- Rose Royce
Rose Royce is a
Grammy Award -winning soul,funk , anddisco band based inLos Angeles . The name "Rose" is taken frontperson/lead singerRose Norwalt aka Gwen Dickey. The band is best known for their number one hit single "Car Wash".Career
Rose Royce — the
Los Angeles -based group comprised of Henry Garner (drums), Terral "Terry" Santiel (congas), Lequeint "Duke" Jobe (bass), Michael Moore (saxophone), Rose Norwalt (lead vocals), Kenny Copeland (trumpet, lead vocals), Kenji Brown (guitar, lead vocals), Freddie Dunn (trumpet), and Michael Nash (keyboards) — was actually formed by Copeland and Garner. Both were preparing for graduation from high school, and contemplating their careers. Joined by Dunn and Moore, the two decided to go the route of the music business under the name Total Concept Unlimited (and later as Magic Wand). They auditioned forEdwin Starr , and he hired them as his backup band.The group's association with Starr enabled them to interact with numerous music industry personalities. One in particular was Motown producer
Norman Whitfield . Whitfield gradually became associated with the group by hiring them for recording sessions; the group also worked withYvonne Fair , theUndisputed Truth , and the Temptations through Whitfield's influence. After a couple of years of seasoning, the group began production on their debut album under Whitfield's supervision. Also during this time,MCA Records was seeking an artist for the soundtrack to the movie "Car Wash". Whitfield convinced executives that the band was more than competent for the job. So the material that Whitfield had assembled for the group's debut album became the soundtrack's material.The movie "Car Wash" and the soundtrack were big hits, and they also propelled the group, now known as Rose Royce, into national notoriety. 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 pop 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". In 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 string of hits that roamed the charts, but never gained the chart status that their previous songs did. They became very popular in
England and remain a marquee attraction there.Discography
Albums
*1976: "" (MCA) - U.S. Pop #14, U.S. R&B #2
*1977: "Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom" (Whitfield) - U.S. Pop #9, U.S. R&B #1
*1978: "Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!" (Whitfield) - U.S. Pop #28, U.S. R&B #4
*1979: "Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection" (Whitfield) - U.S. Pop #74, U.S. R&B #22
*1980: "Greatest Hits" (Whitfield)
*1981: "Golden Touch" (Whitfield) - U.S. Pop #160, U.S. R&B #30
*1981: "Jump Street" (Whitfiled)
*1982: "Stronger Than Ever" (Epic) - U.S. R&B #50
*1984: "Music Magic" (Streetwave)
*1985: "The Show Must Go On" (Streetwave)
*1986: "Fresh Cut" (Omni) - U.S. #50
*1990: "Perfect Lover" (Omni)
*2001: "The Very Best of Rose Royce" (Rhino)
*2003: "Live in Hollywod" (FYD)ingles
Notes:
1 - charted as "Do Your Dance" / "It Makes You Feel Like Dancin'" on U.S. Dance charts2 - UK re-issueCovers
*"I'm Going Down" (
Mary J. Blige )
*"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')
*"Car Wash" (Christina Aguilera )External links
* [http://www.rose-royce.com/ Rose Royce Official Website]
* [http://wc09.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifpxqr5ldke~T0 Rose Royce on AMG]
* [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=5565 Rose Royce on Billboard]
* [http://www.soultracks.com/rose_royce.htm Rose Royce on Soul Tracks]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.