Rose Royce
Rose Royce is a Grammy-nominated American soul, funk, and disco band based in Los Angeles. The name "Rose" is taken from frontperson/lead singer Rose Norwalt aka Gwen Dickey. The band is best known for their number one hit single "Car Wash". They recorded
Career
Rose Royce — the Los Angeles-based group composed 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 for Edwin 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 with Yvonne Fair, the Undisputed 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: Car Wash (MCA) - U.S. Pop #14, U.S. R&B #2, UK #59
- 1977: Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom (Whitfield) - U.S. Pop #9, U.S. R&B #1, UK #18
- 1978: Rose Royce III: Strikes Again! (Whitfield) - U.S. Pop #28, U.S. R&B #4, UK #7
- 1979: Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection (Whitfield) - U.S. Pop #74, U.S. R&B #22, UK #72
- 1980: Greatest Hits (Whitfield) - UK #1
- 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) - UK #69
- 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)
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Dance | UK | ||
| 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" | 39 | 4 | 20 1 | 30 | |
| "Ooh Boy" | 72 | 3 | – | 46 | |
| 1978 | "Wishing on a Star" | – | 52 | – | 3 |
| "It Makes You Feel Like Dancin'" | – | – | 20 1 | 16 | |
| "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" | 32 | 5 | – | 2 | |
| 1979 | "I'm in Love (And I Love the Feeling)" | – | 5 | – | 51 |
| "First Come, First Serve" | – | 65 | – | – | |
| "Is It Love You're After" | – | 31 | – | 13 | |
| 1980 | "Pop Your Fingers" | – | 60 | – | – |
| 1981 | "Golden Touch" | – | 56 | – | – |
| "R.R. Express" | – | – | 8 | 52 | |
| 1982 | "Best Love" | – | 64 | – | – |
| 1984 | "Magic Touch" | – | – | – | 56 |
| 1985 | "Love Me Right Now" | – | – | – | 60 |
| 1987 | "Doesn't Have to Be This Way" | – | 22 | – | – |
| "Lonely Road" | – | 45 | – | – | |
| 1988 | "Car Wash" / "Is It Love You're After" 2 | – | – | – | 20 |
| 1998 | "Car Wash '98" | – | – | – | 18 |
Notes:
- 1 Charted as "Do Your Dance" / "It Makes You Feel Like Dancin'" on U.S. Dance charts
- 2 UK re-issue
Covers
- "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)
References
- ^ "Rose Royce Chart History". billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
- ^ "Rose Royce Chart History". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|ROYCE&sql=ignored (help) - ^ "Rose Royce UK Chart History". chartstats.com. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
External links
- Rose Royce official website
- Rose Royce at AllMusic
- Rose Royce on Soul Tracks
- Rose Royce on Discoogle