Rose Royce
Encyclopedia
Rose Royce is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 and R&B band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

. The group is best known for several hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...

s including "Car Wash
Car Wash (song)
"Car Wash" is a 1976 soul music single by Rose Royce for MCA Records, the group's debut single and one of the most notable successes of the disco era. Written and produced by the band's main producer Norman Whitfield, "Car Wash", the theme of the 1976 film Car Wash, was Rose Royce's most successful...

," "I Wanna Get Next to You
I Wanna Get Next to You
"I Wanna Get Next to You" is a 1976 soul single written and produced by legendary American songwriter Norman Whitfield, and most famously sung by American R&B band Rose Royce...

," "Wishing on a Star
Wishing on a Star
"Wishing on a Star" is a 1978 hit single by Rose Royce for Whitfield Records.-Background:Included on their second album, Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom, "Wishing on a Star" is a slow ballad written by Billie Rae Calvin and produced by Norman Whitfield. The lyrics concern a woman longing for the...

", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore
Love Don't Live Here Anymore
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" is a song written by Miles Gregory and originally recorded by Rose Royce. It was produced by former Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield for the Whitfield Records...

" and "I'm Going Down
I'm Going Down (Rose Royce song)
"I'm Going Down" is a Grammy Award-nominated 1977 R&B single written and produced by the late American singer-songwriter Norman Whitfield, as performed by R&B/soul band Rose Royce, the single is from the film, Car Wash and is featured on the film's soundtrack...

".

Career

The Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

-based group comprised 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
Watts, Los Angeles, California
Watts is a mostly residential neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California.-History:The area now known as Watts is located on the Rancho La Tajauta Mexican land grant...

 and Inglewood
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...

 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
Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr was an American soul music singer. Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War".-Biography:...

. Starr introduced them to Norman Whitfield
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...

, 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
The Undisputed Truth
The Undisputed Truth was a 1970s Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques...

's "Smiling Faces Sometimes
Smiling Faces Sometimes
"Smiling Faces Sometimes" is a soul song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Motown label. The song was originally recorded by the Temptations in 1971. Producer Norman Whitfield had the song re-recorded by the Undisputed Truth the same year, resulting in a number-three Billboard...

" and The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...

 "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
Octet (music)
In music, an octet is a musical ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or a musical composition written for such an ensemble.-Octets in classical music:Octets in classical music are one of the largest groupings of chamber music...

 under his wing and signed them to his label. The group, now called Magic Wand, began working with Yvonne Fair
Yvonne Fair
Yvonne Fair was an African American singer, best known for her 1976 recording of "It Should Have Been Me".-Biography:...

 and became the studio and concert band for The Undisputed Truth
The Undisputed Truth
The Undisputed Truth was a 1970s Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques...

. 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
Michael Schultz
Michael Schultz is an American director and producer of film and television.-Life and career:Schultz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Katherine Frances , a factory worker, and Leo Schultz, an insurance salesman...

, fresh from the success of his first feature Cooley High
Cooley High
Cooley High is a 1975 American film based upon the real high school located on the near north side of Chicago produced and released by American International Pictures and written by Eric Monte...

. 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
Car Wash (song)
"Car Wash" is a 1976 soul music single by Rose Royce for MCA Records, the group's debut single and one of the most notable successes of the disco era. Written and produced by the band's main producer Norman Whitfield, "Car Wash", the theme of the 1976 film Car Wash, was Rose Royce's most successful...

," "I Wanna Get Next to You
I Wanna Get Next to You
"I Wanna Get Next to You" is a 1976 soul single written and produced by legendary American songwriter Norman Whitfield, and most famously sung by American R&B band Rose Royce...

," and "I'm Going Down
I'm Going Down (Rose Royce song)
"I'm Going Down" is a Grammy Award-nominated 1977 R&B single written and produced by the late American singer-songwriter Norman Whitfield, as performed by R&B/soul band Rose Royce, the single is from the film, Car Wash and is featured on the film's soundtrack...

." 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". It also included "Wishing on a Star
Wishing on a Star
"Wishing on a Star" is a 1978 hit single by Rose Royce for Whitfield Records.-Background:Included on their second album, Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom, "Wishing on a Star" is a slow ballad written by Billie Rae Calvin and produced by Norman Whitfield. The lyrics concern a woman longing for the...

", which for Rose Royce was a top-10 hit only in the UK; it became notable elsewhere thru its cover versions, including The Cover Girls
The Cover Girls
The Cover Girls is a New York City-based freestyle-urban-dance-pop girl group that achieved the majority of its chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...

' Top Ten single in 1992.

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
Love Don't Live Here Anymore
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" is a song written by Miles Gregory and originally recorded by Rose Royce. It was produced by former Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield for the Whitfield Records...

". Both singles entered the Billboard R&B Top Five. "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" also gained greater exposure thru its cover versions, most notably by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

 in 1984 and 1995.

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 the 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.

Studio albums

Year Album Chart positions US
certifications
Record label
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

US
R&B
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

1976 Car Wash
Car Wash: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Car Wash is a soundtrack double album by the Funk band Rose Royce. It is the soundtrack/film score to the 1976 hit comedy Car Wash starring Richard Pryor and George Carlin and also the debut album for Rose Royce...

14 2 59 Platinum MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...

1977 Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom
Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom
-Track listing:All tracks composed by Norman Whitfield; except where indicated#"Wishing On A Star" 4:50#"You Can't Please Everybody" - 3:47#"Ooh Boy" - 4:15#"Do Your Dance" 9:15#"You're My World Girl" - 4:08...

9 1 18 Platinum Whitfield
Whitfield Records
Whitfield Records was a record label, founded in 1975 by former Motown producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield and active until 1982. Whitfield Records was distributed throughout its entire existence by Warner Bros...

