Rose Royce
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rose Royce | |
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 Rose Royce in concert at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California in 2005
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles |
| Genres | Soul, Rhythm and blues |
| Labels | Motown Records |
| Associated acts | Yvonne Fair The Undisputed Truth |
| Website | http://www.rose-royce.com/ |
| Members | |
| Kenji Brown Kenny Copeland Freddie Dunn Henry Garner Lequeint "Duke" Jobe Michael Moore Michael Nash Rose Norwalt Terral "Terry" Santiel |
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Rose Royce is an American soul band. The group is best known for several hit singles including "Car Wash," "I Wanna Get Next to You," and "I'm Going Down."
Contents |
[edit] Career
The Los Angeles-based group composed of Henry Garner (drums), Terral "Terry" Santiel (congas), Lequeint "Duke" Jobe (bass), Michael Moore (saxophone), Rose Norwalt (real name Gwen Dickey, lead vocals), Kenny Copeland (trumpet, lead vocals), Kenji Brown (guitar, lead vocals), Freddie Dunn (trumpet), and Michael Nash (keyboards) — 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. It was while T.C.U. was incubating, in 1973, that they toured England and Japan behind Motown soul star Edwin Starr. And it was Starr who introduced them to Norman Whitfield, Motown's 'psychadelic 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.[1]
Whitfield, after a decade at Motown, wanted to start a company of his own. He took the T.C.U. octet under his wing. The group worked with Yvonne Fair, (they were now called Magic Wand), and they 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. And so 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 Whitfiled 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 movies automotive theme, but it also placed Gwen "Rose" Dickey, front and centre. (Further, it hinted at a touch of class the band strove to bring to '70s soul-funk). [2]
The movie Car Wash and the soundtrack were great successes, and they also brought 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 successes that scored the charts, but never gained the chart status that their previous songs did. They became very popular in UK and remain a marquee attraction there.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions[3] | US certifications [4] |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
UK[5] | ||||
| 1976 | Car Wash | 14 | 2 | 59 | Gold | MCA |
| 1977 | Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom | 9 | 1 | 18 | Platinum | Whitfield |
| 1978 | Rose Royce III: Strikes Again! | 28 | 4 | 7 | Gold | |
| 1979 | Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection | 74 | 22 | 72 | — | |
| 1981 | Golden Touch | 160 | 30 | — | — | |
| Jump Street | 210 | — | — | — | ||
| 1982 | Stronger Than Ever | 210 | 50 | — | — | Epic |
| 1984 | Music Magic | — | — | 69 | — | Streetwave |
| 1987 | Fresh Cut | — | 50 | — | — | Omni |
| 1990 | Perfect Lover | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
[edit] Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions[3] | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
UK[5] | |||
| 1980 | Greatest Hits | 204 | — | 1 | Whitfield |
| 2001 | The Very Best of Rose Royce | — | — | — | Rhino |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||||
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions[6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Dance |
UK[5] | ||
| 1976 | "Car Wash" | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| 1977 | "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" | — | — | — | 44 |
| "I Wanna Get Next to You" | 10 | 3 | — | 14 | |
| "I'm Going Down" | 70 | 10 | — | — | |
| "Do Your Dance (Part 1)" | 39 | 4 | 20 | 30 | |
| "It Makes You Feel Like Dancin'" | — | — | 16 | ||
| "Ooh Boy" | 72 | 3 | — | 46 | |
| 1978 | "Wishing on a Star" | 101 | 52 | — | 3 |
| "I'm in Love (And I Love the Feeling)" | — | 5 | — | 51 | |
| "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" | 32 | 5 | — | 2 | |
| 1979 | "First Come, First Serve" | — | 65 | — | — |
| "Is It Love You're After" | 105 | 31 | — | 13 | |
| 1980 | "Pop Your Fingers" | — | 60 | — | — |
| 1981 | "Golden Touch" | — | 56 | — | — |
| "R.R. Express" | — | — | 8 | 52 | |
| 1982 | "Best Love" | — | 64 | — | — |
| 1984 | "Magic Touch" | — | 77 | — | 56 |
| 1985 | "Love Me Right Now" | — | — | — | 60 |
| 1986 | "Doesn't Have to Be This Way" | — | 22 | — | — |
| 1987 | "Lonely Road" | — | 45 | — | — |
| "If Walls Could Talk" | — | 69 | — | — | |
| 1988 | "Car Wash" / "Is It Love You're After" (re-release) | — | — | — | 20 |
| 1998 | "Car Wash" ('98 remix) (featuring Gwen Dickey) | — | — | — | 18 |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | |||||
[edit] Covers
- "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')
- "Car Wash" (Christina Aguilera)
[edit] References
- ^ Album notes The Very Best of Rose Royce 2001 Warner Bros by A.Scott Galloway
- ^ A. Scott Galloway album notes The Very Best of Rose Royce 2001 Warner Bros
- ^ a b "Rose Royce US albums chart history". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifpxqr5ldke~T50. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ "Rose Royce US certification history". riaa.com. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Rose%20Royce&format=Album&go=Search&perPage=25. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ a b c "Rose Royce UK chart history". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=2751. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ "Rose Royce US singles chart history". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifpxqr5ldke~T51. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
[edit] External links
- Rose Royce official website
- Rose Royce at Allmusic
- Rose Royce on Soul Tracks
- Rose Royce on Discoogle
