Ooh Boy". During 1978, they released their third album, entitled Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!, and it featured "I'm in Love (And I Love the Feeling)" and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". Both singles entered the Billboard R&B; Top Five.
The group followed with a series of modest successes that reached the charts, but never gained the status that their previous songs did. Dickey left the group in April 1980 and the group disbanded. However, the remaining members kept the group somewhat popular in UK and remain a marquee attraction there.
Rose Royce was featured in the TV One's seasonal series, Unsung during the spring of 2010. The story featured the successes, bickering and ultimate ending of the group. Dickey, Copeland, Jobe, Moore and Garner were the only members of the band who gave interviews throughout the program. Dickey now performs as a solo artist in the UK, but mentioned during the interview that she would not mind performing with the group once again.
Discography
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Album
! colspan="3"| Chart positions
! rowspan="2"| US
certifications
! rowspan="2"| Record label
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"|
US
! width="40"|
US
R&B;
! width="40"|
UK
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1976
| align="left"|
| 14
| 2
| 59
| Platinum
| rowspan="1"|
MCA
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1977
| align="left"|
Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom
| 9
| 1
| 18
| Platinum
| rowspan="5"|
Whitfield
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1978
| align="left"|
Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!
| 28
| 4
| 7
| Platinum
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1979
| align="left"|
Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection
| 74
| 22
| 72
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1981
| align="left"|
Golden Touch
| 160
| 30
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"|
Jump Street
| 210
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1982
| align="left"|
Stronger Than Ever
| 210
| 50
| —
| —
| rowspan="1"|
Epic
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1984
| align="left"|
Music Magic
| —
| —
| 69
| —
| rowspan="1"| Streetwave
|-
| rowspan="1"|1985
| align="left"|
The Show Must Go On (unreleased?)
| —
| —
| -
| -
| rowspan="1"| Streetwave
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1986
| align="left"|
Fresh Cut
| —
| 50
| —
| —
| rowspan="2"| Omni
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1990
| align="left"|
Perfect Lover
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="center" colspan="7"| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified
|-
|}
Compilation albums
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Album
! colspan="3"| Chart positions
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"|
US
! width="40"|
US
R&B;
! width="40"|
US
Dance
! width="40"|
UK
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1976
| align="left"|"
Car Wash"
| 1
| 1
| 3
| 9
|-
| rowspan="6"| 1977
| align="left"|"Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is"
| —
| —
| —
| 44
|-
| align="left"|"
I Wanna Get Next to You"
| 10
| 3
| —
| 14
|-
| align="left"| "
I'm Going Down"
| 70
| 10
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"|"Do Your Dance (Part 1)"
| 39
| 4
| rowspan="2"| 20
| 30
|-
| align="left"|"It Makes You Feel Like Dancin'"
| —
| —
| 16
|-
| align="left"|"Ooh Boy"
| 72
| 3
| —
| 46
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1978
| align="left"|"
Wishing on a Star"
| 101
| 52
| —
| 3
|-
| align="left"|"I'm in Love (And I Love the Feeling)"
| —
| 5
| —
| 51
|-
| align="left"|"
Love Don't Live Here Anymore"
| 32
| 5
| —
| 2
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1979
| align="left"|"First Come, First Serve"
| —
| 65
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"|"Is It Love You're After"
| 105
| 31
| —
| 13
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1980
| align="left"|"Pop Your Fingers"
| —
| 60
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1981
| align="left"|"Golden Touch"
| —
| 56
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"|"R.R. Express"
| —
| —
| 8
| 52
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1982
| align="left"|"Best Love"
| —
| 64
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1984
| align="left"|"Magic Touch"
| —
| 77
| —
| 56
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1985
| align="left"|"Love Me Right Now"
| —
| —
| —
| 60
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1986
| align="left"|"Doesn't Have to Be This Way"
| —
| 22
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1987
| align="left"|"Lonely Road"
| —
| 45
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"|"If Walls Could Talk"
| —
| 69
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1988
| align="left"|"Car Wash" / "Is It Love You're After" (re-release)
| —
| —
| —
| 20
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1998
| align="left"|"Car Wash" ('98 remix) (featuring Gwen Dickey)
| —
| —
| —
| 18
|-
| align="center" colspan="6"| "—" denotes the single failed to chart
|-
|}
Cover versions
"I'm Going Down" (Mary J. Blige, Y?N-Vee)
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (Morrissey-Mullen, Madonna, I'm Talking, Joe Cocker, Jimmy Nail, Patti LaBelle, Faith Evans, Dallas Green and Jully Black, Dallas Green)
"Wishing on a Star" (The Cover Girls, Teena Marie, Beyoncé, Randy Crawford, Paul Weller, Bic Runga, En Vogue, Jordin Sparks, Miriam Stockley, Jay-Z)
"I Wanna Get Next To You" (Christion, Raja-Nee' , Double Trouble)
"Car Wash" (Christina Aguilera)
References
External links
Rose Royce official website
Rose Royce on Soul Tracks
Rose Royce on Discoogle
Category:1970s music groups
Category:1980s music groups
Category:1990s music groups
Category:2000s music groups
Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups
Category:American soul musical groups
Category:Motown artists
Category:American funk musical groups