1978 Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!
Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!
-Track listing:All tracks composed by Norman Whitfield; except where indicated#"Get Up Off Your Fat" 4:35#"Do It, Do It" 4:09#"I'm In Love " 3:41#"First Come, First Serve" 3:19#"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" 3:55...

28 4 7 Platinum
1979 Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection
Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection
This would be the last album that lead singer Gwen Dickey would be on before embarking on solo career.-Track listing:#"I Wonder Where You Are Tonight" 3:37#"Is It Love You're After" 5:01#"Shine Your Light" 5:26...

74 22 72
1981 Golden Touch 160 30
Jump Street 210
1982 Stronger Than Ever 210 50 Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

1984 Music Magic 69 Streetwave
1985 The Show Must Go On
1986 Fresh Cut 50 Omni
1990 Perfect Lover
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified

Compilation albums

Year Album Chart positions Record label
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

US
R&B
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

1980 Greatest Hits 204 1 Whitfield
Whitfield Records
Whitfield Records was a record label, founded in 1975 by former Motown producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield and active until 1982. Whitfield Records was distributed throughout its entire existence by Warner Bros...

2001 The Very Best of Rose Royce Rhino
"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions
US
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

US
R&B
US
Dance
UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

1976 "Car Wash
Car Wash (song)
"Car Wash" is a 1976 soul music single by Rose Royce for MCA Records, the group's debut single and one of the most notable successes of the disco era. Written and produced by the band's main producer Norman Whitfield, "Car Wash", the theme of the 1976 film Car Wash, was Rose Royce's most successful...

"
1 1 3 9
1977 "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" 44
"I Wanna Get Next to You
I Wanna Get Next to You
"I Wanna Get Next to You" is a 1976 soul single written and produced by legendary American songwriter Norman Whitfield, and most famously sung by American R&B band Rose Royce...

"
10 3 14
"I'm Going Down
I'm Going Down (Rose Royce song)
"I'm Going Down" is a Grammy Award-nominated 1977 R&B single written and produced by the late American singer-songwriter Norman Whitfield, as performed by R&B/soul band Rose Royce, the single is from the film, Car Wash and is featured on the film's soundtrack...

"
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
Wishing on a Star
"Wishing on a Star" is a 1978 hit single by Rose Royce for Whitfield Records.-Background:Included on their second album, Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom, "Wishing on a Star" is a slow ballad written by Billie Rae Calvin and produced by Norman Whitfield. The lyrics concern a woman longing for the...

"
101 52 3
"I'm in Love (And I Love the Feeling)" 5 51
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore
Love Don't Live Here Anymore
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" is a song written by Miles Gregory and originally recorded by Rose Royce. It was produced by former Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield for the Whitfield Records...

"
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 1998 (The Monday Night Club Mixes)" (featuring Gwen Dickey) 18
"—" denotes the single failed to chart

Cover versions

  • "I'm Going Down" (Mary J. Blige
    Mary J. Blige
    Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...

    , Y?N-Vee)
  • "Love Don't Live Here Anymore
    Love Don't Live Here Anymore
    "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" is a song written by Miles Gregory and originally recorded by Rose Royce. It was produced by former Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield for the Whitfield Records...

    " (Morrissey-Mullen, Madonna
    Madonna (entertainer)
    Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

    , Meek Mill, I'm Talking
    I'm Talking
    I'm Talking was a 1980s Australian funk-pop rock band, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles "Trust Me", "Do You Wanna Be?" and "Holy Word" and a top fifteen album, Bear Witness, before disbanding in...

    , Joe Cocker
    Joe Cocker
    John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...

    , Jimmy Nail
    Jimmy Nail
    James Bradford "Jimmy" Nail is an English singer-songwriter, actor, musician, film producer, film score composer and television writer....

    , Patti LaBelle
    Patti LaBelle
    Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...

    , Faith Evans
    Faith Evans
    Faith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...

    , Dallas Green and Jully Black, Dallas Green)
  • "Wishing on a Star
    Wishing on a Star
    "Wishing on a Star" is a 1978 hit single by Rose Royce for Whitfield Records.-Background:Included on their second album, Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom, "Wishing on a Star" is a slow ballad written by Billie Rae Calvin and produced by Norman Whitfield. The lyrics concern a woman longing for the...

    " (The Cover Girls
    The Cover Girls
    The Cover Girls is a New York City-based freestyle-urban-dance-pop girl group that achieved the majority of its chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...

    , Teena Marie
    Teena Marie
    Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...

    , Beyoncé
    Beyoncé Knowles
    Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

    , Randy Crawford
    Randy Crawford
    Randy Crawford is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist...

    , Paul Weller, Bic Runga
    Bic Runga
    Briolette Kah Bic Runga MNZM is a New Zealand pop recording artist whose first solo album, Drive, debuted at number one on the New Zealand RIANZ charts. She has since become one of the highest-selling New Zealand artists in recent history...

    , En Vogue
    En Vogue
    En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...

    , Jordin Sparks
    Jordin Sparks
    Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...

    , Miriam Stockley
    Miriam Stockley
    Miriam Stockley is a British singer. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and her work is influenced by the African music in her home country. Her unique vocalese style gained international acclaim when Karl Jenkins' launched the "Adiemus" project with "Songs of Sanctuary", featuring...

    )
  • "I Wanna Get Next To You" (Christion, Raja-Nee', Double Trouble)
  • "Car Wash" (Christina Aguilera
    Christina Aguilera
    Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

    )
  • "Wishing On A Star is the next X-Factor single


In addition, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

 recorded his own song, also called "Wishing on a Star", for which Gwen Dickey re-recorded some of her original lyrics and was credited as a featured artist.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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