Rose Royce
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Rose Royce was one of the original soul and disco bands, formed
by Motown writer/producer Norman Whitfield - previously most famous for his work
with the Temptations - and featuring singer Rose Norwalt performing under the
name Rose Royce. The backing group was comprised of members of Total Concept
Limited and Magic Wand, both backing bands for Motown artists such as Edwin
Starr, The Undisputed Truth, and The Temptations. When Whitfield left Motown in
1975 to create Whitfield Records, he took the band members with him and Rose
Royce was created.
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 for Edwin
Starr, and he hired Rose Royce as his backup band.
Rose Royce '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 former was also a number one
single on the Billboard pop charts.
Rose Royce had something to prove. To offset any negative rhetoric regarding
their legitimacy, Rose Royce released its follow-up album, Rose Royce II: In
Full Bloom, and bloom it did. The group returned to the Top Ten with "Do Your
Dance" and "Ooh Boy," silencing all critics. In 1978, they released their third
album, entitled Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!, and it featued "I'm in Love (And
I Love the Feeling)" and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore." Both singles cracked
the Billboard R&B Top Five.
Rose Royce followed with a string of hits that roamed the charts, but never
gained the chart status that their previous songs did. Rose Royce became very
popular in England and remain a marquee attraction there.
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